ROUGH Idle, Attempted tuning,but must be going wrong Options

[eanderson]

Alright, I am just a home mechanic. I have rebuilt the head on this DSM (1993 Eclipse GS w/ 2.0 non-t) a few years ago after a timing belt disaster, had the head resurfaced, etc. I can swap out most any part, but the fine tuning is not my fortay.

I need help.

This is stock. The vehicle was having an idle surge. Cleaned the Throttle Plate and it seemed okay for awhile. All was running well until winter, where it was stalling. Stupid me, I messed with the BISS screw and got it to idle at about 1300 for winter.

Summer came and I messed with the timing and BISS, and it was running rich.

Today, I found the tutorial for timing, and tried it right. I shorted the wire on the frewall for the ignition timing adjustment plug. Then I checked the timing light (off the plug wire closest to the front of the vehicle), and set it to halfway between the T and the 10BTC (I assume to be 5 BTC, as speced). The best I could get was about 900RPM

Then, inside the vehicle, at the diagnostic plug, I shorted the third plug up (it was NOT a pink wire) and the idle changed. I assume this to be the ground. I adjusted the BISS to where the idle was again, around 900.

When I reved the engine, it was misfiring bad. I reconnected everything (removed shorting wires), and it ran worse than when I guessed the timing and BSS, and my eyes stung from the excess CO.

I am guessing I am missing something obvious. WHAT IS THE DEAL?

[black92_tsi_awd]

All the timing marks lined up?

Is the biss screw oring dried up?

[eanderson]

The Belt: If it is off by one tooth, it is really hard to check unless you rip everything off the driver's side of the car. At that point, it might as well be replaced. I have contemplated that. Pulling off the top cover, the Cams look right. (Of course, in my opinion, getting the cams in the right spot is the most confusing part of timing on these, cuz one tooth off and all the other marks can look good, and if you look hard enough, it looks level across all 4 marks on the Cams)

BISS O-Ring. Have not checked recently. Will do that tonight.

[The Iron Goat]

The Belt: If it is off by one tooth, it is really hard to check unless you rip everything off the driver's side of the car. At that point, it might as well be replaced.

Where are you getting this from? All you need to do is pull off the timing cover (2 bolts) and left tire(5 bolts), and you can check the cams for proper alignment. But in addition, you need to run checks on your ignition system to make sure that all is working well. A bad coil can do this easily. Also, a clogged fuel filter will cause that miss you speak of.

[eanderson]

Where are you getting this from?  All you need to do is pull off the timing cover (2 bolts) and left tire(5 bolts), and you can check the cams for proper alignment.

I guess I was thinking about the balance shaft too. I will pull the top portion of the cover off and take the wheel off for a clear view of the crank.

Let me throw in more details. PRIOR to adjusting, it was running pretty well most of the time. But at idle, it was a nightmare, stalls, high rpms, but no surge. It started rough (throttle full open). When on the gas not quite all the way, it had normal power.

Now, after the timing and BSS, it has half power, misses, and smells like unburnt fuel.

How can one check the Multi-point Coil? What else should be checked in the ignition system? It seems like something in the timing to me, either the TP, a sensor, or something else in the affecting timing (as opposed to the fuel filter, since it immediately started running worse).

Once again, I am just an amateur, looking for help. Thanks for the ideas thus far!

[The Iron Goat]

If you are able to get a Haynes or Chilton manual for the car, that would be extremely beneficial for moments just like this. The troubleshooting you're planning on doing can be explained here, it's just gets to be a lengthy post.

Pressing onward. I'm not proficient on the 2.0 NA engine, but I believe the coil is checked with a multimeter just like the turbo coil. If you don't have one, pick up a cheap unit at Walmart or something equivalent. Also pull you spark plugs out and check for fouling or a wet cylinder (the wet cylinder means that plug isn't getting any juice from the coil, aka bad plug wire).

There really is so much to check that it would greatly benefit you to get a manual. There's lots of little troubleshooting guides (some good, some horrible) that can help you out with just such an occasion. It'll also give all the specs to look for when doing maintenance.

If this isn't possible for you right now, PM me and I'll take you through the whole process and give you the specs you need.