couple engine problems with ka24e
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 61
From: bay area, california
couple engine problems with ka24e
problem #1 - temperature guage barely moves/takes forever to get to middle
i just bought this car and i have no clue on the previous maintainence on the car, it is a 1990 240sx 5 speed with a ka24e, bone stock
i noticed it gets poor gas mileage and the temperature guage doesn't go up until like 40 minutes of city driving, something is SERIOUSLY wrong, my first thought was flush coolant system and change thermostat, since the thermostat might be faulty, so i'm going to do that pretty soon
problem #2 - idle fluctuates/car shakes
the car tends to idle around 650-750 range, but most of the time, it jumps up and down when i'm at red lights, sometimes it dips all the way down to like 500 and sounds like the car is going to die then it jumps itself back to 1000, then other times i hear the engine idle go up and down but the tachometer doesn't move much, it does move, but very slightly, so i decided to do a tune-up to see if it improves, that leads to problem #3
i'm going to change the plugs/wires/cap/rotor to see if it improves anything
problem #3 - oil light on after oil change
so i went to my friend's jiffy lube where he hooks it up for oil change and tranny oil change, he filled it up with 10w30 high mileage pennzoil and the car drove fine, i parked it and 2 hours later drove it again, this time i took it to redline once cause my friend wanted to see the "power" of the car, then when i parked it, it was fine, 45 mins or so later, i turn on the car and i notice the oil light was blinking slowly, then i went back and i drained it out and put some 20w50 conventional, the oil level is good and the filter is on tight, my guess is that when i hit redline, i might have screwed something mechanical up, and he said it might be oil pump
i just bought this car and i have no clue on the previous maintainence on the car, it is a 1990 240sx 5 speed with a ka24e, bone stock
i noticed it gets poor gas mileage and the temperature guage doesn't go up until like 40 minutes of city driving, something is SERIOUSLY wrong, my first thought was flush coolant system and change thermostat, since the thermostat might be faulty, so i'm going to do that pretty soon
problem #2 - idle fluctuates/car shakes
the car tends to idle around 650-750 range, but most of the time, it jumps up and down when i'm at red lights, sometimes it dips all the way down to like 500 and sounds like the car is going to die then it jumps itself back to 1000, then other times i hear the engine idle go up and down but the tachometer doesn't move much, it does move, but very slightly, so i decided to do a tune-up to see if it improves, that leads to problem #3
i'm going to change the plugs/wires/cap/rotor to see if it improves anything
problem #3 - oil light on after oil change
so i went to my friend's jiffy lube where he hooks it up for oil change and tranny oil change, he filled it up with 10w30 high mileage pennzoil and the car drove fine, i parked it and 2 hours later drove it again, this time i took it to redline once cause my friend wanted to see the "power" of the car, then when i parked it, it was fine, 45 mins or so later, i turn on the car and i notice the oil light was blinking slowly, then i went back and i drained it out and put some 20w50 conventional, the oil level is good and the filter is on tight, my guess is that when i hit redline, i might have screwed something mechanical up, and he said it might be oil pump
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 88
From: Thunder Bay, ON
1. You have a summer or faulty thermostat in there, Airlock in the system (run the car for about 20 minutes with no cap on the rad and the heat full blast, and when it starts blowing hot air see if you have to add some antifreeze), or the heater core could be plugged, Is there any sand/crusty looking stuff underneith the rad cap? People use rad sealent to fix holes in rads and most often it only clogs the system..
2. Do a tune-up if your car calls for one (take a look at the plugs, wires, rotor, cap, etc..) , Change the fuel filter (a z32 filter cost me $12 cdn), Check for broken or unplugged vacuum lines, check your ignition timing. I adjust mine by Feel and sound. I started the car loosend the two Dist. bolts and SLOWLY turned the dist. clockwise untill my car was most responsive/smooth then tightened the two bolts. And finally check compression
3. Did you notice anything in the oil such as Gas/antifreeze? or notice anything on the magnetic drainpulg? Check to see how much Oil pressure your getting. If its reading below normal or none, the oil might not circulate to the engine head and the engine will seize.
