OK so here's the run down on my situation:

Went to change my spark plugs (simple right?) Tore one of the wire boots. Replaced wires with new OEM ones. Start up car and it's rough, sounds like a lawn mower. Put old plugs back in. Same thing. Checked every hose and pipe for vacuum leaks but found none. Checked all four plugs for spark and they all do. Garage reeks of fuel after letting it idle for a bit. Starts to backfire after idling for a couple minutes. Reset ECU. Etc etc

The car ran PERFECTLY when I pulled it into the garage to start working. This is a pretty urgent situation. The Evo is the only car I have.

Nothing has worked. Am I missing something? I saw on another thread where the guy had to get a new coil, but since I'm getting spark to all four plugs I should be ok there, right?

My car;
03 Evo 8, Precision PT-61 turbo, twin disk clutch, 3 inch turbo back exhaust, Walbro 255, SAFC tuned.

 

Bueller?

 

Are all of your injectors firing? It's hard to give suggestions without seeing a video.

 

I'll take a video of it tonight. I would assume they are all firing based on the strong smell of unburnt fuel, but I could be wrong. I'm also going to pick up some MAF cleaner to clean the MAF and carb cleaner to better check for vacuum leaks.

 

This might sound stupid but people notoriously put their coil packs back on in the wrong configuration resulting in exactly what you are describing.

 

^^^^this, or you closed the gap on one of the plugs putting it back.

 

It wouldn't surprise me. It's always something stupid like that. I'll check when I get to my friends house tonight.

Just for quick reference; can someone post a picture of how the stock evo 8 coils/wires are supposed to be setup please? I'm searching now but can't find anything yet.

Thanks guys. ^_^

 

you might check the cam sensor pickup. It's right next to the upper radiator hose on the head.

other than that, check for boost leaks... Never in the seven years that I have owned an evo have I heard about coil packs installed incorrectly, they are interchangeable with the same part number.

good luck

 

OK so I THINK I just figured this out. Big fat face palm. I'll keep you posted once I make it over to my friends house and test out my theory.

Moral of the story; don't let your friends work on your car when they're baked out of their mind.

 

It will affect the firing order. The wires from the coil packs that is.

 

I got it sorted out. Stupid mistake, as I figured it was.

HOWEVER, now my temp gauge is reading lower than normal after the car sat for 6 days. It normally sits around ~1/3 after driving for a few minutes but now it's hardly going above the bottom line. The hoses are secure and have pressure. I'm gonna check coolant levels and top off if needed after a little while.

 

Just curious, what was the solution to the rough idle?

 

Embarrassed to say, the ONE THING we didn't check was the problem... Had the wires switched around. I remember suggesting it but my friend was convinced he had it right. Never face palmed so hard in my life.