joshik

hey all!



i was droppin my gf off at home tonight, and as i did a 3 point turn to get to her drive way, the check engine light came on. we said our goodbyes, and i popped the hood. i turned off the engine, and then restarted, light still there. i listened to the engine, and it sounded different. one major thing was that there was a knockin noise that was coming from the engine. exactly where from the engine, dunno.... ???

i drove 30 miles to my house, and the whole way home it seemed fine. just a knockin noise. didnt seem like the engine was strugglin or any loss of power.

i have a 91 yota pickup, with the 3.0 v6. 130k on it, with a head gasket recall several thousand miles back. just did an oil change last week. put zMAX into the engine and fule yesterday.



any ideas?

im going to take my truck into my mechanic 2morrow morn!

thanks!

91Runner

My initial thought (after seeing that you put zMax in yesterday) is that the zMax had something to do with it. I'm not exactly sure what zMax is, but I'm assuming it's either an oil or fuel additive, right? My first guess is that if it's a fuel additive that it may of made the mixture a little rich and that's why it's knocking, and possibly why the CEL came on.

That's just my initial thought on what it might be.

I hope you get it figured out, and good luck with it! It's no fun when something is wrong.

-Braden

hedghog

Did yo u check the oil level :pat:

Salue

Could it be your O2 sensor has gone bad? Before taking it in, you should try seeing what code it is throwing..Check here

trouble codes

Salue

joshik

Salue gets the prize! Its the O2 Sensor! i did the diag test and it was 26, but wasnt sure what it exactly was under #26, so i had to take it to the shop and they charge $65 for diag. the tested the O2 and it was bad.

so they are going to get one for me for $140 (UGH!) and install it.

i was going to do it myself, but since i need to pay the $65 for the diag anyways, i might as well have them do it, coz i would get the sensor for about $140 and then pay them $65 for diag.

if they do it, diag and install $65, and $140 for the sensor.

:T

is that a common thing to go out?

thanks all!

Cebby

My original went around 105K miles last summer. I think mine cost more to get done I want to say $250 installed with the diag charge at the dealer. I think you are getting a good deal.

rimpainter.com

Install ZMAX: $50
Engine knocks: $65
Bad 02 sensor: $140
Alerting others on Yotatech never to add ZMAX: Priceless.

j/k

Sorry to hear you have to pay for all that stuff. Seriously, I wonder if it was coincidental or what...?

joshik

who knows ????
but zmax seems to help my truck. "seems" to run quieter. but i dont think zmax can hurt the O2 sensor. could it?

91Runner

This may sound like a stupid question, but what is this zMAX? I've never heard about it until now.

-Braden

midiwall

Head for:

http://www.zmax.com

joshik

http://www.zmax.com/]zMAX[/URL]

its an engine oil, trans oil, and fuel additive. its supposed to lubricate and soak into the metal. it seems good just like prolong and any other additive, but i heard prolong doesnt work.

so i tried zMAX and its ok. im sure it will have different effects on different vehicles. my other friend with a prelude says it works well.

i put it in the engine, and fuel.

the tranny hasnt been done yet. i even called and asked if i can put it in the differentials. they said 2oz per diff.

91Runner

Thanks for the link I've seen that stuff before, and had thought about giving it a shot.

Glad you're getting everything fixed Joshik!

-Braden

Salue

So..............What did I win?

Salue

joshik

ok well i got my truck back today from the shop with a new O2 sensor.

So im driving down the road, back to work in my truck... all sounds well... when!... bam... CEL ... "im baaaack!"

so yeah.... i got to work, and i did the diag myself and the CEL code was 26, same again! i called the shop and they said to bring it in again the next morning.

i drove my gf home later ... and as i was driving... the CEL turned off! dang, wats up? but the engine still has that knockin noise...

so ill just take it in 2morrow and have them check it out again.

mhawker

Try cleaning your MAF (or tell them to do it). If you've never done it, I imagine it's a mess.

Mike

DH6twinotter

I had a similar problem on my '90. My mechanic told it might be my 02 sensor since it looked to be pretty bad. So, I replace that. Didn't help the check light. Well, long story short, it ended up being my knock sensor that was causing the light to go on (kinda sparatically I might add). I replaced it myself and no more light! Wohoo! Didn't help my spark knock though. I'm wondering if my timing may have gotten off while I was changing the sensor (have to remove the timing belt to do it). I may have solved one problem and started another. Going to check it when my new radiator comes in. I don't remember what the code for the sensor was. I want to say 52, but I'm not sure. It may vary from year to year anyhow, so that may not matter in here.

Well, hope you get it figured out. That spark knock sure is annoying.
Have fun.
DH6twinotter