Good luck, Hopefully this helps
2. Do a tune-up if your car calls for one (take a look at the plugs, wires, rotor, cap, etc..) , Change the fuel filter (a z32 filter cost me $12 cdn), Check for broken or unplugged vacuum lines, check your ignition timing. I adjust mine by Feel and sound. I started the car loosend the two Dist. bolts and SLOWLY turned the dist. clockwise untill my car was most responsive/smooth then tightened the two bolts. And finally check compression
3. Did you notice anything in the oil such as Gas/antifreeze? or notice anything on the magnetic drainpulg? Check to see how much Oil pressure your getting. If its reading below normal or none, the oil might not circulate to the engine head and the engine will seize.
Good luck, Hopefully this helps
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 61
From: bay area, california
Originally posted by TeDDY
1. You have a summer or faulty thermostat in there, Airlock in the system (run the car for about 20 minutes with no cap on the rad and the heat full blast, and when it starts blowing hot air see if you have to add some antifreeze), or the heater core could be plugged, Is there any sand/crusty looking stuff underneith the rad cap? People use rad sealent to fix holes in rads and most often it only clogs the system..
2. Do a tune-up if your car calls for one (take a look at the plugs, wires, rotor, cap, etc..) , Change the fuel filter (a z32 filter cost me $12 cdn), Check for broken or unplugged vacuum lines, check your ignition timing. I adjust mine by Feel and sound. I started the car loosend the two Dist. bolts and SLOWLY turned the dist. clockwise untill my car was most responsive/smooth then tightened the two bolts. And finally check compression
3. Did you notice anything in the oil such as Gas/antifreeze? or notice anything on the magnetic drainpulg? Check to see how much Oil pressure your getting. If its reading below normal or none, the oil might not circulate to the engine head and the engine will seize.
Good luck, Hopefully this helps
1. You have a summer or faulty thermostat in there, Airlock in the system (run the car for about 20 minutes with no cap on the rad and the heat full blast, and when it starts blowing hot air see if you have to add some antifreeze), or the heater core could be plugged, Is there any sand/crusty looking stuff underneith the rad cap? People use rad sealent to fix holes in rads and most often it only clogs the system..
2. Do a tune-up if your car calls for one (take a look at the plugs, wires, rotor, cap, etc..) , Change the fuel filter (a z32 filter cost me $12 cdn), Check for broken or unplugged vacuum lines, check your ignition timing. I adjust mine by Feel and sound. I started the car loosend the two Dist. bolts and SLOWLY turned the dist. clockwise untill my car was most responsive/smooth then tightened the two bolts. And finally check compression
3. Did you notice anything in the oil such as Gas/antifreeze? or notice anything on the magnetic drainpulg? Check to see how much Oil pressure your getting. If its reading below normal or none, the oil might not circulate to the engine head and the engine will seize.
Good luck, Hopefully this helps
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Joined: Aug 2004
Posts: 267
From: Orlando FL.
The iddle problem I've dealt with in 4 diferent 240's. All of them it turned to be a break in the intake vacum. Check for loose or broken ruber hoses. Start from the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor, move towards the engine checking the PCV valve conecting hose, check underneath the intake pipe for a resonator chamber, just before it takes a turn into the engine, then check the carburator (OK, yes, Fuel injection), or the "butterfly" however you wana call it. also, check the EGR conections and check the vacum lines to the brake pedal. My car would shake in iddle because the brake booster line was broken. It also created a "lag" in the breaking power. Believe me, you rather have more breaking than engine power. Anything intake realted has to do with the iddle. If problems with what I like to call "high iddle" as in the engine runnign at 4.5K continiusly, then its most probly ignition (rotor and cap, cables, spark plugs, etc.). If you're gona tune up these parts, you can change them all yourself pretty easyly, no need for mechanic. Hope that helps.
