Alright i just picked up a 98 Formula LS1 A4. the car has a mild cam (don't know the specs cause the guy i bought it from didn't know them) LT headers, flowmasters, manual cut outs, k&n filter, SLP lid, MSD wires, the EGR is removed but not deleted from the computer along with the rear O2's..

So last night i was driving the car home (about 3-4hour drive). about half way the car felt like it dropped a cyinder, lost power started running rough. In park or neutral it wasn't so bad but if stopped in any gear it was really rough. Also had exhaust fumes in the car, it seemed to be running very rich. I took it to autozone today since i don't have a scanner and it had codes for the EGR and O2's of course then also a code for #3 misfire.. I replaced the #3 plug and it didn't seem to help at all. It kind of helped the idle a little but the car still had NO power to it.

After that didn't help i started looking around the motor, i noticed on the passenger side the harness that goes to the coil packs and the injectors was nice and clean, looked stock.. on the driver side i could see where the stock harness was and it was hooked to nothing, all the plugs are just hanging there, then there is another harness looks like its kind of half assed spliced together and that is what is hooked to the coils and injectors. There was a big white plug, seemed like the main one in the harness, i disconnected it, cleaned it up a little and hooked it back up.... after that the car has been running awesome, it has its power back...

so i'm wondering what is going on with this harness and if anyone has any ideas at all... i would greatly appriciate any help so this doesn't happen again. The motor is not the original motor from the car. not sure how many miles are on it because the guy i bought this car from i guess didn't ask the person he got it from any questions at all...

thanks for reading!

 

Post up some pics of the engine bay.

 

 

hope those help, if you need anymore detailed pics i can get them, just let me know..

any ideas what is going on?

 

LOOKS like you have 2 harnesses there, I would start by removing the coil pack rack and inspecting the harness that are there. make sure you plug the one that looks intact and try it that way, maybe there was a short or some crap and its interfering with the current going into the plugs. clean that stuff up and see if that fixes it.

 

right now its running good. i'm going to try and get in there soon and see why they put in the second harness... maybe the stock on shorted out? i don't know.. its not the original motor that came in the car and who ever wired this thing up.... wow.... you can see some of their awesome wiring skills in the pictures i posted.. they used 10gauge speaker wire for the ground on the second harness...

 

You didn't see this before you bought the car? Yeah your going to have to start removing that other harness to see what you got.

 

no i didn't.. i live in abilene and the car was on the other side of dallas, about 4 hour drive. the first time i went to look at it i had my wife and kids with me and they were all cranky and rushing me so i didn't get to take a close look at everything. Then the next time was when i went to pick it up and bring it home..

i knew the car needed a little bit of body work, front bumper needs repainted and the passenger side front fender isn't lined up right. the interior is in awesome condition. i paid $4k for it. the motor is running strong now, i'm going to go threw all the wiring and see whats up and clean it all up, i bought to car to be my new toy since i just sold my sport bike and i was looking for something that i would get to turn some wrenchs on.

do you guys think it was a bad investment?

 

The only person that has to be happy with it is you.Truth be know you could sell the motor and tranny for about what you paid for the whole car sounds like a pretty good deal to me.

 

i am happy with the car, it is definatly fun to drive.

it just needs a little more work then i thought it did