Robby1870 Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 Well, I thought my tranny was slippin, so I changed the fluid and filter, it worked for a couple of days but now, it has the same symptoms it had before. Okay, this is what happens. I'll be driving along, and it will feel like the tranny is slippin, and the rpms will go from say 2000 down to ~1200 and then shoot back up to 2000. This will happen just for an instant. okay this will happen in every gear, and the car will jerk just after the torque converter locks up, at low rpms say like 1500. And when it shits into overdrive at like 50mph and 1500 rpm. I have only had it to like 55mph lately and it at 55mph, but there is no pattern to it. I thought maybe a severe miss at first, but now I think either the tranny is shot to hell or the computer. I think it might be the computer b/c the car died once coming to a stoplight and tries to die when taking off at slow speeds and when barely hittin the gas. Anyway I am taking it to the GM dealership tomorrow to plug into thier computer. If anyone has had any problem even close to this let me know. This desciption maybe hard to understand b/c this is very hard to descibe even though the problem is very severe. Thanks ahead of time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 If your tranny is slipping, the RPM's will go up to 3000-4000 but very little power will be put to the wheels. You can rev, but the car won't move or won't move much. It doesn't really sound like that's what's going on though, is it? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 you know what GnatGoSplat, that make a lot of sense. See, that is what I thought, at first. I am glad to know someone else thinks that. Now, I have been doing somethinking and I have the options of either the computer, or one of the coil packs. Now, this problem gets worse the hotter the engine becomes, so that is why I think it is the coils. But, it has died before, which makes me think the computer. And who know is may be a combination of both. I am REALLY glad to know someone else thinks it is not the tranny. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NORBI Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 My trans has been doing that for some times and i changed fluid and filter and still same thing so i think i have bad news for you but you will have to change your trans like i just did my, unless you want to rebuil your but that will cost more money then getting another one from junk yard. I had my replaced for 600$ with 90 day warranty. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 You mention jerking. If it jerks mainly under load (like accelerating to pass on the highway), then it's most likely either a coil or injector. A bad coil will also make your car downshift very hard. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toastemcutlass Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 could it be that the torqe converter is staying locked up, being the reason why your car dieds at a stop. basically the trans would be going the speed of the motor but when you slow down the trans slows the motor to a stop. Did you car just die or jerk really bad and die? I've seen this problem on a cavilier. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 well, anytime I press the gas, there is the possibility of it jerking or missin or whatever. At the stop light, it just died, it didn't really jerk it just died, you know like right after you change you battery your car has to relearn idle and will die a couple of times. That is what it was like. I dont think the TC is staying locked up b/c I can feel when it unlocks and goes into normal 3rd gear. My dad seems to think it might me a coil, b/c one coil controls 2 cylinders, and if it goes bad, 2 cylinders go bad, which would mean a significant loss of power which would explain the sudden jerking. When it jerks it drops rpms for a second and then goes back to normal like it is severly missing. It only jerks when I press the gas. It can idle all day and never miss, only when I press the gas is there the potential to jerk b/c it is not on a normal pattern which would make me think a coil, b/c it would go bad slowly and not have a pattern. And like I said it gets worse the warmer the engine is. Well, I;ll find out tomorrow at the dealeship computer, I really hope it is something in the ignition. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brian P Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 ok, my mom's '95 cutlass did something like you mention. Jerking at low speeds and at almost every shift and DEFINETLY at 50-55mph when 4th gear and lockup kicks in. The problem? 2 spark plug wires were arcing at the coils! It created some soot at one of the terminals on the coil, so I suspected a bad coil. got a new one and installed it, same problem. Changed the wires, good as new. I think the GM factory plug wires got crappy in the mid '90s, cause my '90 had the original wires when I bought it in '99 and they worked fine. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 that makes me feel good, Brian P, thanks for your help, I really hope that is what it is, that would be very cheap and easy to fix Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