As for the oil, check the magnetic thing like teddy said, check for metal particles. if the oil pump its screwed, you'll screw your car up in no time. The whole oil preasure measure thingy might be expensive since it requires new tools (if you don't have them allready) so taking it to a mechanic might be better. now there's a posibility that there might be a code for the oil thingy, check you ECU for codes. Don't ask how, search, its everywhere on this web forums.
As for the oil, check the magnetic thing like teddy said, check for metal particles. if the oil pump its screwed, you'll screw your car up in no time. The whole oil preasure measure thingy might be expensive since it requires new tools (if you don't have them allready) so taking it to a mechanic might be better. now there's a posibility that there might be a code for the oil thingy, check you ECU for codes. Don't ask how, search, its everywhere on this web forums.
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 61
From: bay area, california
Originally posted by Joel SX
The iddle problem I've dealt with in 4 diferent 240's. All of them it turned to be a break in the intake vacum. Check for loose or broken ruber hoses. Start from the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor, move towards the engine checking the PCV valve conecting hose, check underneath the intake pipe for a resonator chamber, just before it takes a turn into the engine, then check the carburator (OK, yes, Fuel injection), or the "butterfly" however you wana call it. also, check the EGR conections and check the vacum lines to the brake pedal. My car would shake in iddle because the brake booster line was broken. It also created a "lag" in the breaking power. Believe me, you rather have more breaking than engine power. Anything intake realted has to do with the iddle. If problems with what I like to call "high iddle" as in the engine runnign at 4.5K continiusly, then its most probly ignition (rotor and cap, cables, spark plugs, etc.). If you're gona tune up these parts, you can change them all yourself pretty easyly, no need for mechanic. Hope that helps.
As for the oil, check the magnetic thing like teddy said, check for metal particles. if the oil pump its screwed, you'll screw your car up in no time. The whole oil preasure measure thingy might be expensive since it requires new tools (if you don't have them allready) so taking it to a mechanic might be better. now there's a posibility that there might be a code for the oil thingy, check you ECU for codes. Don't ask how, search, its everywhere on this web forums.
The iddle problem I've dealt with in 4 diferent 240's. All of them it turned to be a break in the intake vacum. Check for loose or broken ruber hoses. Start from the MAF (Mass Air Flow) sensor, move towards the engine checking the PCV valve conecting hose, check underneath the intake pipe for a resonator chamber, just before it takes a turn into the engine, then check the carburator (OK, yes, Fuel injection), or the "butterfly" however you wana call it. also, check the EGR conections and check the vacum lines to the brake pedal. My car would shake in iddle because the brake booster line was broken. It also created a "lag" in the breaking power. Believe me, you rather have more breaking than engine power. Anything intake realted has to do with the iddle. If problems with what I like to call "high iddle" as in the engine runnign at 4.5K continiusly, then its most probly ignition (rotor and cap, cables, spark plugs, etc.). If you're gona tune up these parts, you can change them all yourself pretty easyly, no need for mechanic. Hope that helps.
As for the oil, check the magnetic thing like teddy said, check for metal particles. if the oil pump its screwed, you'll screw your car up in no time. The whole oil preasure measure thingy might be expensive since it requires new tools (if you don't have them allready) so taking it to a mechanic might be better. now there's a posibility that there might be a code for the oil thingy, check you ECU for codes. Don't ask how, search, its everywhere on this web forums.
the car idles under 1000, around 650-750 normally but occasionally the idle fluctuates around 500-1000, it's really bothersome and i rather get it fixed and have a smooth idle
plus today, when my friend was driving behind me, he said he could smell gas from my car, like i'm leaking gas or something, the previous tank i put 20 bucks in and it wansn't completely full yet, but i only had about 80 miles to the tank, this morning i filed up 20 bucks again and i'm seeing how much i get
would a bad o2 sensor also play a role in bad idle, poor gas mileage, and poor engine performance overall?
