Just drove my 92 SE 5spd home from new jersey about 100 miles i just bought the car a few weeks ago. the cars has some crazy issues when its cold it runs rough and smells like its running rich when i rev the engine it smooths out a little only to run rough at idle again and sometimes stalls.when i started to drive at slower speeds it bucks when i reach around 3500 rpm and other times it feels like its lost power and at one time it back fired and stalled then it started up and drove all the way home with very little hick ups which included it feeling like it lost power so i let off and i wait a few seconds and it goes fine again.any one have any ideas or have same problem i was thinking Mass Air sensor or a coil??????????????????

 

Probably coils or injectors, or both.

While its running rough, unplug each coil one by one until you find the bad one. Swap it with a good one, start the engine and test the same way. If its the same cylinder having trouble, then its a bad injector, if its a different cylinder then its a bad coil.

 

I'm thinking Mass Air Flow sensor

 

pull your coils and see if they are cracked. I had some similar issues, mainly the backfiring and stalling out, and I just sealed them up and then used electrical tape on top. Problem solved

 

i bet if the Max is anything like the Ford ECU system i can unplug the mass air and it would run alot better if its the mass but wouldnt explain the rough idle ill look at it and get back here with my findings.........thanks too all

 

If your maf is indeed bad,unplugging it will let you know,but be warned,your engine will not rev over approx. 2300 rpm when it is unplugged..

 

maf will indeed cause problems at idle as well as at higher rpms. I had tons of issues with my max last winter with it coughing and sputtering, and occasionally stalling out. Tended to happen mostly at idle, and lower RPM's, and if I stomped on it, it would usually clear up, which initially made the think perhaps it was a problem with the TPS. A buddy of mine is a mechanic, and he suggested that I go for the maf first, as he said it was a common problem with the max, and more likely the problem than the TPS.

I managed to grab a good used maf from Ebay for $11, and it has been working fine since.

 

There is a voltage test that can be done on the MAF, you have to peal back the rubber part and test specific wires. If you have a multimeter you might as well try it, directions are in the FSM.

 

while on my lunch hour i decided to go out and loose the bolts on the front coils and look at them.well guess what the #1 coil was cracked in to places the boot was fine.so when i got out of work i slow tailed it to the parts store to get a roll of electrical tape and it made it alot better didnt stall at all on the way home or loose power so when i was closer to home i thought let's step on it and see what she has well it broke up a little at 4 grand so i got off and just drove home it still idles funny so im not ruling out the MAF.now theres the oil burning smell i have to look into hmmmmmmmmmmmm.i hope it not serious

 

You possibly have a bad coil pack or two that won't be helped by electrical tape.

Clean out the TB and IACV

check ECU for codes

sometimes coolant temp sensor will cause idle problems, too.

 

i dont have a check engine light on ar these car known for not turning the light on?

 

not all codes will light it up. my 33 didn't. i searched on a whim and found a code.

 

It is rare for the CEL to come on when you have a code.

Someone tell me if the CEL actually lit up when they had a problem...

 

My vote goes for maf as well. The maf is a key engine sensor during open-loop operation, which is why if you unplug even a good one while your engine is still cold it will stall, and this explains the problem when cold as well.

 

i believe the coil or coils may be bad and a maf so off to HARRY'S U-Pull it i go.