3 weeks ago my passenger HID light flickers over bumps then would go out over a bump until I turned the lights off and on. I had spare bulbs sitting around but I rebuilt the car from salvage a year ago, it has been perfect ever since but it was hit on the passenger side and I thought maybe a ground cable came loose.

On my commute home yesterday, after about 30 minutes the car would not rev above 3500, it would accelerate very quickly to 3500 and then it was a throttle cut like the gas pedal would just cut out and stop working completely while the RPMs fell. It reminded me of traction control but no lights were on. I tried pulling active and pending codes and there are no codes at all. After turning it off for 15 minutes, I turned it back on and it drove perfect.

If it was the galley gasket I would get a low oil pressure code but that is not the case. I'm buying a mechanical gauge on the way home tonight to verify.

I've cleaned the passenger side throttle body and MAF as well as replaced the passenger side spark plugs and will do the drivers side tonight as well as disconnect the battery and do a gas pedal reset. It is at 98k so spark plugs were coming up at 100k and I already had them anyways.

Any ideas? Without any codes I feel a bit stuck, especially if the oil pressure comes back normal then it would have to be MAF, TBs or ground but I have no leads without a code. Could the brake light switch have been stuck and it was throttle cut from traction control?

 

Hooked up a mechanical gauge, 1 more project to the list. Going to grab the gaskets this week

6 PSI at hot idle
28 psi at 2k RPMs

 

If memory serves, 6psi at idle is low... IIRC it's supposed to be in the tens

 

Yep, both are low. It should be greater than 14 at idle and 43 at 2k rpms. A gallery gasket must have blown out. I've already order the gaskets. Hoping to slam it out this weekend.

 

Did you see if coolant in oil?

 

No coolant in the oil. The pressure loss must be from the gallery gasket to the main oil gallery on the rear timing chain case but I'll find out for sure when I get in there. I should know for sure by the end of the week. I also bought the replacement allen bolts from EPS to replace the phillips head bolts that I've read some people had issues with the bolts backing out.

Going to do the water pump, timing chain tensioner and guides while I'm in there.

 

Make sure you dont over torque it

 

I'm going to crank that thing gorilla-tight with my aircat impact, see if that bolt ever backs out again! Just kidding, I have all the factory torque specs and tightening sequence from the service manual and doing 12 ft lbs on the gallery gasket as per EPS recommendation. Should be an uneventful weekend, just time consuming.

 

You don't want to crush new gasket and have to redo job also check spark plug boots since you're there

 

Any updates on this man? Interested to see what you found out.

 

Yep, I took it apart and the top oil gallery gasket blew out. It was in 3 big chunks and about 20 smaller chunks in the oil pan. Replaced the primary chain's tensioner, both guides, crank sprocket, crank seal and water pump while I was in there -- I don't want to have to get that timing cover off again for at least another 100k. I've been driving it all week with no issue.

Found in the oil pan