i'm starting to think the oil pump isn't what is wrong, since the car has been driven about 40 miles since the light has come on, both city and highway. the light doesn't stay on, it blinks all the time and sometimes it blinks longer than others, but it's not a solid light, i'm thinking it's a bad oil filter, tomorrow i'm going to do another oil change and change out the filter and drain plug to see whats up with it, if i see metal shavings i'm going to stop the car and tow it to the garage and get the oil pump replaced, if i dont see anything crazy, i'm going to assume it's a bad oil filter
i drove it to and back from work today, about 10 miles away, and i've been shifting at no higher than 2500 rpm and when i downshift, i make sure it's not going past 3000 rpm. hopefully driving the car like this will allow me more time to get it fixed, since this is my only car right now.
tomorrow i'm going to install the new brake master cylinder, brake pads front/rear, flush brake system and put in some DOT4 brake fluid, change spark plugs and spark plug wires, and change oil and oil filter with a bosch or fram for now
hopefully i'll be able to install a new thermostat also, since i got one but it seems like it'll be a pain to install. my friend has a 93 coupe with a ka24de and he said his thermostat was way easier to replace than mine, mine seems to be lower and the fan is in the way, so i might have to take it apart from under the car, i might as well flush coolant system while i'm at it
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 61
From: bay area, california
well today i got the new master cylinder in, front/rear pads, rear rotors, full brake flush, changed the spark plugs, changed the wires, and changed the oil with a bosch oil filter
i also used some seafoam in the engine and it seemed to help afterwards
the idle on the car used to jump around alot, but now it's really stable and around 700ish, i pulled the old plugs and they were bosch +4's with 4 prongs on it, they were burnt to hell and back, carbon buildup so bad i couldn't even see the prongs anymore, wires were all cracked and hard to pull off, so once i changed that, it idled MUCH SMOOTHER
the brake issue is almost solved, i have a lot of braking power now compared to before, but i still have to press pretty hard to get it to get good force, my front rotors are worn deeply but the local auto parts didn't have it in stock, so it wont be in till later this week, hopefully new front rotors will help it feel normal
i use seafoam on all my cars when i hit the 100k mark, but on this car, the smoke lasted significantly longer than the others (1998 corolla and 1995 civic), i'm assuming it cleared out a lot of crap in my engine since the exhaust was smoking for so long
the thermostat i didnt' have time to put in, but i opened up the radiator cap and overflow cap, and i noticed it was brown and looked like rust, i'm going to get some coolant flush from local auto parts store with some coolant and install the thermostat while i'm at it tomorrow
the oil pressure light is still on after i changed the filter, so it's not that either, i dont know what else it could be, my friend said might be the sending unit is loose and that's why it's blinking at random times, it shakes around, we looked around but couldn't see anything that resembled the sending unit from around oil filter location, so if anyone can point this out, thank you
i also used some seafoam in the engine and it seemed to help afterwards
the idle on the car used to jump around alot, but now it's really stable and around 700ish, i pulled the old plugs and they were bosch +4's with 4 prongs on it, they were burnt to hell and back, carbon buildup so bad i couldn't even see the prongs anymore, wires were all cracked and hard to pull off, so once i changed that, it idled MUCH SMOOTHER
the brake issue is almost solved, i have a lot of braking power now compared to before, but i still have to press pretty hard to get it to get good force, my front rotors are worn deeply but the local auto parts didn't have it in stock, so it wont be in till later this week, hopefully new front rotors will help it feel normal
i use seafoam on all my cars when i hit the 100k mark, but on this car, the smoke lasted significantly longer than the others (1998 corolla and 1995 civic), i'm assuming it cleared out a lot of crap in my engine since the exhaust was smoking for so long
the thermostat i didnt' have time to put in, but i opened up the radiator cap and overflow cap, and i noticed it was brown and looked like rust, i'm going to get some coolant flush from local auto parts store with some coolant and install the thermostat while i'm at it tomorrow
the oil pressure light is still on after i changed the filter, so it's not that either, i dont know what else it could be, my friend said might be the sending unit is loose and that's why it's blinking at random times, it shakes around, we looked around but couldn't see anything that resembled the sending unit from around oil filter location, so if anyone can point this out, thank you
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Joined: Sep 2005
Posts: 143
From: Los Angeles, California
my car had the "shaking"...
turns out it was a loose contact between harnesses near the TB, so pushing them together literally fixed the problem...
my car also gets horrible gas mileage (even though i have a heavy foot, normal highway driving really really sucks up gas), let me know if you figure that one out..
turns out it was a loose contact between harnesses near the TB, so pushing them together literally fixed the problem...
my car also gets horrible gas mileage (even though i have a heavy foot, normal highway driving really really sucks up gas), let me know if you figure that one out..
