Problem with my RS powered Liberty
 

Hey guys, I've got a 89 Gen 1 S1 wagon with a RS motor in it. Its been a great run around to me, with just the odd problem here and there. On friday, a small problem turned in to a big one :(
It used to shudder in the morning at about 4 am on the way to work, not so much so as when i start it on a warm day. It would only last a few seconds, maybe 30, and then it would disappear. Now it wont go away! Hot or cold. It starts perfectly when its cold, it idles at about 1500 rpm, but as the rev's slowly come down, it starts to jerk and bounce around. I've cleaned the AFM, crank angle sensor, two connector that go to the coil packs because I think water got on to them. I've replaced a couple of dodgy hoses, and all the vacume hoses are fine. The car is undriveable at the moment, and my mechanic is servicing it and changing the plugs at the end of the week. Does it sound like a water temp sensor? Or could it be a compression problem?

[URL=http://s108.photobucket.com/albums/n2/Getusarum/?action=view&current=DSC00411.jpg]A picture of the engine bay (might answer any questions about the motor)[/URL]

is it making knocking/clunking noises?

had similar problem in my rs. but hard to tell if its the same. but i got injector fluid into my tank, lifter free into my oil. and a new fuel pump. and it was all good.

could be spark plugs, or leads too.

before when it wasnt so bad. did it ever get really really jerky at full throttle from time to time? more so when the tank was below a third?

[QUOTE=Smokey]is it making knocking/clunking noises?[/QUOTE]

Na not at all, it has the odd tappet noise at cold start up, but thats usual for a motor of this age thats due for a service. When you start it up cold, its hard to believe it has a problem at all, but once the revs drop down to idle, it runs really bad. It will level out after a minute or so, but it refuses to rev. Funny enough, if you put your foot down, it goes really hard. But its still undrivable..

[QUOTE=subliber]had similar problem in my rs. but hard to tell if its the same. but i got injector fluid into my tank, lifter free into my oil. and a new fuel pump. and it was all good.

could be spark plugs, or leads too.

before when it wasnt so bad. did it ever get really really jerky at full throttle from time to time? more so when the tank was below a third?[/QUOTE]

Na at full throttle is when it runs its best, its just the first half of the throttle that seems unusable. The turbo spools fine though, it really wants to go, but somewhere along the line theres a signal not getting through. New plugs are going in at the end of the week (about Thursday) and the fuel pump is only 4 or 5 months old.

mmm, saying that, it might just need a tune up. have you had anything recently fitted? like an exhaust or BOV or anything?

have you done a search or asked on [url]www.rslibertyclub.org[/url] ?

[QUOTE=subliber]mmm, saying that, it might just need a tune up. have you had anything recently fitted? like an exhaust or BOV or anything?

have you done a search or asked on [url]www.rslibertyclub.org[/url] ?[/QUOTE]

Yeah i posted up on there a few days ago, but i got bugger all replys. Funny enough, I've had the same replys on here in 20 minutes than i did on the other site in 2 days

I picked a real sh*t week to break down!! RMS are in shut down for the rally this weekend, so are a heap of other places :(
I'm using my local mechanic, he's fairly cluely on ej20's.

[QUOTE=WagonRS]I picked a real sh*t week to break down!! RMS are in shut down for the rally this weekend, so are a heap of other places :( [/QUOTE]

you obviously didn't look too hard.

have you rang every workshop on this list ?

[url]http://www.perth-wrx.com/vb/showthread.php?t=6775&highlight=workshops[/url]

It could still be a problem with the coils as they are pretty old by now. Pull each one out and go over them with a magnifying glass and look for tiny cracks in the casing.

Could also be your plugs. Maybe one or more are fouled. Tell the mechanic to keep the plugs for you to inspect them.