Did you put new rings in this engine? If so, it sounds to me like you've either got a broken compression ring on #1 or it's sticking for some reason. Pull the plug, put the piston at TDC and pour in a few ounces of transmission fluid and let it sit for 24 hours. The trans fluid will free up a stuck ring. If you don't want to try that, then try any type of "solvent" you prefer. Makes no sense to me how your compression can go up and down base on a coil. BUT I'm not a frigging mechanic and have never claimed to be.

 

Never heard the tranny fluid thing. Pretty cool trick.


Does sound more like sticking than broken now that you put it that way

 

Guys, it's just as likely to be a broken piston ring than a stuck one... I was running bypass mod, with intercooler pump wiring disconnected, and an unknown fueling condition... My theory was that if the cylinder had been washed down and was recovering, driving it with basically no combustion on cyl 1 would dump fuel past the rings, undoing the damage reparation that had taken place... Of course, if the piston or ring is cracked, the engine will never recover, and the spare engine indeed needs to go in...


I also found out my clutch is slipping, but only when aggressive gearchanges are made... If I shift slowly like when driving normally, it drives okay and handles all the power the engine will make... So, the TOB grinds, the clutch is nearly gone and slipping, and the engine's gonna need changing, and the thing still plasters an ear-to-ear grin on my face every friggin time I drive it...

... And I'm pretty sure it needs a wheel bearing

 

well. if you shift at 6000 rpm all the time, it does wear just a bit more clutch material off the plate per unit time......


and how could you hear a wheel bearing groaning amidst all the ruckus your car makes while driving?

 

Mostly it's an issue with shifting quickly and aggressively, I can shift a little slower at 7200 RPM, if I choose, and not slip the clutch, but a "speed shift" at 5500 will slip the clutch going into third and fourth... At any rate, the 20k mile ACT clutch I've got should help tremendously with the slipping...

I can hear the wheel bearing groaning when turning left, and the ABS and BRAKE lights illuminate when holding a constant speed of, say, 65mph for half a mile or so...

 

So, I did my neighborhood a service, and fumigated for mosquitoes, using my redline... In all reality, I ran a quick errand while my Malibu was apart for some paint matching, and decided to use my Saturn...

It no longer makes enough power to slip the clutch, but will manage slight wheelspin in first gear, and a blindingly thick plume of smoke behind me whenever I accelerate...

And all the while, I'm wearing an ear to ear smile, and launch an evil laugh every time the smoke comes out...

The dead miss on cyl 1 is kinda annoying though...

Anyone wanna come down here and help me fix it?

 

Did you remember to disconnect the #1 injector connector?

If not, you're

a) wasting fuel
b) washing the cyl, making it harder to rebuild with standard piston n rings, thus increasing the cost if you ever do want to rebuild

 

I agree with both of those, but I couldn't get it disconnected, for all the oil, so I said, f@&# it and am running, dumping fuel into a non firing cyl 1, because I'm not driving it much anyway... If I were doing any sort of driving, I would kill the injector and coil on 1 so it maybe didn't smoke so much

 

I don't believe I've ever suggested a "fix" such as the one below:

If your repair manual does not describe how get the damn connectors off (those CPA things can be a PITA) , just cut the damn thing somewhere far from in sight and cap it off w wire nuts.

Otherwise you are endangering others with the cloud you create if it is thick enough to affect visibility.

And even an off duty police officer will pull you over.

 

I looked at my redline tonight, as I backed alongside it, wondering if things would have been different if I hadn't bought it... The longer I go without driving it(in a healthy mode of operation), the more I forget how exciting and joyful it used to be... Part of me regrets its purchase, part of me treasures the time I spent behind its leather-rimmed wheel, and part of me contemplates its sale... Sadly though, I'll likely never sell it, because it'll never bring anything more than scrap value, due to its being an 04, with it's funny transmission mounts and stuff that makes 04 stuff useless to anyone with an 05-07 redline, and the thought of selling it for scrap is even more deplorable than the thought of it sitting forever in my yard, never to drive again...

I've all but lost my drive to finish...