Wisconsin

So I put my new exhaust on and air filter and the car won't idle. If I press the gas while starting it up it will run but it's rough. I am clueless as to why. I had purchased new NGK plugs so I put those in with a dab of grease on the tips and on the distributer caps but no real difference. I thought maybe some packaging was left in the exhaust but I feel exhaust exiting. It almost seems like a fuel issue but I can hear the fuel pump going when I start the car and when it stalls. I searched in the search finding a Green wire issue some people have had but it would seem that if that went bad by coincidence it would not run while hitting the gas. I also saw a relay but I can hear the pump.

SteveG

A green wire is on what MY?
You put grease on the spark plug tips? I just want to be sure you did what you wrote. Or do you mean on the threads?

Wisconsin

The wire that runs from the ditributer to the passenger side of the car. It seemed to be a regular failure according to the search.

On the tips of the plugs not the threads. The guy at au ozone suggested it.

SteveG

I know what the wire is, I was asking the MY the year of your car, because the OBs have a different ignition system. I admit I'm not up to snuff on the OBs, but others are. It is a good idea to put the MY and other specific info in your sig line.

I've never heard of putting grease on the plug tip. Could he have meant dielectric grease? I still think that may be your problem, fouled plugs.

Wisconsin

1980. I will clean it off and see but it was rough before.

GlenL

vacuum leak or disconnected vacuum line to distributor.

hacker-pschorr

Anti-size on the threads, nothing else when installing plugs.

Exactly which plugs did you install? FYI - copper only, regardless of what the guy at the parts store or the catalog says.

Wisconsin

Thanks Steve. I cleaned the grease off and it idles now. Still a little rough but I think I am due for a cap and rotar. Maybe some wires.

Wisconsin

NGK Iridium.

Wisconsin

Clearly I am a novice here but having this site as a resource is amazing. It makes it fun and takes away the majority of the frustration. Although I still have that pesky passenger side window to deal with

Wisconsin Joe

Ok, I'll bite. What's up with the window?

Jehu Gearloose

I've also got NGK Iridiums installed, so if that is a poor choice I'd be interested to know. FWIW, my context is street use only.

Also FWIW, found this on NGK's site. (See paragraph 5) "All NGK spark plugs, including precious metal iridium and platinum, have a copper core."

Wisconsin

Just doesn't work. I have not looked into it yet. Hopefully I can find a step by step diagnosis thread on here. God knows everything else is.

SteveG

The AZone guy must have meant dielectric greasd on the dist. rotor. If not, stay away from him. Windows are pretty straight forward. And there are threads here on it. I would start with fuses and relays. 928gt.com has a page that displays the fuse and relay chart for each year if yours is missing from the cover plate sleeve, which it probably is. Then it is a question of removing the armrest and getting the door panel off. A putty knife is good; there are some better pry tools at AZone that may save some of the plastic attachment pins that are brittle with age. Some will probably break. The New Visitor thread has lots of good info and links for the new owner.

Wisconsin

Thanks Steve. I probably jump on that tonight. I think since the drivers side works it probably is not a relay? I am hoping it's simple but whatever. I'm liking the challenge.

Back to the rough idle.... Sometimes taking the car for a good hour romping works wonders. I put some 91 octane and a bottle of fuel injector cleaner and ran it at 55-70mph for a while. Runs much better. I wonder if doing all that work confused the car. Plugs, exhaust and new air filter.