Need help / opinions on a 2000 coldside!

[Kurt]

Well after over a year and approx 15,000 miles my coldside equipped 2000LS is acting up. I currently am running the 105 pulley and an ELF for fueling. It is my daily driver when the snow isn't blowing.

Yes, I have a CEL and no I haven't had it checked.

The symptoms are, for about once a month the car would start fine initially, but run rough after a short while. Sometimes it would happen after being restarted partly warm. It acts like it is running on 2 cylinders. Eventually after a few seconds, it clears out and starts running on all four.

Today, after setting for a few weeks due to snow, I drove it to work. After about 20 minutes on the freeway at 75mph, I felt a big hesitation, like the whole engine cutting out. All gages looked good. I kept driving and it happened a few more times over the next 10 minutes.

I checked the engine at work, and everything sounded and look ok.

I drove the car at lunch, 15 minutes, and it seemed fine.

I drove the car back home, and at 25 minutes it started cutting out again, only this time more severe.

It doesn't seems to be causing many problems at idle, or revving it up in the driveway.

I am guessing spark related due to the sudden nature on the cutouts.

The car has 51,000 miles on the stock coils and wires.

Anyone ever have similar issues?

[chuckerants]

For 99/00s, this sure sounds like a coil pack related issue. But, instead of changing a $250 item first, start by having the CEL read. If it is spark related, it should be P0300 (or P301, 302, 303 or 304).

Then, change out the plugs and wires and drive it.

If you still have the problem, it could be the coil pack.

[Serpico]

Back when I was using the Elf I had numerous occassions where my A/F would suddenly go extremely rich (9:1) and the engine would bog/sputter.
Whenever I touched the gas pedal the A/F would immediately go to 9:1 and when I let off the pedal it would go to a normal 14.7:1.

It seems that I could reset it if I pulled over and turned the ignition off and then back on again. The problem would go away for weeks and then suddenly return for no apparent reason.

I have not have the same problem since I put the Elf in storage and switched to the PC-Pro.

I would not be surprised if the code you pull is indicating an overly rich condition.

[chuckerants]

What kind of plugs do you have? If you have the Iridium plugs that Tom includes with his kits, than you should just pull them to check as they should still be good. If you just have a colder NGK plugs, then I'd replace them along with the wires.

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I wonder if the combination ELF and cold weather have fouled your plugs? Sounds a bit like it.

Pull the code and then pull the plugs.

[Kurt]

Thanks guys.

I'll stop by the parts store tomorrow, get the code read, get some new plugs, and see what they have for wires.

[chuckerants]

Thanks guys.

I'll stop by the parts store tomorrow, get the code read, get some new plugs, and see what they have for wires.

Get the OEM NGK blue wires.

[99mx5]

Make sure there are no kinks or leaks in the boost hose.

[Kurt]

Thanks for the advice everyone!

An update FYI.

I had the codes puled this weekend and got the misfire p0300.

However, later that day, I started the car, and it was running really rough. Checked under the hood and determined that cylinders 1 and 4 were not receiving any spark.

Fiddled around with the plug wires. No change.

Fiddled around with the the coilpack wiring, and both cylinders came back on.

I think I've read on Mnet that some people thought the coil pack issue for the 99-2000's were wiring related.

Any suggestions on cleaning the wiring connector for the coil packs?

[socal pat]

Since many of the coilpack failures were intermittent to start and progressed to complete failures I would assume the worst and just spring for the coilpacks. A fairly easy DIY and if you want to save money look to Planet Miata or other recycler for the parts. Just my 2bits.

[FormerDatsun510Man]

For me the part that was causing the coilpacks not to fire consistently turned out to be the terminals for the spark plug wires were corroded. I got in there with a small wire brush, cleaned them and then applied some dieletric grease. That worked for about a year and then they eventually fried anyway :( and I just had to pony up the $400 cost from the dealer.

Bill

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

I wish Splitfire still made the Coil On Plug kit. I have had it for over 2 years now and it performs flawlessly.

[MiataMTF]

....I started the car, and it was running really rough. Checked under the hood and determined that cylinders 1 and 4 were not receiving any spark.

Fiddled around with the plug wires. No change.

Fiddled around with the the coilpack wiring, and both cylinders came back on....

That's exactly what mine did for about three weeks before the coilpack died completely - in the meantime, it took my pre-cat with it. I would not drive the car until the bad coilpack is replaced.

I hope to get a Splitfire COP shortly so if you want a used coilpack (that work fine), I can sell you one of them, or both.

Mike.

[Kurt]

Thanks for the advice everyone.

An update. I just got around to installing the new iridium plugs, new NGK blue wires, and removing and checking the coil wiring connections.

The wiring connectors look fine, but I "adjusted" the female copper recepticals to ensure consistent contact.

The end result this morning comming into work, good for about 20 mintues, and then the car "bucked" 5 or 6 times on the freeway. :frown:

I hate electrical issues as they always seem intermittant. I wish these things would just die completely, then you could figure out what was wrong.

Let me know if anyone has some stock coils that will fit a 2000 that I can buy / use to test if the problem is the coils. If the old ones eliminate the lurch, I'll consider spending the dough on new ones or aftermarket.

Interestingly enough, I reset the CEL. Eventhough the car had a lurching episode on the freeway, it didn't throw a code.

[socal pat]

Try this fellow http://www.miata.net/cgi-bin/isc/classifieds.cgi?action=detail&AdNumber=63547&CategoryID=114&SubID=1088&Position=36&TotalCount=113&Session=46046a2f3a700f5a&FirstPage=20&LastPage=40&prevaction=show

[Kurt]

Called him.

Do you think a pack from a 97' will work on a 2000?

The coils themselves look the same. The brackets look different.

Might be worth the $25 to find out.

[Kurt]

Well to update this thread. I found out that the earlier coil packs, at least the three prong ones, are the same. Same part number on the packs and everything. I fit the replacement "test" used packs in place last night and reset the CEL.

Car fired right up, and ran well around the neighborhood. I noticed however that the idle was hanging alot.

Drove the car into town today, and sure enough after about 5 minutes it started to cut out again. :confused: I have driven it three more times for short trips, with similar results.

One interesting thing, NO CEL. I would have though with the engine cutting out it would have thrown and engine misfire code.:confused:

I'll check Mnet but any thoughts of what to check next would be appreciated.

[Kurt]

One final update to close out this thread.

After eliminating most of the other "most likely" options, I decided to disable the supercharger system, including the ELF.

Guess what? NA the car ran fine, it just didn't make as much power.

Tom offered to send me a old Power Card to swap back in, and on the way into work this morning the car ran great.

It seems as though I had two problems at the same time, the coil packs and the ELF. In retrospect, ELF is a bad name for an electronic gadget.:online2long:

[pumpkin]

It sounds like your elf has a gremlin.
JD

[Tom @ Fast Forward]

Glad it worked and glad we could help.

ELFs belong in fairy tales, not Miatas.