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 61
From: bay area, california
i flushed out coolant system and it was all BROWN, looked like liquid rust, disgusting...now i put new coolant in there and the car warms up faster and it's a little bit cooler, the needle isn't as high up
the idle problem is sort of solved, the new plugs and wires really helped, fluctuation isn't as extreme now and it stays between 650-750 all the time, rarely does it dip below and it only goes above 1000 when i first start or when i use the a/c or heat
the gas mileage mystery i haven't solved yet, i drove the car to almost empty today, and i filled up a FULL TANK, this time i remembered to reset the trip meter so i'm going to see how much i get, i'm limiting myself to shifting at 2500 rpm, 3000 rpm at most if i forget, and when i cruise on highway, i try not to go over 70 mph, which is around 3000 rpm, so far i went 12.9 miles and i haven't seen the needle move, so that's good :thumbsup:
oil pressure light is still on, i have no idea why and i'm out of ideas..i already
-changed oil 3 times, first 10w30 high mileage, second 20w50, third 10w40
-changed filter twice, first pennzoil and second bosch
-oil pressure sending unit is plugged in and doens't have much free play, i'm assuming that the plug i was checking out was the sending unit one, it's directly under the oil filter and a little bit in, took me a while to find, had to use a bit of degreaser to get rid of the gunk
-oil level is stable, hasn't gone down
i want to drain the oil once again, use the engine flush and really clean it out, then drop the oil pan and pressure wash that sucker so all the sludge and stuff is out of there, since everything i found on this car are bad surprises, i'm willing to go this far to clean it up, i need the car to be my daily driver so i can't risk having it fail on me
i'm going to install an oil pressure guage and leave it in the car so i can monitor whats going on, i'm gonna need the guage sooner or later when i go sr20det, so i might as well get it now, if the oil pressure is stable on the guage and the light still blinks, i'm clueless lol
thermostat housing i still can't find, i took off the intake tube and looked around the upper radiator hose, no luck, also when i removed the intake tube, i looked into the intake manifold and moved the throttle plate around, and i saw TONS of black stuff gunked onto it, i'm thinking of cleaning this, but i'm wondering what would i use, could carb cleaner work? or should i use something else
the idle problem is sort of solved, the new plugs and wires really helped, fluctuation isn't as extreme now and it stays between 650-750 all the time, rarely does it dip below and it only goes above 1000 when i first start or when i use the a/c or heat
the gas mileage mystery i haven't solved yet, i drove the car to almost empty today, and i filled up a FULL TANK, this time i remembered to reset the trip meter so i'm going to see how much i get, i'm limiting myself to shifting at 2500 rpm, 3000 rpm at most if i forget, and when i cruise on highway, i try not to go over 70 mph, which is around 3000 rpm, so far i went 12.9 miles and i haven't seen the needle move, so that's good :thumbsup:
oil pressure light is still on, i have no idea why and i'm out of ideas..i already
-changed oil 3 times, first 10w30 high mileage, second 20w50, third 10w40
-changed filter twice, first pennzoil and second bosch
-oil pressure sending unit is plugged in and doens't have much free play, i'm assuming that the plug i was checking out was the sending unit one, it's directly under the oil filter and a little bit in, took me a while to find, had to use a bit of degreaser to get rid of the gunk
-oil level is stable, hasn't gone down
i want to drain the oil once again, use the engine flush and really clean it out, then drop the oil pan and pressure wash that sucker so all the sludge and stuff is out of there, since everything i found on this car are bad surprises, i'm willing to go this far to clean it up, i need the car to be my daily driver so i can't risk having it fail on me
i'm going to install an oil pressure guage and leave it in the car so i can monitor whats going on, i'm gonna need the guage sooner or later when i go sr20det, so i might as well get it now, if the oil pressure is stable on the guage and the light still blinks, i'm clueless lol
thermostat housing i still can't find, i took off the intake tube and looked around the upper radiator hose, no luck, also when i removed the intake tube, i looked into the intake manifold and moved the throttle plate around, and i saw TONS of black stuff gunked onto it, i'm thinking of cleaning this, but i'm wondering what would i use, could carb cleaner work? or should i use something else
Last edited by aallbbeerrttttt; Jan 9, 2006 at 06:37 PM.
