92ProtegeDX

Alright, I have a 92 mazda protege DX.. mom first owned and drove it.. and was passed down to me.. but before i could drive it.. the car sat for maybe 6 months to a year.... upon starting, the engine was only running on 2 cylinders and has been ever since.. the outside cylinders are firing.. what do you suppose is wrong? i'm guessing either the block is warped, or the head gasket blew? I mean, i'm no mechanic.. but those are the only reasons i can think of... the spark plugs fire, and gas is injected.. but it makes no difference if the two middle spark plugs are not connected.. we have the injectors pulled off for the time being, b/c when running, the gas injected is just spat out of the muffler.. high smell of gas.. what should be done?

92ProtegeDX

There is spark, made sure of it.. hooked a tester to make sure.. and changed the spark plugs.. and we made sure the injectors are working.. so spark and gas are getting in.. but it's like they're avoiding eachother.. lol..

protegeDX

nice screen name

islandpro

timing could be off a little. valves could be stuck shut. could have a hole in the piston. rings could be shot. have you noticed any metal shavings in your oil?

92ProtegeDX

not really.. but then again, i never really checked.. i think it's fine.. timing might be off.. i'm not sure.. i'll have to get under the hood tomorrow..

protegeDX

good luck, hope u find ur problem quick and fix it up! because the pro is a nice lil car

islandpro

yeah check into those things. maybe run a compression check on the cylinders. if you want you can im me on aol at islandprospeed

also dude welcome to the group. hope to see ya around more.

92ProtegeDX

i appreciate it.. my sn for aim is d00dman16 if anyone wants to get ahold of me.. how do i do a compression check? another youngin.. only 17 dad's always on the go and gettin tired of messin w/ the car.. so i'm takin my owns steps.. lol.. also.. where can i find a cheap waterpump.. it's gonna be hell to replace but it needs to be done

islandpro

get your self a good shop manual for your car. to test compression you take out one spark plug. then screw in the tester and have someone bump the starter. disconnect the positive battery cable before testing. that way the engine doesnt want to start. i would have to look up in the manual to see what compression our engines should have. check online for a water pump. or check all of your parts stores and find out what one has the lowest price.

92ProtegeDX

you have yahoo messenger by chance? hehe. but, ,where do i get a compression tester from? i have a manual on the car, came with it.. (bought in 93, so wasn't old) but, i just need to find a tester and i'll be alright i suppose..

islandpro

yeah i got yahoo. islandprospeed. same as my aol. and msn

Bill

Try switching the plug wires between 2 and 3, if that doesn't work, do a compression check;
Pull all 4 plugs, and start at #1 sparkplug hole. Insert compression gauge, crank and count 8 revolutions. Write down the amount of compression and go to the next hole, repeating the process. If you have comparable compression in all cylinders, then the problem is elsewhere. It will be either fuel delivery, or spark.
In the event you have bad compression in cyls 2 and 3(the ones that aren't firing) you need to perform a leakdown test. That will tell you if the rings or the valves are shot.
One other thing you can try, is pour some oil in the 2 and 3 cylinders, make sure you have good plugs, or new ones, install the plugs and try to start the car.

Bill

Oh yeah, pouring oil in the cylinders will temporaily seal the rings, if they are damaged, allowing for compression.

92ProtegeDX

alright, i also was told my valves could be stuck?

92ProtegeDX

oh yeah.. how much oil? few drops, teaspoon or what?