Help me rid myself of this hesitation!!!!!

[alkaline747trio]

Have a hesitation problem. Sorta jerks/stumbles at cruising rpms,
feels a little underpowered when I 'get on it'. I have replaced so
many damn things trying to find the root of this problem to no avail
that I'm getting sick of the blessed 3FE.

I put the jumper between Te1 and E1 today, turned the key to
on....steady blink. I started the cruiser, let it idle...steady
blink. Blipped the throttle...gives code 51 then returns to steady
blink. It gives me the code 51 every time I goose it, but always
returns to normal steady blink.

Plugs, wires, cap, rotor....all less than 3 years old, bought new from
dealer. AFM, coil/igniter...used but fewer miles than my stock ones
(190k on ODO). Fusible links <1yr old.

PO had some viper alarm BS installed...they spliced into the wiring
harness..and I have a random wire going across the floorboard with a
spade connector in the middle (plugged/unplugged doesn't seem to
change anything). The alarm is gone, but the connector for it is
still there (spade connectors spliced directly onto the factory
harness), along with a good mess of other crap.

I'm thinking it's in the wiring, all of it is right in the drivers
kick panel....unsure of where that wire goes to across the floor...can
see it go towards the ECU, not positive it ends up there though.

Water pump is on its way out, and I don't really seem to have this
issue during the winter...but I also don't drive as much during the
winter. Going to be replacing that in the next week or so.

Any help would be greatly appreciated as this is an issue I've had
since the beginning and am getting sick of it.

[AppleTech]

I could be way off, but I had a similar issue with a Volvo 740 that I was working on - the O2 sensor had shorted or worn out and wasn't reporting properly. The car would idle fine, but hit the gas and it would run rich and could barely accelerate.

Again, I could be WAY off, but you would be surprised at how much an O2 sensor can affect your engine.

[Romer]

PCV or fuel filter?

Had a similar problems in the past on other vehicles and those were the two items that fixed it

What is code 51?

[alkaline747trio]

I am fully de-smogged, so PCV isn't an issue. Fuel filter and in-tank sock were done last summer.

51 is the switch condition signal. I'm thinking that it might be normal, TPS saying the butterfly isn't at idle?

It could be running rich, coming home last night I saw smoke coming out the tail pipe as I got on it hard to pass a car.

[cruiser88]

you did away with the pvc?

[alkaline747trio]

Old school style, filters on the valve cover, plugged the nipple on the intake tube and at the intake manifold.

[cruiser88]

Originally Posted by alkaline747trio

Old school style, filters on the valve cover, plugged the nipple on the intake tube and at the intake manifold.

Have you tried re-hooking the pvc system back up?

[hj60]

Why don't you troubleshoot the code 51 as per the FSM?
"Cos it only comes on for a second."
Well, pretend your CEL is on full time and follow whatever the diagnostic flow chart for that code says.
I bet you'll save yourself a lot of heartache and cash.

[alkaline747trio]

Code 51 is neutral start switch, idle switch, and ac switch. Giving it gas opens the idle switch, completely normal (already went through the FSM recommendations).

[cruiser88]

I really think you may want to read up on this
http://www.autoshop101.com/forms/h63.pdf

All of it ..Cause it is a good read from start to finish. You really should not get rid of the pvc system....however the rest of it(smog crap) is junk to me.

Sorry I am not trying to be pushy but this miss is a on-going problem for your 3fe.

Did you try re-hooking up the pvc when all of this started. I know you did head work ....how did that turn out?...pictures of the new cam?

[turbocruiser]

Originally Posted by alkaline747trio

Old school style, filters on the valve cover, plugged the nipple on the intake tube and at the intake manifold.

I'm not saying that this has anything to do with your worries at all but that old school style is infamous for first clogging up the filter on the valve cover with oil and carbon and crap, then causing hesitation and then starting to spew oil vapor over the entire engine bay. Are you sure your filters are flowing well? Just a hopefully helpful hunch.

[hj60]

Huh. That's kinda odd.
If I still lived in Annandale, I'd offer to take a look for you.
My memory of how the EFI is set up on the 3FE is a lil fuzzy.
I'm subscribing to this thread. I'm very curious to hear what the root cause is.

[cruiser88]

Originally Posted by hj60

Huh. That's kinda odd.
If I still lived in Annandale, I'd offer to take a look for you.
My memory of how the EFI is set up on the 3FE is a lil fuzzy.
I'm subscribing to this thread. I'm very curious to hear what the root cause is.

X2.....I have been following it for some time. I even offered to come down when I was going to my mothers....intriguing indeed.

[Romer]

I had a desmogged FJ40, but the PCV was still there. Not sure why you would remove it to desmog. Not sure it would run right for long term without it. Here is a blurb on the PCV.

The blowby vapors that end up in an engine’s crankcase contain moisture as well as combustion byproducts and unburned fuel vapors. The crankcase is sealed to prevent the escape of these gases into the atmosphere, but the vapors must be removed to prevent oil contamination that leads to sludge formation. The positive crankcase ventilation (PCV) system siphons these vapors from the crankcase and routes them into the intake manifold so they can be reburned in the engine.

The main component in the PCV system is the PCV valve, which is usually located in the valve cover. A hose connects the PCV valve to the intake manifold. A second hose between the air cleaner and crankcase or other valve cover (V6 or V8 applications) provides fresh air to help flush the vapors out of the crankcase. Some engines have a separate air filter for the PCV breather hose located inside the air cleaner.

The PCV valve is a spring-loaded valve with a specific orifice size designed to restrict the amount of air that’s siphoned from the crankcase into the intake manifold. This is necessary because air drawn through the valve from the crankcase has a leaning effect on the fuel mixture much the same as a vacuum leak. So air flow through the valve must be controlled within certain limits. At idle, air flow is reduced because little blowby is produced. When the engine is cruising and vacuum is high, airflow through the PCV valve is at a maximum to purge the blowby vapors from the crankcase.

It’s important to note that PCV valves are sized for specific engine applications. The wrong PCV valve for an application can flow too much or too little air causing driveability problems. Varnish deposits can clog the valve, so replacement for preventative maintenance is recommended (every 50,000 miles usually).

Not all engines have PCV valves. Some (like Ford Escort, GM FWD cars with the Quad Four engine, etc.) ventilate the crankcase with a small breather hose and calibrated orifice. There is no spring-loaded PCV valve. On these applications, no maintenance is usually necessary.

[landtank]

how are the bearings in the distributor? You might have a little wobble that is causing problems with the pickup.