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Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 3
From: kelowna
Ive got a problem for you guys, what could cause a ticking that gets more frequent as the rpms go up.. and you can only hear it with my foot on the throttle... it seems that when i let the air into the engine you can hear the ticking from outside through the intake.. its just started and its really creeping me out... its an 89 ka24e SE hatch
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Joined: Nov 2005
Posts: 88
From: Thunder Bay, ON
albert, check to see if your ait temp sensor on the airbox is plugged in and working properly, this could be a reason why you get bad gas milege. (or you rod the crap outa your car like me)
also, take off your oil cap and check for a white/yellow slime on the cap or, stick your finger inside of the oil fill and feel around, if you have any white slime your intake gasket is gone and that may be cause the little stumble
shortshift : most likely a faulty injector(s) or injector o-ring, next time dont jack someones thread
also, take off your oil cap and check for a white/yellow slime on the cap or, stick your finger inside of the oil fill and feel around, if you have any white slime your intake gasket is gone and that may be cause the little stumble
shortshift : most likely a faulty injector(s) or injector o-ring, next time dont jack someones thread
Thread Starter
Registered User
Joined: Dec 2005
Posts: 61
From: bay area, california
Originally posted by TeDDY
albert, check to see if your ait temp sensor on the airbox is plugged in and working properly, this could be a reason why you get bad gas milege. (or you rod the crap outa your car like me)
also, take off your oil cap and check for a white/yellow slime on the cap or, stick your finger inside of the oil fill and feel around, if you have any white slime your intake gasket is gone and that may be cause the little stumble
shortshift : most likely a faulty injector(s) or injector o-ring, next time dont jack someones thread
albert, check to see if your ait temp sensor on the airbox is plugged in and working properly, this could be a reason why you get bad gas milege. (or you rod the crap outa your car like me)
also, take off your oil cap and check for a white/yellow slime on the cap or, stick your finger inside of the oil fill and feel around, if you have any white slime your intake gasket is gone and that may be cause the little stumble
shortshift : most likely a faulty injector(s) or injector o-ring, next time dont jack someones thread
i also can't figure out the oil pressure light issue, and my friend said my oil pump might be failing, and has not failed yet, but eventually it will, i dont really believe him because the car has been driven over 200 miles no problem yet..*knock on wood*
i got an autometer phantom series oil pressure guage and i'm trying to find out how to hook it up, but the instructions suck...just wondering for all you guys that have oil pressure guages, what does it normally read and what is below normal and what is above?
Registered User
Joined: Aug 2005
Posts: 161
From: Maryland
you need to install the fitting where your oil pressure sending unit is... and then run the electrical signal wire to the gauge, along with your 12v power, ground and illumination wire.... if i remember right... red = 12v when car is on, not constant...Black = ground....white = goes to illumination power (in other words something that sends power when your lights are on) .... and the green wire comes from the sending unit, which you need to install in an oil passage (i usually remove the stock sending unit, and replace it with the one that came with the gauge. you may have to remove the bulb from your dash, let the wire hang or just ground out the stock sensor wire so that the light on your dash doesnt come on. This is assuming you have the electrical sensor, and not the mechanical one.......
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