PIP question

[brsvo]

What does a PIP act like when failing. My car isn't running on all 4 and I have done all the usual, Cap, rotor, wires, tps, plugs gapped at 29. Did a compression check and found 3 leaking into 4. Pulled the head and checked flatness of deck and head reinstalled new head gasket and the hissing was gone, still missing bad. Checked compression pretty even across the board at 125 to 130. Checked for power at the injectors with noid light I have power at all 4 when cranking and no power KOEO when not. My reading tells me that means the injector drivers are intact. I figured the injectors went south but the local shop checked them and they are good. I have spark and fuel pressure and compression. What else is there. By the way I'm running a PIMP and I have gone over it 3 times and found nothing wrong there. Went so far as to uninstall TS and re install and re configure everything to no avail. I checked timing at base and advanced to a fixed 20 and it advances with throttle. I'm at a loss. Summer is passing me by when I should be doing fun stuff like track days and autocross. Please give me ideas. I'm going to swap out my coil for my 84's coil and see if anything changes.

[Laredo]

Any indications of coolant contamination of on the spark plugs? A cracked head / leaking antifreeze into the cylinder will do this. Can you tell which cylinder is missing, is it consistent?

[brsvo]

It was 3 and 4 before the head gasket. I didn't check all 4 since but 3 seems to make a differance now but 4 doesn't. I am sick of getting zapped so I quit after checking the back 2. The head is a BOPORT stage 3 purchased this spring so I am optimistic that its not cracked. When I had the head off the exhausts were all different colors? I didn't contaminate the oil but the coolant was a little off in color, slightly browner that it was to start. I did change both though and only have maybe 5 minuets on the motor since.

[Laredo]

... I have spark and fuel pressure and compression. What else is there.... A worn cam lobe, open just enough for decent compression at cranking speed but not enough flow while engine running. Also, pull the spark plugs back out and check for coolant contamination on #4, compare color to other 3.

[Laredo]

...I am sick of getting zapped so I quit after checking the back 2.... There is also this option if you're not worried about running engine too long / hot:"CYLINDER BALANCE TEST"
EEC-IV Cylinder Balance Testing Procedures
After you haveperformed the KOER test and corrected any problems you may now perform theEEC-IV Cylinder Balance test. This test checks all the cylinders in the enginefor matched compression ratios. The Cylinder Balance test is designed to helpisolate cylinders that have low compression ratios with respect to the othersin the engine. This test is performed immediately after the KOER test hasfinished displaying codes.
To perform this test,the EEC-IV will bring the idle of the engine up to about 1,000 RPM. Once theidle has stabilized it will then shut off spark and fuel to one cylinder,during this time the decrease in RPM will be measured. The EEC-IV will thenactivate fuel and spark to the cylinder being tested, and will wait for severalseconds until the idle stabilizes again. At this time it will repeat theprocess for the next cylinder, repeating until all have been tested. Theresults of the test will then output one or more of the following codes to yourreader:
10 - Number 1Cylinder Low
20 - Number 2Cylinder Low
30 - Number 3Cylinder Low
40 - Number 4Cylinder Low
50 - Number 5Cylinder Low
60 - Number 6Cylinder Low
70 - Number 7Cylinder Low
80 - Number 8Cylinder Low
90 - Passed CylinderBalance Test
After the first cycleof the Cylinder Balance test the EEC-IV will then perfrom the Cylinder Balancetest again. The test will continue to cycle at twice the threshold of theprevious test until the engine is shut off. Each time the EEC-IV finishes aCylinder Balance test cycle it will display codes to your reader.
The followinginstructions will walk you through the procedures for performing the EEC-IVCylinder Balance test.
Make certain that youhave completed both the KOEO and KOER tests and have corrected any errors encounteredduring those tests to make certain that the Cylinder Balance test results willbe accurate.
After performing theKOER test wait for the EEC-IV to finish displaying codes to your reader, do notshut the engine off!
Briefly depress theaccelerator to WOT.
Write down any codesoutput by the Cylinder Balance test.
Wait for the EEC-IVto perform the next cycle of the Cylinder Balance test.

[brsvo]

All these years and I never heard of this test. How can the EEC 4 turn off individual fuel when the injectors are batch fired? Spark I guess I can see. But my PIMP isn't a EEC 4 so.

[Laredo]

..But my PIMP isn't a EEC 4 so. Oops! I missed that that important factoid. :)

[MikeFleming]

The cylinder/injector balance test was first introduced on the 1986 v-ate EFI models. It was never available on the 4-cyl; turbo EECs as these EECs don't use a separate driver for each injector.

These ain't the Good Ole Days where ignition spark was not enough to actually start a fire. Doing cylinder balance on today's by pulling plug wires is a very good way to check if your heart is healthy (maybe call 911 first??). If you pull a live wire off the plug, that power is going to go somewhere and most likely, it will be through you. Unless you're totally insulated from the world and several inches away from the car. Getting it back on is more interesting and always worthy of youtube entertainment.

The other option is to pull the wire end from the cap end. Then you're not left holding a live wire, which is good. However there may be anough power in that open-ended spark to take out the electronics inside the distributor base. Most of the GM HEI electronics were killed by someone pulling a plug wire to do a balance test. Those 5-12VDC systems just don't do well with a direct hit from 30KV. The Ford PIP/TFI have more distance, but there is still a risk.

[Laredo]

The cylinder/injector balance test was first introduced on the 1986 v-ate EFI models. It was never available on the 4-cyl; turbo EECs as these EECs don't use a separate driver for each injector... Yup, good memory refresher. I remember using the function years ago, but had forgot that it doesn't work on the 4cyl's. Do you remember a little portable hand-held "black box" tool back in the 80's for doing cylinder balance? Our auto instructor had one, don't recall who made it but was very handy for just such an occasion as this.

[brsvo]

My buddy in the car said he didn't know I could dance like that! LOL

[svopony]

what dance would that be??????................. the sprinkler, tango or the SHOCK A MY ASS

Bar

[Mike S]

what dance would that be??????................. the sprinkler, tango or the SHOCK A MY ASS

Bar
Shock the Monkey