[200q20v] Hard starting, poor mileage, and running rich...

[Peter Schulz]

Quiz for the brain trust...

The Uhvant is getting poor mileage 12-13 city, 17 highway...Car has the 
Hoppen chipset, and is usually run on 93 octane, occasionally 89 in the 
winter only.

Starting tends to require a long cranking period, followed by the smell of 
gas.  Chris Miller and I did the once over this past weekend. I tried to 
check for codes (and assumed that there would be codes) but received 
a  4444.  Pulled all the plugs ( the F5 Platinums) found alot of carbon on 
the tips - scraped the carbon off, and some oil on the lower part of the 
plugs in cylinders 2 & 3.  Spark plug insulators and wire boots were dry 
and clean, and the pugs were tight for the most part.

Items replaced in the past year include the plugs, wires, cap, rotor 
(correct 3B part), crankcase vent hose, WGFV, hose to same from the ISV, 
MFTS, afterrun sensor and relay, O2 sensor.  Michelin man and IC hose 
appear to be sound.

I'm assuming? that the rich condition is either due to unmetered air (will 
replace all old vacuum lines), fouled injectors or leaking injector seals, 
or possibly a bad o2 sensor ( I will check and replace if necessary).

Mileage on the drive home from Chris' improved dramatically ( after 
cleaning plugs).

Any advice from the collective brain trust before I start pulling injectors?

Peter Schulz
1990 CQ
1991 200 20v TQW
Chelmsford, MA USA
peschulz at cisco.com