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240 Rough / Sputtering Idle

wht_245wagoon

wht_245wagoon

Active member
Joined
Mar 22, 2016
Location
Escondido, CA
I replaced the Idle control valve and it started up and didn't die right away. It would try and catch its self and try to keep running. If I held the throttle down slightly it would hold and then some smoke would come out of the exhaust manifold. If I held it down for a couple of minutes it would idle. During this time there is a high pitched sound that seems to be coming from the power steering area, when I press on the throttle the sounds get higher. I have found a hole in the rear muffler but not sure if that is the total culprit. Any help on the possible issue and a solution is greatly appreciated. I am not a mechanic but can figure it out if given some guidance.
 
Which car? Does it have a MAF? Disconnect it and see if the car stays running. That sounds like what happened to me when my MAF spontaneously failed. Your high pitched sound might either be a belt or a vacuum hose. Check both for cracks.
 
The car is a 1990 240 DL Wagon. I will check MAF and it might need a good cleaning. I believe the sound is when the power steering pump is spinning. When it spins faster the sound gets louder. I have a new pump on the way to see if that will fix it.
 
Disconnect the vac hose at the fuel pressure regulator and check for liquid fuel.


Spray around the intake with brake cleaner and see if the idle changes= air leak.
 
I have checked the codes. The system does not show any codes, and the check engine light is off on the dash. I have pulled the fule pressure regulator and no fuel leaks out, you can feel a vacuum in the line. I will check for a air leak as well as check and clean the MAF to see if anything changes.
 
Here is an update so far. I disconnected the MAF sensor and the car starts and idles fine. I have tried to spray MAF cleaner but it did not change anything. I have a new sensor on the way which should solve that issue. Now the next issues to resolve are the light smoke coming from the exhaust side and tail pipe and the high pitch squeal sound from the power steering.
 
I went through something similar. Check your intake hose from the MAF to the throttle body very carefully for holes. Also check all the vacuum lines for splits/cracks as well.

Also, 1990 LH 2.4 cars like yours also had an ECU (pink label) that was prone to failure that could be contributing to weird drive-ability issues.
 
Last edited:
billkaz said:
I went through something similar. Check your intake hose from the MAF to the throttle body very carefully for holes. Also check all the vacuum lines for splits/cracks as well.

Also, 1990 LH 2.4 cars like yours also had an ECU (pink label) that was prone to failure that could be contributing to weird drive-ability issues.
Click to expand...

Thank you for the suggestions, the intake hose is new as the previous one was melted and also all the vacuum lines. I am not sure which ECU I have but will take a photo today and see if that is the issue. I received a new MAF and when I installed it the same issues came back. My guess is that the MAF is good and it might be the ECU or something else.
 
billkaz said:
ECU (pink label) that was prone to failure that could be contributing to weird drive-ability issues.
Click to expand...
I've heard something like this before, but what fails in these pink label Jet boxes? Is it off the shelf parts, or proprietary chips?
 
Wow, it has been a while since this thread. I fixed the issue and drove it to its new home. Now I am in the process of doing a +T swap and when I go to start it I get no spark. The only electrical change has been to move the MAF wiring over the passenger side and ground it to the fender. The car wants to start the fuel pumps turn on and it wants to crank but there is no spark from the coil. I have 12.4 volts on the battery. I am at a total loss as to why it won't run.
 
Start at the ignition amp. See if it has an input signal from the EZK. If it doesn't then the EZK, speed sensor or wiring is bad before the amp. If there is a signal then the problem is the amp or after the amp.
 
I will give that a shot. Would unsheathing the wiring harness to move the AMM to the passenger side cause any issues. I retaped it all back but it now doesn't have the thick tubing around it. I plugged in the original ECU and EZK from the N/A car and the problem is the same.
 
So I read through the Bentley manual for diagnostic and it turns out that the ignition amp is getting a signal but no start. I will be placing an order for a new one and that should solve the issue. I checked and I have 12.3 volts at the battery and the coil.
 
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