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'93 Regal 3800 chucks idler pully at low engine speed.


'93RegalGS3800
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I'm pretty sure it's because I installed the spark plugs as a dumb shade tree mechanic and got some dirt on them or cracked one installing them or something. It didn't do this before I pulled the plugs.

Nothing's broken or failed, it's a broken plug, loose plug, broken plug wire or incorrect firing order.

Other causes could be that something got bumped or something while you were doing this.

What else was done during the tune-up?

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Nothing's broken or failed, it's a broken plug, loose plug, broken plug wire or incorrect firing order.

Other causes could be that something got bumped or something while you were doing this.

What else was done during the tune-up?

 

I've got a code 26 after plugging in an old scan tool. Something about a quad power switch or something. I have no idea what in the world would make that go out.

 

I changed the air filter, idler pulley, plugs, and wires. I also did the brakes but that's unrelated to the engine.

I don't think I bumped anything unless I installed a plug wrong.

 

It's also worth noting that the wire harness was repaired 4 years ago after some rats got in and made a mess of it. I might have a short somewhere in there after all those years. I don't know of anybody who has an engine harness for sale in good shape for a '93 Regal 3800.

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My inexperience and irritability are gonna hinder me if I keep on going the way I am.

 

Yall know what? I did cross 2 plugs on the back of the engine. I swear, I swear, I swear. Nope, I messed it up. Of course it would be on the back of the engine. I was irritated with reaching my hand back there trying to find what plug they went on. Once the cross was addressed the car smoothed out but still had an obvious miss.

 

What was causing the miss? Something else I would have overlooked if my Dad was not there. It's in the picture below. The exposed wire and melted insulator were on top of a hose clamp and that was shorting out my spark and not getting fire to the 2 rear plugs. The wire has since been taped up with electrical tape to keep the wire insulated and off any ground.

 

post-8130-0-08025600-1469917716_thumb.jpg

 

I about threw my work table across the yard after seeing this. They don't call it "Fool Injection" for nothing.

 

I'm glad the car runs well now. I was about at my end with diagnosing this.

 

Code 26 must be something small because it's not the brake light switch or the torque converter switch. It has to be something stupid making it come up too. Guess I'll figure it out later on.

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Some fucking jackass supermechanic nicked all of those wires because he wasn't smart enough to stick a probe or safety pin past the seals in the plug.

Anyway I'm glad you found it, nothing beats a good visual inspection.

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Some fucking jackass supermechanic nicked all of those wires because he wasn't smart enough to stick a probe or safety pin past the seals in the plug.

Anyway I'm glad you found it, nothing beats a good visual inspection.

 

Thanks. I was wondering why it was suddenly missing as bad as it was. Part of it was my inexperienced self and the other part was the wiring on that connector. If it was just me figuring this out I would have gone insane trying to find it. 

 

I'm glad to have a Dad with 35 years in the mechanic industry. What I have done with cars is only a negligible amount to what he has done. Too bad I can't take his knowledge with me back to Alabama when I go back there. I could use his knowledge for other automotive endeavors I take.

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Code 26 is a quad driver fault but which four things in a 93 I do not know. In a '90 they are HI fan, TCC, Canister Purge (Evap Emmis), or EGR. Just need to check one at a time until you find it. An immediate 26 on startup is usually the evaporative emissions canister purge solenoid, others happen later.

 

BTW there is a note in the 90 FSM that if you hold the brake on with engine running when connecting some scan tools, it will set a 26.

Edited by Padgett
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Code 26 is a quad driver fault but which four things in a 93 I do not know. In a '90 they are HI fan, TCC, Canister Purge (Evap Emmis), or EGR. Just need to check one at a time until you find it. An immediate 26 on startup is usually the evaporative emissions canister purge solenoid, others happen later.

 

BTW there is a note in the 90 FSM that if you hold the brake on with engine running when connecting some scan tools, it will set a 26.

 

I saw that it was between the Canister purge, High temperature light in the dash, Low speed fan relay, Brake switch, and TCC application solenoid. Whatever it is it does not hinder the way the car runs.

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It's actually an intermittent light for me. Comes on and off at random times. It comes on a few seconds or so after startup and goes away and comes back after some time.

 

Got the car running today and the miss is back. Guess the ICM is fried on that one cylinder or something. Will have to diagnose further to figure out the issue.

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Read my lips: the canister purge is usually the only thing that will cause a 26 when stopped and before the computer goes into closed loop.

Edited by Padgett
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Had the same issue with my old Cutlass when I first bought it...the evaporative purge solenoid had a shorted winding.  Drove me crazy for awhile, because I could never find what devices ran from Quad A.

 

Paid about $5.00 bucks for a purge solenoid in a junkyard, and never saw the trouble code again the entire time I owned the car.

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Read my lips: the canister purge is usually the only thing that will cause a 26 when stopped and before the computer goes into closed loop.

 

This could explain why the light is intermittent. I can agree with this.

 

Had the same issue with my old Cutlass when I first bought it...the evaporative purge solenoid had a shorted winding.  Drove me crazy for awhile, because I could never find what devices ran from Quad A.

 

Paid about $5.00 bucks for a purge solenoid in a junkyard, and never saw the trouble code again the entire time I owned the car.

 

A junkyard solenoid to rid the code? Sounds like a chance to me but it worked for you. I'd probably wind up buying a new one.

 

On another note a new coil fixed the miss. The engine is running smooth again.

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