try checking all your sensors

 

just picked it up from a local shop, they said I had a bad o2 sensor..... $300 later I picked up the car, seemed fine, drove home, and it started killing again!!!!!!!!!!!! another thig that they said which I didn't know, was that the engine swap that the previous owner did, they didn't put in a stock 1990 GSX engine, havn't found out what it is yet, anyone know how to tell what engine it is? And any other ideas whats causing it to die?

 

Does the motor have any numbers stamped on the top to at least tell what size it is?

 

yeah, it's a 2.0 has a turbo on the side

 

If the dealership replaced an o2 sensor exaust then they must have had an idea about what engin it was. maybe you could go back and ask what they thought it is if they noticed it wasnt a stock engin. Also there is a plate riveted somewhere on the front of the engin that tells what block it is.

 

yeah, they said they knew, but I forgot to ask, then the guy working on it was gone before I thought to ask. any other ideas about it stalling, they said the IACV is good, no vacuum/boost leaks. new o2 sensor...........

 

I know you said the dealer checked for leaks and found none. I also rember that you said you had new family addition on the way. Been there 4 times! Here is a way to check for leaks your self.

How to build an Intercooler Pipe Pressure Leak Tester
Parts Needed:

A 4 inch long piece of 2.5" O.D. (outside diameter) hose. (I used some radiator hose I got at NAPA)
1.5" I.D. (inside diameter) PVC end cap.
2 band clamps that will fit around the 2.5" pipe above.
A valve stem (I used the rubber type you press in)

Note that if you have a larger turbo, the sizes of the end cap and hose may need to be larger in order to fit the turbo inlet.

To see what it looks like go here Leak Tester.


To get the valve stem in, I had to drill a hole in the PVC cap.


To use it, just remove the intake pipe from your turbocharger inlet, and attach this in its' place.

Now you need to hook something up to the valve stem to pressurize the intake so you can listen for leaks. I use a 7 gallon air tank I got from Walmart, I just fill it up with air at the local gas station. You can also use a simple bike pump.

If you have a manual boost controller hooked up, you might want to plug off its' intake hose, as they leak a lot of air, making it hard to pinpoint the real leak.

Pressurize the system, and listen all over for leaks. Make sure you or a friend listens under the bumper too, wherever there is IC piping.

A leak will be obvious, they make a loud hissing sound.

You might want to have a friend check out your boost gauge while you are pressurizing things, to make sure you don't put too much pressure on things. (20 psi should be safe, or whatever you run safely for boost)

Places I have heard of leaks occuring:

BOV flange
Intake manifold ports
Throttle Body gaskets
Holes in the intercooler
Holes in the intercooler piping (sometimes the rubber pipe inside the stock woven mesh pipes cracks, and you can't see it from the outside... the pressure tester will find it though!! )

Pictures and Text by Brent Cook

Idea for tester from Josh Wingell

Contact bacook@mediaone.net for questions.

 

found one big leak, fixed it, but still having the same problem, ordered a Idle Speed Stabalizer today, I'll wait to see if that helps, keep you posted.

 

Cool. How and where did you find the leak? What was leaking?

Fill us in with the gory details.

 

Is it still dying at an idle or has that gotten better? I didn't think a boost leak would actually cause it to die... I can see a rough idle from a boost leak but would that cause it to die as well?