I don't know buddy. I think my acceleration is slow anyway with the 1.5L engine. I can't tell you there is a difference performance wise. All I know is that my idle is very rough at first, becomes smoother once the engine warms up, but doesn't become as smooth as it should be.

 

check the compression in the number 4 cylinder...if it's low or null then your engine needs a rebuild or serious attention...you don't know if it's a dead cyclinder or not, but with a 25 dollar compression tester you will b able to tell...if you can put in plugs...you can do a compression test...make sure you read instructions...test usually requires you to remove all plugs and ignition wires, block throttle wide open and crank engine...if compression builds up quick, that's usually good, unless it goes over specs...if it goes over specs, chances are you have carbon build up...but with 56K miles I couldn't see that as a problem...if compression builds up slow...this indicates leaking rings and/or valves/valve seals...if it builds up slow...try adding a squirt of oil into cylinder through spark plug hole and do test again...if compression builds up faster now...probably indicaTES RINGS ARE LEAKING...OIL IN HOLE HELPS MAKE BETTER SEAL/FASTER COMPRESSION BUILD UP...IF YOU HAVE NO COMPRESSION...FUCKED ENGINE or head gasket...head gasket could be leaking on only 1 cylinder....check oil after car runs to see if it looks like a milkshake at all....if it does...this indicates water is getting into oil...head gasket leak...also check antifreeze to see if it looks like any oil is floating in there

 

So, you guys suggest a fuel injector cleaning and compression test. This compression tester... Is it something the garage has to do for me or I can buy it at KRAGENS or PEP BOYS?

 

Well, that sounds scary... I have to go to the garage at 10am tomorrow anyway, so we'll se what happens. Hopefully this time they will REALLY diagnose the problem and tell me what's wrong. I will keep you guys updated. Thanks again for everything!

 

I have also founded numerous articles about this issue that we have.

here are the links:

http://www.se-r-list.org/new-archive...08/008053.html (gas cap might be the issue)

http://www.importeastmag.com/thismon...bd2_part2.html
("water finding its way in the ignition system and causes a misfire for cyl.")

http://www.corolland.com/repairs.html
"We have also heard of some head gasket issues, where antifreeze leaked into the spark plug chambers, causing rough running."

i think that's it for now

good luck with you 2morrow. I gotta hit the bunk. Have a big headache thinking of all the things that might be wrong with my car rrrrrrrr

 

Good answer!!!

 

damn!

check this out

http://www.davisnet.com/drive/produc....asp?pnum=8220

 

Well, I left my car at the garage. They will call me in 2-3 hours. I told them everything and this time I spoke to the mechanic. I asked him about the compression and the fuel injecting system. He said that it's not the fuel injection and the compression they checked the first time, and it was OK. Here's a quote from the mechanic: "We're pulling our hair here"....

 

I am back with some tests. Basically, my 4th cyl. has a lower compression. All the others are in the 210PSI range, but number 4 is 165PSI. The guy there told me that I might have a flattened cam lobe. I have no idea what to do now, since they sent me to the Mazda dealership. The one I went to wanted $160 just for hooking up my car to the computer and checking out what the code is.

I will scan the 2 pieces of paper the guys gave me and post them here.

 

The pictures aren't excellent, but I hope they're sufficient for you guys to see what's up.

I guess this is the timing test...



And that's the second test.



What do I do now?

 

What kind of smoke does your car emit from teh exhaust, if any? Because if it is blue and smell really bad, then your piston rings, possibly on that cylinder could be bad. But otherwise, I do not know what else to suggest. Good luck.

 

I looked at it just before I went to the garage this morning. It didn't strike me as something extremely unusual. I'm going to school now and I will check out the smell.

 

air, fuel spark.
I didn't read word for word, but thus far you've checked for spark, and after i posted the first time I noticed that you posted about talking to the guy about the fuel injection system, and you also put some injector cleaner in it. That really shouldn't solve any kind of large problem. Its fine once in a while, but for this kind of problem it would be a bandaid solution at best.
I saw that you do have low compression in one cylinder. I'm not sure how the 1.5l engine compares to the 1.8l, but if its your rings, you might be able to figure it out yourself, if there is too much blowby in one cylinder it will sometimes cause the oil to be blown into the air intake. I've seen it alot on older chrysler 2.2l if their rings were bad you could tell because the air filter would b covered with oil. In your case, it would be the throttle body. just take the intake pipe off and look. It also could be a blown head gasket or cracked head, maybe block. I drove a van with a blown headgasket, it idled horribly, but run fine at higher rpm.
If you get bubbles in the coolant, that might be the problem.
I doubt that it would be the MAF, I'm pretty sure that if the maf ***** up the car won't even run.

 

let's stick to facts here...number 4 cyclinder has low compression...possible causes of this are a)camshaft b)rings c)head gasket d)cracked head e)cracked block f)hole hurnt through piston g)valves....the list goes on...the trick now is to figure out why it has low compression...pep boys will let you rent tools for free and so will autozone...with a deposit...rent a compression tester...remove all plugs.....thread compression tester into #4 spark plug hole....have someone hold accelerator to floor and turn engine over while you watch dial on compression tester....car will not be harmed...plugs are removed...engine will not start...reason for holding accelerator to floor is so engine can suck in air without restrictions during test....it might not matter on fuel injected engines, but I would hold accelerator to floor anyway....when you are watching dial opn compression tester it should move up in increments quickly...it should go up to 210 like the others...if it doesn't note your highest pressure and then remove tool...put about an ounce of oil in cyclinder through spark plug hole...this will help form seal between rings and cylionder wall.....reinstall tool and do test again...if you get higher compression...you probably have bad rings....if test is the same then it is probably in the head....if it's in the head, I would first check valve clearances with a feeler gauge...if they check out ok then you might want to have the head removed and replace the head gasket and also check the head for cracks, warping, and the valves for any damage...Have you ever overheated the engine? Have you ever had your timing belt break? let me know ...if either of these have happened it might explain alot....your engine will never run right with compression like that in the cylinder...pick up a repair manual at pep boys and read...if you have any mechanical ability, you should be able to follow the simple instructions on how to do compression tests...or check valve clearances....Did you check your oil dipstick to see if it looks lkike a milkshake with bubbles in oil after you ran vehicle?....did you check antifreeze for oil floating in it?...look at dipstick for signs of rust...Do you keep losing antifreeze and have to top it off ocassionallly?....

 

OK, that's a lot to assimilate for me. I'm not a car expert, I'm more of an electronics guy. I'll try and do the compression test first, so we can eliminate the rings.

I have not looked at the oil, but a friend of mine who is supposed to know if anything is wrong with it looked and said that it's fine. Actually two people looked and I trust their expertise. I haven't checked the antifreeze, but will look at it in 30 minutes since I'm going to a garage for a SMOG check (I need it to renew my registration). I hope the car will pass the test...

Thanks a lot! I hope to resolve this soon...