My motto is: inspect, clean, test, reuse. If that fails: test again. If that test fails bite the bullet and replace. Go from cheap to expensive, from simple to more involved.

I don't know how the distributor is set up.


I found this video on testing VRIS solenoids:


So you know the Ford Probe GT has a related VRIS.

If I understand it right there are 2 vacuum chambers, one for each solenoid, and when the solenoid is activated the vacuum operates the butterflies in the intake.
One guy suggested to see if the vacuum cambers hold vacuum for at least one hour. If you can't run the engine you can use a manual vacuum pump to create the vacuum. That makes sense to me. Apply vacuum by operating the engine, after an hour pull a T connector and listen for a whoosh.

Here is a vacuum diagram most likely of a 2.5L probe GT engine:




Have you had a chance to reestablish your idle speed with TEN and GND jumped?



I also thought you may want to verify that the camshaft timing is correct. You have 4 camshafts and if the belt skipped a tooth on one of them you would have problems.

And here is a good read: http://www.mx6.com/forums/2g-faq-gen...know-more.html



That should keep you busy for a while.

 

Honestly, I don't mind keeping busy for a while. I'm learning a lot and enjoying working since I'm starting to get a pretty good grasp of everything. I'm 55 and unemployed and this has made me consider taking a motorcycle repair class. I love to ride, and I'm at the point in my life if I could get 2 or 3 bikes a week to work on I'd be happy.

Ok, I digress.

That video was very helpful, Tan, thanks.

I went out pulled all the spark plugs, made sure they were all connected right and the gap was right. What I found out was that some of the spark plugs were not very tight in the socket. I did the spark plugs and oil change 2 weeks after my quad bypass surgery, so I wasn't all that strong. I went though and made sure everything was tight on the hoses and electrical connections.

When I finished, I did the idle fix and it worked well. I drove the car a while after the repairs and when I got home and put it in park the idle was too high, so I'm not done with that. But the car ran excellent. Lots of pick up. I got to a place without many homes and no other cars around. I stopped and punched it and it actually knocked me back in my seat and I could feel the G's. I really enjoyed that.

Unfortunately, I did the paperclip text again and now i just have the code 16, so I still need to figure that out. Car does chug just a bit when it's sitting still and idling, doesn't hessitate any longer when I pull away from a stop sign.

I won't be done when it's fixed. It has some rust on the drivers side door and the clear coat is chipping away on the moon roof. So I'm going to remove the rust, and then paint where the problems are. It was hard but i found a place that sells the actual paint color for my car. Pretty pricey though.

So what would you do about the #6 code? (EGR)

 

I like your plans. A friend of mine has been fixing motorbikes in his garage, even without taking classes. I think it is a good idea to take a course.

Code 16. you take the EGR valve off and clean out the passages. The stuff in my EGR valve was dry and baked on so I had to scrape it out. Solvents had no effect. Make sure the pindle moves easily. You also need to find the EGR ports. In my protégé they are at the mouth of the intake, just behind the throttle body at 6 and 12 o'clock.


When you are done with that you do one more thing:
use lacquer thinner!!!! ( not paint thinner)

 

Thanks!!

I've watched more than a few Scotty Kilmore videos lately. He's very knowledgeable and thorough in explaining fixes.

I'm going to go out later on and remove the throttle body and clean it well.

I have one thing I didn't mention and maybe someone can help me with it. On the first video at 1:50 he shows a hose that is about 10-inches long and closed completely on one end. This was on a post close to my battery and wasn't hooked up to anything. Does anyone know where it's supposed to go. I can't find any pipe for it to go onto. My son was helping me take things off the first time around and it pointed it out to me. it wasn't hooked up then and maybe it's not supporsed to be, but then why would it be there?

 

This is probably the EGR feedback tube Briansmobile mentioned in the beginning. Maybe the previous owner had trouble and tried to circumvent a proper fix.

There is another hose that had people scratch their heads before: it is a transmission vent hose. It should be like an upside down J with an open end that comes out of the transmission. Maybe automatic transmissions don't have that, but manuals do. In the protégé it is held in place at the battery box.

 

Here are some pictures of the hose I'm talking about. First pic is of it in by the battery box (where I originally saw it), the next pictures of of the hose out of the car.

 

I am stumped.

 

under the air filter box there are 2 small hose inputs in a "L" shape. I only have the bottom one attached to a hose, the top one didn't have anything going to it. The car chugged slightly when Idling so I went out when the engine was running and put my finger on the top of the "L" shape. The car stopped chugging when I did. So I changed the hose from the bottom to the top, and put a finger of the bottom one and the car remained the same. So I took this "hose to nowhere" and put it on that input line.

I know it doesn't go there but the engine runs better.

here's a picture of the "L" I'm talking about.

 

Still stumped.

Could it be part of the evap system? The evap system must vent the hydrocarbon fumes into the intake somewhere. Check if your evap system is complete.

Here is a generic diagram:
gm-evap01.gif?t=1241249314
And here is a vacuum diagram:

http://www.cardomain.com/ride/811239/1993-mazda-mx-3/

I hope it includes your engine.

 

I have a feeling it just doesn't go to anything (but why is it there then, right?)

I'm getting the 16 code again, and I'm back to having the CEL go on when I let off on the gas pedel, and then goes off when I excelerate.