Semi Broken Down in Needles, California

[E30_Pare]

The rear of the oil pan? Near the bell housing? Maybe rear main seal, or simply the pan gasket blew out.

[s14pwd]

Have you narrowed it down to the engine being the issue 100%?

I had a near identical issue with a shaking starting out of nowhere while on the highway. Turns out I had 1-2 drive shaft nuts somehow back off of the trans flange and this allowed the drive shaft to move around just enough to cause a huge shake in the car at higher speeds. Disregard if you have the problem narrowed down to the s14.

Best of luck.

I just checked, I can't see the drive shaft without lifting the car, so that will have to wait until morning. But I noticed 2 important things:

1)The bolt/nut holding the steering column tight on the the splined part of the steering rack has loosened, which could explain the vibration I was getting on the highway.

2)The back of the lower oil pan has a fair amount of oil on it, this is odd because every time we stopped I checked for leaks under the car, so this is new.

[RCM3]

Have you narrowed it down to the engine being the issue 100%?

I had a near identical issue with a shaking starting out of nowhere while on the highway. Turns out I had 1-2 drive shaft nuts somehow back off of the trans flange and this allowed the drive shaft to move around just enough to cause a huge shake in the car at higher speeds. Disregard if you have the problem narrowed down to the s14.

Best of luck.

[E30_Pare]

doh. yeah i'm usually stuck in m20 diagnostics mode. haha.

[s14pwd]

Plugs in the order, 4-3-2-1 left to right

[s14pwd]

Farbin realized before me, no hydraulic lifters. Regardless I pulled the cover to confirm/discredit oil/coolant mixing. No milkyness so no mixing. Everything more or less normal.

[MoparJ]

Had something similar happen earlier this year while driving to work (e36 m3); felt like I went from 6 to 4 cylinders instantly......ended up being a blown head gasket between cylinders 4 and 5. It never overheated, but it ended up melting the intake runners for those two cylinders as well as the pintle caps on the injectors.

I second not driving it until you can get a leakdown/comp test performed....

[Farbin Kaiber]

Now that i think more about it. You should have some basic tools. I'd pull the valve cover and check for a broken rocker


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Are you thinking about an m20 when this guys username is s14pwr?

[s14pwd]

Now that i think more about it. You should have some basic tools. I'd pull the valve cover and check for a broken rocker


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Maybe, I will pull it and report back.

[s14pwd]

if your thinking head gasket have you checked the obvious? Coolant in oil, oil in coolant, cold heater, white smoke from exhaust etc? Does the motor turn over easily? Your on a road trip? When was the last time the fuel filter was replaced

I checked oil in coolant, looked clean, and I checked coolant in oil via the dipstick and nothing to indicate mixing. I remember reading that sometimes head gaskets can go at small amounts, resulting in no compression and no mixing, hence my guess. Motor turns over fine and no white smoke.

Yes I am on a road trip, the filter was just changed 8 months ago <1000 miles.

[E30_Pare]

Now that i think more about it. You should have some basic tools. I'd pull the valve cover and check for a broken rocker


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[E30_Pare]

if your thinking head gasket have you checked the obvious? Coolant in oil, oil in coolant, cold heater, white smoke from exhaust etc? Does the motor turn over easily? Your on a road trip? When was the last time the fuel filter was replaced

[s14pwd]

sucked up a tissue? have you recently had work done on it as a tissue can't get past an air filter. Hopefully there wasn't something else in there that may have bent the intake valves. Hopefully the compression test will read ok.

Should of clarified, the tissue was on the intake side of the filter. Didn't go past it.

[e30rapidic]

sucked up a tissue? have you recently had work done on it as a tissue can't get past an air filter. Hopefully there wasn't something else in there that may have bent the intake valves. Hopefully the compression test will read ok.

[s14pwd]

Might check and see if the injector is firing. Plug may have come loose or something?

Did the screwdriver method and heard them all clicking, also swapped 1 and 2 and the problem remains on 2, so I can rule out injectors.