Clanking in Intake Manifold/serious electric shock

NYSpeed Automotive
1

First off, this has to be the most random problem Ive ever come across.

Flash back to when I raced Skrappar. 2 Days following that my car shut off while on the highway. Turns out the ecu fuse blew. I replaced it a couple times and got it running.

Upon running I heard some clanking from the head/intake manifold area. So I pulled the head off and sent to the machine shop and everything checked out fine and dandy.

I get the car back together and running a few days ago and the clanking and misfiring is still there, right at 2k rpm.

I touch the distributor and intake manifold with my elbows leaning on the engine and I get hammered with an electric shock. I mean pummeled. Seeing stars.

So this damn ticking is a short or something and is arcing or whatnot in the intake manifold, therefore making the car run like shit right at 2k rpm. Idles fine, and once i rev it past that, its okay. But in the 2k rpm range it really gets whacky.

I have a video of it from right as I got the car back together.

http://video.google.com/videoplay?docid=-1522884891893734381

I posted this on Honda-Tech looking for some real help, but its been a 2 weeks and they got nothing so its probably a long shot but Im looking for help here too.

All wires look okay, but wtf

2

that sounds really fucked up. it almost sounds like theres some kind of debris rattling around in there, but obviously thats quite impossible. other than that i have nothing to add and wish you the best of luck in fixing it beacuse thats really really strange.

3

i don’t have sound at work, but sound like the ticking might be arking?

4

ya that definitely sounds like something electrical arcing. Have you checked your grounds and made sure they’re all good? Try testing that again at night and see if you can notice an electrical arc coming from somewhere. Check your plugs/wires too.

btw you were correct on seeing stars, they’re on your valve cover there. :slight_smile:

5

^^^^ check all grounds and all possible wiring…ur ECU fuse blew cause ur arching some where so just double and tripple check all wires…if u have plug wires check them good and maybe even just replace them they could be arching on something

6

Grounds fo sho. I would start there.

7

shitty wires will arc

8

replace the plug wires

if you touched the distributor and got hammered, its because you have leaky plug wires, which would also make the car run like poop (spark jumps to the wrong wire)
i knew a guy that used to test plug wires by starting the car, getting his hand wet, and running his fingers across each wire end to end … try it :slight_smile:

the clicking is probably a side effect of some sort

9

well, watching the video, I saw stars too!

At any rate, run it in the dark and see if you can see the arc.

10

:word: Plug wires and grounds. FTW. Although I would think you would have tryed that by now, if it has been two weeks.

11

In my efforts over the past weeks, I have swapped distributors and spark plugs wires to no avail. I also checked my grounding points and even rearranged them and still nothing.

12

those wires were bunk.

I’m guessing the high heat (summer) may have broken down the silicone glue in the boot or something, possibly causing poor attachment to the plugs. Try tightening the noose on the end of the boot with some pliers. Check it out at night to see if you can visually identify spark leakage…

I’d just replace those whack wires

13

wires…end of story.