91CuttyConv Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 I too had a similar problem on my 91 Cutlass 3.1 Turned out to be a combo of bad plugs and bad plug wires. Replaced all and now it runs great! Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NORBI Posted January 20, 2003 Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 So looks like those symptoms may be a lot of things Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 yeah the plugs have 24K miles on them so if that is the problem, I'll just change wires and plugs at the same time. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 20, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 20, 2003 well, I just changed my wires and started it up (I never disconnected the battery) and it ran fine, took it a second to relearn idle with the new wires, then it ran really smooth and normal but the check engine light was on. So, thinking the old trouble code that was there from the bad wires was doin that, I disconnected the battery and then reconnected it and tried to start it. Well, It wont even start now, like the starter will get it to turn over, but once I let the key go to ON, it dies. So, I tried starting it with the gas pressed a little a bit, it will run, but very rough and I can smell gas out of the exhaust. What is wrong?? Did I maybe flood it?? Can you even flood an Fuel Injection car?? Anyway, the plan right now, is to let it set for aobut 4 or 5 hours, try to restart it, if it wont start, I'll disconnect all the wires from the coils and then reconnect them and see what happens. I hope this sounds familiar to someone..... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
eclipse5302 Posted January 21, 2003 Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 You didn't mention weather or not you changed the plugs when you did the wires...did you? The starting issue you describe is most likely the plugs. I had the EXACT same problem with a car I worked on. It wouldn't start until I pressed the gas pedal. Then it would smell like gas very badly. I replaced the plugs (which were black/caboned up) and the car ran like new. No other changes but the plugs. Apparently, plugs that are carboned up will not spark well, and the fuel spray will wash out the spark. When you hit the gas (100% throttle) you are cutting off all fuel, so it doesn't wash out the spark and it will run on whats left in the CC until it burns hot enough to clear the plugs a little. It was strange, but it fixed it and the owner loves the car now. Jason Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GnatGoSplat Posted January 21, 2003 Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 You mentioned a trouble code... do you remember what it was? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 I never went and did that b/c I had a hard enough time going to buy the new wires, the car died many times and I had to do nuetral drops to keep it from dying at stop signs, so I never made it across town to get the codes checked out. I think I have a bad plug, b/c today I could smell gas out the exhaust when it was running rough, so I am changing the front 3 spark plugs tomorrow, b/c the old front plug wires were way more corroded than the back one. I think one of them may be shot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Robby1870 Posted January 21, 2003 Author Report Share Posted January 21, 2003 Alright......After not being able to start it yesterday, I just gave in an said I'll do i today. So I go out this afternoon, and start it, it starts fine, has to relearn idle b/c I had the battery off. So, after a couple of minutes I run it through the gears and let it figure out idle there. Then going into reverse from neutral, it dies, I think no big deal. I try to start it back up and no go. So, I check the front three plug wires, and pull the boot of #6 cylinder and the metal part inside the boot comes off and stays on the plug. So I go to advance and get a new one, (warranty) come back ( I was gone 20-30 minutes) and try starting it and it does. I let it run in park to get up to normal temp (185*). At around 170-175* it forgets how to idle and dies. I try restarting it, and it wont start. So, I give up and come to work where I am now. Now, this is what I have noticed, the warmer the motor is the less it wants to start, when it is cold, it wil start no problem. So, I think one of the coils has gone bad. But, I am going to check the front three plugs after work. If one of them is bad then thats my problem. But I think b/c the hotter it gets the less it wants to start, it is one of the the coils. Also, the check engine light is on. So, will the light come on for bad plugs?? I dont think it will, but I know it will for bad coils. So, if the plugs arent bad, I'll get a timing light and wait til it gets warm and see which coil is bad. By the way, how much for new coils?? And tell me what you think any advice is welcome and correct me if I am wrong any assumptions that I have made. EDIT: My dad told one of the mechanics at home and the first word out of his mouth was the O2 sensor. I am have broke a wire on it changing those back plug wires or it may just be bad........I'll have to check...... EDIT: Car spit out code 33 so I checked the MAP sensor and the vacuum line was broke in half, I probaly did this changing the back plug wires, I'll patch it tomorrow, that explains a lot. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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