fj owner needs your help part 2

well I finally took my fj to a mechanic, the first thing he did was remove the valve covers, here's how it looked

injectors are fine, spark plugs/coil were checked and are ok






top end power is definatelly the same, but at low rpm 1000-2500 car sounds louder and definatelly lost power

if anyone out here has any idea what else it could be , please share

 

Do the basics first.. compression test and a leak down test. Are you smoking at all? Just taking off a valve cover isnt going to show you anything really. Do those two tests and see what numbers you come up with. If that all pans out perfectly, check on your tranny. Louder and lost power could be found there..

 

compression is ok, taking off valve covers would show oil starvation damage, that many here suggested...

is it possible for the timing to change by itself?

 

if the chain gets stretched or it jumps a tooth/chips a tooth.. or if you have a belt and its old.. but usually no. Timing wouldnt cause this sort of issue anyway

 

Pay $75 and have it dyno'd. That will give you a clear pic on the power loss. Its cheaper than paying someone to take it apart and find nothing wrong with it.

Does the mechanic agree that something is wrong with it?

 

Why did he take the valve covers off? You can't tell much by looking in there. Do the easy stuff first - a compression test will give you an indication of a lot of things.... rings, valves, valve guides, etc. After that, get it on a Toyota analyzer. A dyno won't tell you squat unless you have a baseline to compare it to. Make sure the ECM is controlling the timing as it should - that could radically impact torque at any rpm, depending on what it's doing. Don't spend a bundle of $$ on mechanics that don't have the experience with Toyotas or the computerized equipment to properly diagnose. This isn't like the old days where you can look at the color of a spark plug and figure out what the engine is doing....

 

How old is this vehicle? What year? How many miles? Is it still under warrantee?

How much maintenance have you done lately?

How long have you had this condition?

Have you done?
Checked/changed air filter
Checked/changed spark plugs/wires/connections
Checked fuel pump
Checked or cleaned fuel injectors
Checked or cleaned your MAF sensor

I'm sure there other things you can check that I'm not mentioning.
Sorry - had to mention this stuff since you never really gave us any information otherwise.

 

Dyno would be interesting.. but compression test and leak down tests will tell you how strong that engine is. Taking off the valve cover and snapping pictures doesnt do much.. gotta say. You say compression is okay.. but still do a leak down. Check those two tests first and you'll get a good idea about how strong that engine is.

 

The info was in his previous thread. His friend rev'd up the fj to 5500 for approximately 3 seconds, annd he thinks something is damaged now.

 

Why he does not continue in the same thread
I still think its a vacuum line problem and nothing mechanically but I am too lazy to look for his old thread.

 

that wont do anything to any engine properly put together.

 

If it was JUST Rev'd it should be fine, that is what the limiter is for. If it was a manual and down shifted into a lower gear where it could possibly go above the red line mark the rev limiter would be useless and you could have bent some valves. A Compression/Leak down check would find this.

You should also have your catalytic converter checked, along with the rest of the exhaust system for clogs or leaks. Does your FJ Smell like rotten eggs?

 

I pretty much did everything, checked injectors, maf, all connections, spark plugs (4 times), air filter, intake is spotless

no smell whatsover, just loss of power (low end), and different exhaust sound, sounds partially like a chopper.....
It only sounds like that under load when accelerating

top end power is the same, it pulls to 110mph like before, but from 0-60 it sounds different and feels like it lost a cylinder or two

 

I think, and I know something isnt right


I dont care what it is, my lawnmover, my wifes hair dryer, when something is not working right, I hear it and feel it

guys come on give me some credit, I got a college degree and years of experience working on all my cars

this biatch with all the sensors, vvti.... is just out of my league

 

haha we're not saying anything bad man just trying to figure it out.

Try the leak down test. if youre losing power, then theres a significant problem and i cannot see how it would be computer or whatever. throw some of that fuel injector cleaner in your tank too.. just for shits and giggles.

 

Imagine my position, a brand new car, no warranty and people say you're crazy

shit this car had amazing low end grunt, now its a freagin CIVIC DX

I tried the injector cleaner and tested the injectors, all fine, took the valve cover off because, oil starvation damage was the last thing I suspected

now it feels like a bend valve, exhaust side, which would cause a different exhaust note, but then top end power is fine, so again maybe cam position/vvti sensor.......

 

out of warranty i'm guessing>?

 

yeah, I live and work in europe, us warranty doesnt transfer here

 

any chance you have some exhaust problems cracked pipes or whatever that might explain the loss of low end and would definitely explain the noise.

 

x2, maybe a hole in the muffler or headers thats causing the noise and loss of backpressure