Newer Currenter Update on the '02 Axiom engine swap

Well it was running fine but was a little sluggish at highway speeds, then all of a sudden, started cold one morning and idle started fluctuating up and down... almost stalling at times but stayed running... there then would ramp up to 2k on tach...and would be steady there or sometimes go down to 1500rpm for a couple mins then back to 2000rpm for a couple mins... if I gunned her she would do the wild lower rpm up 'n down...

I traced it down to a vacuum leak in the diaphragm that sits behind the top of the intake next to the FPR behind the engine and adjacent to the firewall, it controlls the butterflys inside the intake... something wore out in the rod going into the intake to the passenger side butterflys... so I got to looking at the Axiom intake... and it has the same thing (part) on it.. started comparing and the whole top (upper)of the intake IS the same except for a small threaded tower that part of the throttle/cruise cables bracket is mounted to (because the axiom uses no throttle cable, TB is fly-by-wire) otherwise... it's exactly the same... awesome...

Made my own gasket buy using the old Axiom gasket as a template and a roll of gasket material from AutoZone that cost $6. And it took me less than an hour (in 102 degree heat) to switch them out... unbolted everything... 4 bolts for fuelrails... 8 bolts for intake upper... 1 bolt for throttle/cruise cables bracket... 2 bolts for bracket that wraps around FPR... lift up fuelrails... slide out intake upper... slide in new one... reconnect vacuum hoses (5) and sensor plugs (2). Done.
The throttle/cruise cables bracket had two bolts one on the tower I mentioned earlier and another were one of the fuelrail bolts is... so it'll still hold if you make sure the fuelrail bolt is snug and line the bracket properly.

Back to running like a Ruthless Speed Demon now...



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More update stuf tho'...

It does not burn a DROP of oil... and I drive it HARD!

I've solved all the electrical problems I had in a TS thread... it was harness rubbing...

I get very decent gas milage... 19-20mpg highway if I keep it at about 68ph, I swear! On one tank I was full went 396 miles and filled up 19.8 gals... so I would have done well over 400 miles on that tank.

As i said before you definetly went "further" with the swap.

Good to know you were able to fix that quick with no hassle which again is a additional info in case another VX'er goes "further" doing the swap.

I certainly will do this swap if i got the chance to it in the future.

I can only hope to ever achieve this level of technical know-how. :thumbup:

On a somewhat related note, my wife's '04 Axiom burns 2 quarts of oil between changes. Mechanic's been all over the engine and can't find a leak, and we never see or smell anything coming out the exhaust. Maybe it's a problem specific to the '04 DI engine...