Recently, I found my car has a lack of power when accelerating and has been surging at idle. I’m not sure how to explain it but its like when I press on the gas, the car feels like it’s bogging down before the RPM rises and sometimes I can hear and see the RPM hovering between 2-3k when cruising. This is the same issue that happens when the car is idling to which sometimes it feels like it’s gonna stall but it doesn’t.
The car has about 160k, has had the spark plugs replaced roughly 4-5 months ago, air filter changed a month ago and the MAF was cleaned using a cleaner.
I don’t currently have a engine light but a code I keep getting is P0622 (which is strange as the timing chain was changed a few months ago by a mechanic after my water pump failed and was replaced) which pops up and disappears after a drive cycle or two.
Another code I get is P0420 in which I bought a cheap thermal thermometer and checked the catalytic converter temp (pre car and post) and the temperature difference was over 190F.
I was wondering if I could get some advice on how I should tackle this before throwing parts at it.
One big thing that comes to mind is, I tried doing the job myself and pooched the timing, bending some intake valves by foolishly cranking the engine out of time. Because of this I got fed up, took the head off, replaced the bent valves, got the timing as close as possible, which still caused timing codes somehow, and brought it to the mechanic who had to redo my job (he was actually surprised I was able to drive the car there as I said the timing was off). After which he stated he didn’t see any bent valves after he finished the job.
That could be a possibility. Doing some Google-Fu, I found that a sticking phaser can also cause ticking which I hear in my engine all the time but I chalked up to a loud timing tensioner. I will record a video but I will probably bring to my mechanic as I don’t see any way I could test for this.
I’m all for DIYers, and as the saying goes, it all nuts and bolts, but as you found out, just cause you can bolt it back together doesn’t mean you can do it correctly… Somethings are better left up to the pros… No shame in that, most of us have many years of experience as well as some short of training, as well as more money in tools than the cost of most new cars… lol
My recommendation since you have already messed up the timing twice, let your mechanic diag and repair it…
Did any coolant happen to get dumped in the oil pan when the water pump failed? ( want to say that the 2014’s had the double gasket water pump with a weep hole between the gaskets) but if enough coolant made it down there, and the engine was run for any real length of time, then the main bearings are probably shot.
Ah, the motor that dumps coolant in oil when WP fails. Sounds like you are at point where you’d like to recoup some use after spending a lot to fix it. So, shop “fixed” your work and now it doesn’t run right? New problem? Or result of last mechanic to work on it?
Wasn’t specific enough, the weep hole goes OUT and causes coolant to leak near the AC compressor.
Not really, I wouldn’t say they made the problem worse, this just started developing like a month ago. Besides that the car ran the same as it always had besides the clicking that started when I did the job and even after I had the shop redo my work