'87 Pulsar Rpm's problem

nivocob · Sep 20th, 2003, 11:19 AM

Hello everyone,

I'm new here, though I've been reading the forums for quite a while now. Hopefully you guys can help me out if it is not too much trouble. I got my first car a few months ago, a 1987 Nissan Pulsar NX, with the E16i engine. Everything had been running fine until like a week ago. I was driving along and then all of a sudden the car started to buck back and forth like when people don't know how to drive standard. Turns out when it goes to about 2400 rpm the engine will rev to 3000 and then back down again, surging back and forth as long as the gas is pressed. Even when it idles if you listen carefully you can hear it pulsing.

At first I thought it was a dirty fuel filter, so I replaced that, the car ran fine, and then I stopped for a bit to get some money to fill up and when I started it again it had the same problem. It seems as though the engine is getting gas in spurts or something along those lines. I'm not exactly sure what to do next, could it be the o2 sensor? Something wrong with the Carb? Bad gas?

I still don't know that much about cars but I am learning more everyday. If you guys have any sugestions/ideas it would be much appreciated. Thanks for you time.

Crazy-Mart · Sep 20th, 2003, 04:00 PM

check your grounded connection ... around the engine and on the distributor ... there is one and should be in very good condition to run right

Myetball · Sep 20th, 2003, 06:02 PM

Sounds alot like a bad air flow meter. Try this link and the links on that page.

Gsolo · Sep 20th, 2003, 06:13 PM

hey...i have the same car

Just got it too ....umm...my question is is the car warmed up when it does that? cause they have a high idel of like...almost 3000 for a few minutes then go down to little under 2000 but when you drive it like that it goes back and forth a little bit. And its a TBI not a carb. I'm gonna say check the air flow meter also.

nivocob · Sep 20th, 2003, 06:38 PM

Thanks a lot for the replies guys. Crazy-Mart, I checked the grounds and hey look alright to me, one is a touch frayed. Myetball I read those links and I really think it is the AFM now by the symptoms everyone was describing. I will probably throw some new plugs in there as well.

Gsolo, yeah it seems to happen when the car is warm. I can take it out and drive it around the block a bit and then shut i down. Then come back 5 mins later and it'll start doing it again. It happened two times when i was driving, so it just sits in the driveway till I can fix the problem, don't want to have something happen on the road.

I took some photos, one of the ground that looked a bit dubious and a few of what I am pretty sure is my really worn o2 sensor. I'm thinking I'll replace that as well. Well I am gonna check the AFM when i get some free time right away and hopefully get the Pulsar back on the road. Thanks again for your helps guys, I'll keep you posted on my progress.

*If the photo's are too big/not allowed ill take em down and just put a link.

Gsolo · Sep 20th, 2003, 11:34 PM

that sensor looks dead...but if you can afford it then new O2 and spark plugs would be good...and afm if its bad. good luck though. and helping others is what everyone is here for

Crazy-Mart · Sep 22nd, 2003, 12:05 AM

i would defenitely change that O2 sensor

nivocob · Sep 22nd, 2003, 04:03 PM

Yeah, I'm gonna do that later on today hopefully. Any recomendations for spark plugs? Sorry for all the questions guys.

Gsolo · Sep 22nd, 2003, 04:49 PM

i've only had good luck with NGK's. In case you dont know the NGK plug number is BPR5ES-11 ...i just realized thats simialiar to toyotas 4AFE..except i think its bpr5ey for toyota. I've never tried bosch though but i've heard they are good. expensive too.

nivocob · Sep 27th, 2003, 05:45 PM

Well guys I think i finally fixed it. *knock on wood* I took the air cleaner housing off the throttle body, and tinkered around with the different components. Then I did the farmer's test. I hooked everything back up and fired up the engine. like usual it would run fine, so I knew that I had put it back together properly. Then I disconnected the throttle sensor, turned on the car, still ran normal and would rev. Reconnected that and then disconnected the AFM, turned on the car and it started to do the rev problem right away. I tested each thing a few more times and everytime it would crap out with the AFM unhooked.

So I replaced the Air Flow Meter and the car is running fine again. I just went to get gas and it was a nice smooth ride. I'm gonna fire up the engine again in a little while because before it would run normal and then crap out. I think it won't do it this time though.

Once again thanks for all the help guys, I'll post here again soon with definitive results.

recycled_toddler · Mar 4th, 2004, 02:08 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by nivocob

all of a sudden the car started to buck back and forth like when people don't know how to drive standard. Turns out when it goes to about 2400 rpm the engine will rev to 3000 and then back down again, surging back and forth as long as the gas is pressed. Even when it idles if you listen carefully you can hear it pulsing.

I had a similar problem with my ex-wife's 1988 Sentra: Bucking, kicking, stalling, the whole sha-bang. I tried replacing relays, hoses, everything, but no luck. I found this by happenstance: There's a ground wire or two from the electronic relays on the right fender that ground on one of the three studs on the top front of the timing cover. Tighten that nut snug; I did, and the problem disappeared.

yafayu · Mar 5th, 2004, 02:05 PM

i had a same problem as yours, i found alot of rust in my gas tank and i replaced it everything is fine now..