Hello there,

I have a 99 Millenia s DOHC. Miller cycle engine. I got a check engine light on but car runs great. Got code of P0170 and P0173. Pulled all plugs and found that 4 out of 6 plugs have oil in it.
Is that the cause of the check engine light? All the gaps of my plugs are still in good shape with .032 gap.
I am also using Premium gasoline. By reviewing the forum, Premium gas is a bad idea for this vehicle. Is this true? Do I need to use Top engine cleaner?
Please Help!

HAwaii boy

 

eh, hawaii. 'sup? we also got 2 99 s'. i'ma kailua boy myself. went kailua elem, intermediate, high, and grad u of h manoa. looong time ago.

what those codes are, is fuel trim malfunction. most likely vacuum leak, most likely broke "tee". if you pull the plastic cover that says miller cycle, then look to the radiator side of the compressor pulley, and towards the t/body about 6 inches, you will see a small plastic solenoid. one of the vacuum lines on this solenoid goes to a tee, it is probably under the solenoid, and very hard to seel. and then about 8 inches towards the t/bdy, there is another tee. one of them, or both, are broke and air is leaking in. getting to them is labor intensive, so you should be prepared to change both if you do it yourself. i had to remove most of the intake to get to them. not a hard job, but it will take a few hours.

oil in the plug wells is par for this motor. but it is not good. clean them out, and you should start to plan on changing out the valve cover gaskets. that means taking the entire intake off. both intercoolers, lots of stuff. too much oil can short out the coils, then it gets expensive. coils are 174 each over here. over there, probably 274 each.

you should ONLY use premium fuel in the miller cycle. compression ratio is like 10:1. a conventional motor with a supercharger and 10:1 compression would blow up. the miller cycle can do this because of the late valve timing on the intake. the intake valves stay open a lot longer than a regular otto cycle motor, and the supercharger(compressor) is needed to keep the intake charge from being forced back out. if you dont use premium fuel, the motor will detonate

 

Sup Brah!

I used to work in Kauai for 4 1/2 years then I moved to Ewa Beach and bought a house and now Im working in Kaneohe.

I just bought this car recently and had check engine light a week after I got it.
Anyway, I followed your directions and found that the 8" after the T body was crack and replaced it. It took me more than couple of hours to clean all oiled plugs and R/R the T line and reset the engine light. After 5 min of driving, I got another eng light and went straight to Checkers to get the codes. It was Code P105. I got to work and reset the codes again and drove for 30 miles without the eng light. So far so good.
Can you tell me about the P105 code so I will be prepared if it comes back again.

Also, the car has been jerking on the first gear change. Do I need to Flush the Trany? The previous owner told me that He flushed a few months back. And if I need to Flush it, what kind of Trany fluid do I put.

Thanks a lot for your help.

Hawaii Boy

 

yo, kaneohe was were we used to live. 44-704 malulani st, right off the saddleback road. p0105 is the map sensor. it is on a bracket right by the passenger side upper strut mount. it will have a vacuum line on it. very important.

i wouldnt trust what the po said, i would flush the trans, just to be safe. you should flush it about every 2 years, or 25k. throw in a bottle of lubegard atf supplement. made by international lubricants, google them, heck of a company, and great stuff. i cant say much about the "jerk" from first to second. the black car, we bought new. it shifts smooth, and runs really good. suspension is tight, steering is tight. the white car i bought used, about 3 years ago, and it is not near as smooth as the black car. it has a definete hard shift from first to second. also, the steering is much more assisted, kinda like a big buick. suspension is softer, like it has been driven on bumpy roads with a heavy load for a long time. however, the po was a fanatic, she kept every receipt, and had a bunch of stuff done. trans had never been flushed, i have since flushed it 4 times, and it is much better, but still not near as smooth as the one in the black car. i also had to change out one of the precats in the white car. the po worked like 3 miles from her house, so the car never really warmed up. you should also check your axles, i have them out on both cars. they seem to go fast. i recommend the akebono ceramics for brakes. i think they are oem, and they have almost no dust. the millenia brakes are excellent.

the millenia is a very well made car, but the resale sucks. you wont get squat for it, so plan on keeping it for a long time. i have acquired a lot of spare stuff, because having to replace a new part is pricey. even more so over there. i just replaced the alternator belt tensioner, it was like 350 bucks. i then found a good used one for 20 bucks, i got it for a spare. both cars have full sized spare tires, they just barely fit in the well. fuel filter is in the trunk, and a real bitch to get at. i sit in the back seat and get at them thru the ski hole.

dunno if it is still there, but across the street from mui kwai was a place called the windward poi bowl. had the best laulau ever. pickled maui onion, lomi, boy, do i ever miss the food. even the macdonald's saimin.

 

Eh Brah!

I did checked the mass flow sensor and followed the line and it goes to the T line that you told me to check first due to Trim malfunction. Well that trim some how broke off. I have been driving the car for 30 miles now and so far no engine light yet. cross your fingers.

I also checked the lubgard atf and its kinda expensive at NAPA for $14.00. I will flush it this weekend.

One more question, Do you know anybody who has front driver side fender molding? It just fell off including the mudgard. I think I can use a 626 mudgard but cant find molding for millenia.

I dont think Macdonald still serve them Mc Saimin. It was a hit back in the late 90's.

Youve been very helpful cus.
Thanks again.

 

the lubegard is worth every penny. you will feel the difference after a couple hundred miles. years ago, an organic additive, produced by the sperm whale, was used in atf. this allowed the fluid to reach really high temps before breaking down. when atf is not changed often, over time, it starts to break down, and can no longer do it's job. then the transmission will die. the moratorium on whale hunting stopped the use of the additive, plus, newer cars run a heck of a lot hotter. traditionally, people dont change out the atf, and end up needing a transmission. i flush out our transmissions yearly. same with coolant and brake fluid. i also empty out the power steering resevoir every oil change.
lubegard is not just an additive, it will do the same thing the whale additive did, allow the fluid to reach much higher temps before breaking down. check your fluid, it should be red. if it is black, and smells burned, change it out now, it might already be too late. same with brake fluid. brake fluid comes out of the can clear. if your brake fluid resevoir is black, it is long overdue. preventative maintenance is very important in these cars.