non-fluctuating dpr current (continued..)

[treed2@u.washington.edu (T. Reed)]

Well, I have 2 questions for you people today regarding the
unable-to-come-off-idle-while-cold problem my 16v is suffering from:

First, can I assume that because the dpr current is constant I can assume
that CIS-E is operating in 'open loop' or 'limp-home' mode? And if so,
obviously I want to know why, so what things can cause this to happen?
Right off the bat I can say disconnected or malfunctioning coolant
temperature sensor or oxygen sensor but what else? I'm fairly sure both of
those are good (will do more extensive testing tomorrow) but is there
something else that can push the injection in to run-like-shit mode?

And secondly, I have yet to test my fuel distributor plunger but thats my
current hypothesis for why its so hard to rev above idle. It seems these
things have a habit of sticking. The test is supposed to be raising the
plate all the way up and then quickly putting it down and back up again
and seeing if there is a lack of resistance on the rebound. If so, the
plunger is getting bogged down in the bore of the fuel dist and needs to
be removed and cleaned. Like I said I haven't tested this yet but I have
observed that sometimes there is very little resistance - its like
lifting the hinged lid on a teapot.. (or beer stein if you prefer) and
sometimes there is so much resistance I can't even lift the plate with my
thumb and forefinger pinching the center bolt as hard as I can. All the
resistance is at the bottom.. above that it is smooth and consistant -
it's just an initial 'lump' to get over. And thats exactly how it behaves
driving - above 2k rpms it is generally smooth (not perfect but light
years ahead of idle).

Anyway, on to the question - how (if, after performing the test above I
determine the fuel plunger is sticking) do I remove and clean the plunger
without damaging anything?

Can I get it out without pulling the fuel dist and lines to the injectors?
(ie. just lift up the top of the airbox and set it above the coolant
reservoir to work on it) or do I need to pull the unions and buy new
copper washers and the like?

If I can do it without pulling all that, then how do I get the air flow
sensor arm out of the way so I can get to the plunger? Is there a metal
dowel I can hammer out with a punch or something? I think I tried to find
a way to do that before while cleaning the mechanical mechanism but
wasn't successful.

I also read that I'm only supposed to clean the plunger and not the bore -
is that right?

Okay, so that was a lot more than two questions but I'd appreciate any
advice you can give me so I don't get to 'pony up the dough' for a new
fuel distributor in the event that I totally blow it and destroy the
thing.

Thanks!

-Toby

--
'87 16v