My 89 245 DL will start without a problem, but immediate fails now. It was intermittent and I could drive on it before, but it would sputter and almost stall, but not quite. It turns out there's no air filter (!!), so I'm betting it's the MAF sensor. It also squeals very loudly and smoke come from my engine compartment...perhaps a seized accessory? I just had the fuel filter and pump replaced, but there's a laundry list of maintenance: including a power steering flush, I'm going to remove the a/c components (since it doesn't work anyway), and some suspension work.

Strangely enough, the other day it was cool and rainy and my car ran smoothly, but when the sun came out and I had been driving it it started to act up and sputter again.

Any help/suggestions would be appreciated.

Ok, update: somehow the ignition wire *fell* off the dist. cap (?!) and once I secured that it ran MUCH smoother (It actually arced across a 1 1/2 inch gap, which is how I noticed it was loose). No more smoke or intense squealing.

It still sputters though, and I can't figure out why. It looks a little 'wet' around the 3rd and 4th fuel injectors, right next to the flame trap t-junction. It has plenty of oil, but it smells kinda like gas. I just replaced the rotor and cap with the wires and plugs along with a new battery not too long ago.

When I say sputter, I mean the car loses power for half a second - just enough to make it hesitate. It's not so bad at WOT, but I try to abstain from that. It's at it's worst at lower RPMs with light throttle (probably between 800 - 1400).

Unless you want to burn your car to the ground, figure what the source of the smoke is and fix it! Is it an issue with a seized pump, or a flaming wiring harness? Or is it a massive oil leak getting on the exhaust? If you fix that problem, the car might just run fine!

Smoke, squeal, and potential fire is very bad!

jorrell
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92 245 250K miles, IPD'd to the hilt, 06 XC70, 00 Eclipse custom Turbo setup...currently taking names and kicking reputations!

The smoke came only after trying unsuccessfully to start my car. After the car would turn over it would run just long enough for me to get out of the driver's seat, start squealing, and die. When I gave it gas, it would run, but it would struggle terribly. It was while it was struggling terribly that the excessive squealing and smoke began.

A/C compressor or alternator seized up burning belts?
Squealing could be coming from the harmonic balancer rubber failure.
Dan

I also noticed some oil (enough to drip on the ground) coming from the oil filter (which hasn't leaked since I changed the oil long ago), so maybe there's a pressure issue? I'm not sure how the flame trap works, but would it cause such performance issues? It's the dinky little rubber hose that has a T connector going from the fuel rail to the t.b. right? Well, if you know what I mean by that vague description, that hose is just barely on there...not really sure what it's purpose is.

From you description of smoke, squealing and stalling you have something seized up that you need to find first. Look at the fan belts for a clue.
At this point vac lines are not the problem but should be replaced.

A common failure symptom of the AMM is the engine starts and quits immediately. You can test this by disconnecting the electrical connector to the AMM (Key Off) and then start the engine. If it idles fine your AMM is bad. I would bet you will still have the same results of squeal, stall and smoke.
Dan

Do I need to physically remove the ac compressor to install a bypass belt?

Sorry but I am not familiar with a bypass belt. Is the compressor seized up? Does the A/C belt look shiny or burnt? Dan

Well, the poor thing is sitting at work right now, so I'm trying to brainstorm before I can get over to look at it in sunlight again. The 'bypass belt' is just the belt that non-ac 240's are equipped with (water pump to ps pump). If that turns out to be the problem, I could fix it in the parking lot for under 10 bucks and take it to a mechanic to discharge my ac and remove it (was planning on deleting my ac anyway).

But, if it turns out to be something more catastrophic, I may end up having to tow it to a mechanic...which I obviously don't want to do for the life of me.

If the compressor is locked up, just cut the belt and drive 'er home. Just be careful in the parking lot without power assist steering. Forget the bypass belt hack. It wasn't made for your car anyhow.
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Art Benstein near Baltimore

Grandchildren are God's reward for not killing your own children.