JDM4LIFE

iTrader: (2)

okay, i'm running rich, i've changed the fuel filter recently (not that it would anything to do with it necessarily) and have been doing all the routine maintainance i can without going nuts. i wanna test to see if i maybe have an injector sticking or something. isn't there a way i can check resistance somehow of the injector and find out? any help is greatly appreciated. thanks!!

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

I'm not sure a resistance check would determine if an injector is sticking. The tried and true method is to remove the injector and look at the spray pattern, and also see if it leaks under pressure with no energizing. Not easy for the home mechanic to due, unfortunately. Just out of curiosity, how do you know you're running rich?

JDM4LIFE

iTrader: (2)

well, first, there's the odd colored smoke coming from my exhaust (which my mechanic friend says is due to rich conditions). then, is the increasingly horrible gas mileage. it's starting to idle just a little crappier over time, and in the middle of it, my egr system is "clogged" according to my ecu code. that, i was assuming that was from the nice exhaust coming from the "rich" condition. overall, my maxima's just not running up to par at all. i'll clean out the egr system if needed, but i'd rather replace an injector than go through the heartache of cleaning my intake manifold and egr system. oh, and one other thing, my random tech cat came off and boy, you shoulda seen that. the screens were all burnt to a crisp and crumpled up to the bottom with the beads (or whatever ya call em, lol) rollin around the cat. ugh.. engine problems suck!

njmaxseltd

iTrader: (19)

Your car is telling you why it's not running right. Leave your injectors alone and fix the EGR system.

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

I had the same symptoms with two other cars when they developed exhaust leaks - one at the exhaust manifold and the other at the y-pipe connection. Fresh air was able to enter the exhaust pipe, and when the O2 sensor detected the presence of the extra oxygen, the ECU compensated by enriching the mixture to the point they would hardly idle and gas mileage went to hell.

One way to determine if this is the problem is to find some way to keep the ECU from entering closed loop mode, such as disconnecting the coolant temp sensor. If the car doesn't run rich in open loop mode, then that's an indication of an O2 sensor induced enrichment problem.

JDM4LIFE

iTrader: (2)

what do you mean by that??

Stephen Max

iTrader: (59)

I was referring to the ECU enriching the air/fuel mixture due to input from the O2 sensor when it is operating in closed loop mode. If the problem exists only after the engine is warmed up (i.e. when it enters close loop mode), that is an indication that the problem may lie either with the O2 sensor perceiving a lean condition that may be the result of a leak, or due to faulty operation of the O2 sensor itself. If the car runs fine when it is in open loop mode, then it most likely is not an injector problem. The way to test is to get the ECU into open loop mode somehow after the engine is warmed up (you can do this on some cars by disconnecting the coolant temp sensor, so that the ECU thinks the engine is still cold). You want to test when the engine is warm since cold engines run better with a rich mixture. So get the engine warmed up and in closed loop mode and exhibiting symptoms of rich air/fuel mixture. Then disconnect the coolant temp sensor, which should get the ECU back into open loop mode. Now, does the idle improve? If so, then you have an O2 sensor induced problem. If the symptoms stay the same, then you can go on to checking injectors.

But you should also be sure you don't have any EGR problems that could be causing the problem, since you're getting the EGR code.

JDM4LIFE

iTrader: (2)

well, i went and ordered an intake manifold gasket set so i could get to cleanin out the egr system. i was gonna mention though, that my idle still isn't exactly top notch anymore when cold.