PO "fixes"

So our new to us 190e 2.6 has a cold start problem. It idles around 500rpm and is very rough.

Once warmed up, though, it is smooth as butter.

While looking for the CTS, I noticed a non-factory wire, running back towards the firewall. This corresponds to a button on the dash that we could only figure out that kills the engine.

Turns out, that button is wired directly to the Cold Start Injector.

wtf?

Ill fated attempt at no cost NOS ????

Cheapo way of bypassing the original cold start injector controls because it wasn't working.

Yeah, it's amazing what some people do to "fix" a car. I had a 86 CJ-7 that had a swapped in 360. While chasing down what I thought was a vapor lock issue I realized that he never changed the fuel lines over to the larger fuel lines that the bigger engine needed. Then while chasing down an intermittent wiring issue I discovered dozens of wiring splices in the underhood wiring that were twisted together and shoved back in the loom. No solder, electrical tape, wire nuts, zip ties, bubble gum or forethought at all.

I had a 57 Chevy wagon that was wired with wire nuts and dreams. Looking at it from the outside it was a peach. Under the hood not so much. Under the dash I just tried not to think about it. Not to mention the driveshaft held together with JB Weld. Everyone knows when a yoke cracks you just glue it back together.

In my Jeep Cherokee, I have found the following:

-Shoe sole shoved between the exhaust hanger and the transmission cross member

-AC refrigerant lines being reused as heater hoses

-License plate floor board patch

-Old radio removed with all of the wiring, back to the bundled harness

-No pilot bearing installed when the PO installed the rebuilt engine

Then there's the stupid things they did that caused the main issue with the Jeep, and that was running clear water instead of an antifreeze mix. Yes, replace a motor and run clear water in it!

I think they repaired a cracked radiator tank with RTV and a screw.

GAAHHHHH there are so many things wrong with that Jeep. I should have left it there. That's what I get for not spending time on really inspecting the Jeep before I bought it.

I had a Volvo S40 that I bought at auction. It drove like it had 40hp.

Because it probably did.

It had a bad turbo, and to stop it from smoking, the PO used a pair of cheap vice grips to pinch the oil feed to the turbo, until the turbo seized.

Vice grips were still in place when I got the car.

I replaced the turbo and I got to keep the vice grips.

Found a wrong sized ball joint welded to a spindle.

65 Ford truck rewired under the hood with all red wires.

Zip ties replacing most bolts from the radiator forward..condenser, overflow, horns, bumper cover, lights, radiator, several fender bolts, fender liners, one end of a radiator hose and battery box all held in by zip ties. Some was amazingly complex.

Bruce

While reaching for the bolt that holds the gas tank mounting strap together in the boot of my Mini, I gouged the back of my hand open, on what should have been the smooth inside of the rear quarter panel. Turns out a dent was filled with screws covered with a bit of bondo.

I had a Jeep CJ7 that had a bad ignition switch. I moved the wire from the horn to the starter solenoid. Turn key to "RUN", then "honk" until she fired.

For Off Road Use Only :)

Jensenman wrote: Cheapo way of bypassing the original cold start injector controls because it wasn't working.

very common to find these in cis cars, i think ive yanked one out of almost every 924 I've owned. its a quick fix for a fuel pressure issue, usually resulting from a bad accumulator, or leaky injector.

if you find one of these rigged up, check your cold start injector circuit, and if thats okay, do a fuel pressure test.

Id bet allot of cars went to the scrapper because of this problem, and generally, its a pretty simple fix. But also very frustrating if you dont know what/how to address it...

More than once I have worked on LBC's that had brown lamp 'zip cord' and wire nuts everywhere. I have seen all kinds of stuff JB Welded, too much to recall. Then there was the double layer of beer can around an exhaust hole, held in place with coat hanger wire. A screw with a rubber washer in a fuel tank pinhole.

I have been guilty as well; when my brother's '91 Blazer started having serious vacuum issues under the dash with the A/C and defrost, we got some cheap choke cables (the kind that turn to lock) and used them to work the various doors in the dash. So there were 4 black knobs under the dash, you just had to push/pull/lock the correct sequence to get what you wanted.

Jensenman wrote: ...A screw with a rubber washer in a fuel tank pinhole...

Hey! I've done that before. Not on a gas tank, but there was one in my water heater for years.

egnorant wrote: 65 Ford truck rewired under the hood with all red wires.

Love it. I can totally see someone doing that.

I've been pretty lucky, though every crappy old car I buy seems to have a custom/aftermarket stereo system consisting of miles of junky home theater speaker wire. In most cases, the OE wiring is still there, and switching back over dramatically improves the sound.

Jensenman wrote: So there were 4 black knobs under the dash, you just had to push/pull/lock the correct sequence to get what you wanted.

JM, sounds like the factory climate control system on a 220D.

I bought a '91 Passat once that had the cooling fan wiring cut, and a crappy brown extension cord twisted and taped to it, with the other end going up the fender, in through the driver's door opening, and stuffed into a random spot in the fuse box. I ditched the extension cord, soldered and heat shrinked the fan connector back together, and let it run to see what it did. Not surprisingly, the fan didn't come out, so I get out my circuit tester, and it's not getting power. Check the fuse box, yep, the fuse is blown. Replaced the fuse and it worked perfectly for the next five years.

egnorant wrote: 65 Ford truck rewired under the hood with all red wires.

when I was is high school my 77 LTD had a under hood fire and all I had was a spool of black ground wire.

My friend bought a 98 new beetle for his wife (it was a TDI for under $2k so even though it was pretty nasty it was worth it), and the passenger side mirror was (unsuccessfully) reattached with a giant wad of mint chewing gum.

Somebody had put the front suspension on the Civic I used to have back together after a wreck with junkyard parts. Doesn't sound too bad until I found out the passenger side brake rotor was an inch larger than the driver's side.

In reply to MadScientistMatt:

How'd that work out for ya?

16vCorey wrote: I bought a '91 Passat once that had the cooling fan wiring cut, and a crappy brown extension cord twisted and taped to it, with the other end going up the fender, in through the driver's door opening, and stuffed into a random spot in the fuse box. I ditched the extension cord, soldered and heat shrinked the fan connector back together, and let it run to see what it did. Not surprisingly, the fan didn't come out, so I get out my circuit tester, and it's not getting power. Check the fuse box, yep, the fuse is blown. Replaced the fuse and it worked perfectly for the next five years.

My '78 280Z had no A/C when I bought it and that's one reason the PO only wanted $500. The fuse (glass tube type) wasn't blown, the strip inside had broken loose from the metal end cap. Popped in a new fuse, had icicles inside of 10 minutes.

Just bought a Miata.... 3 unknown toggle switches, 2 unknown modules, 51 of these and MILES of nonfactory wiring.. over 6 pounds of it!!

There's a reason I'm rewiring the car (for DP) from scratch.

In reply to tpwalsh:

Those things should be banned.

My 92 RN Truck that I bought for $350, not running, "bad computer," had a slipped timing chain. There was one of those tiny generic low pressure fuel pumps from the auto parts store spliced in the fuel line with a piece of wire running up over the drive shaft to the driver's door, looped in through the door, then jammed in a fuse terminal in the fuse block. Of course, an extra 3PSI would probably be just what a 45 PSI EFI system needs.

VanillaSky wrote: In reply to MadScientistMatt: How'd that work out for ya?

Believe it or not, it didn't pull to either side under braking, although one side would lock up first. The Civic had a ton of problems; that was one of the few I could laugh at.

The Scotchlok is the bane of humanity. I rank it right up there with the Phillips screw; if I ever meet the guy who designed either I may have to be physically restrained.