Folks,

Well, I just got back from delivering our second 240 (1989 auto sedan w/ 233K) to our third son for student teaching. It's been running great since I did all the routine new-car-to-me maintenance stuff:

Water pump
All coolant hoses
Plugs, wires, cap, rotor
CPS
Belts
Breather box and flame trap
Delete preheat hose

After doing that stuff, I put about 500 miles on it, trouble free except for an exhaust leak between the manifold and the downpipe. Not a single error code; 1-1-1, and the cyclical injector/air valve test worked fine.

We remedied the exhaust issue last night with a new gasket. The only other change I made before today's trip was to remove the guts of the air filter box and cap the intake where the preheat hose had been attached previously.

OK.. I drove the car 210 miles from Syracuse to Fredonia, NY in snow the entire way. It ran great the entire time, but only got 22 mpg, which is a tad low; our other 240 (a '92 w/ less miles, but both cars are auto sedans) usually got about 24/25 on the highway. Picked up my son, then started the car and headed back to Buffalo so I could grab a train home. The check engine line came on right away and remained on. The codes read were 232, 113, and 231 in that order, which corresponds to "fuel system compensating for rich or lean air/fuel mixture at idle," "fault in fuel injector(s)," and "fuel system compensating for rich or lean air/fuel mixture at cruise" respectively. I cleared the codes, hopped on the train, and sent my son on his way with the car back to Fredonia. He reported that the check engine light came back on about 15 miles into his trip home.

SOoo.. what's going on? The fuel injector nearest the firewall (#4?) is very loose.. it's easy to turn by hand.. but the engine runs very smoothly and has as much power, if not more, than our '92. I don't know if the looseness of the injector(s) means anything; in my '82 rabbit, the injectors are extremely difficult to move at all and are very tight. All four injectors on the 240 are working; disconnecting them one at a time always results in a much rougher running engine, so they are all contributing.

I've got the Bentley, but can't find out what to do w/ the diagnostic code information; what's CAUSING the codes?

It's too bad.. I had to leave the car with him w/ this problem. Ain't it always that way, eh? Works fine until you have to give it away.. sigh..

Thanks for any ideas and pointers..

Barry