93 Lumina trouble (long)

[Guest]

Hey everybody. I got a problem with my car and i cant figure it out for the life of me. Well ok here goes: i first noticed it one day when i was driving up a hill my started chugging so i thought it was the tranny. Today when i had my car in my parking spot at home i had the front wheels up against the little lip of the curb and had it sitting in drive and i let it idle like that and i noticed every once in a while it would make a puffing noise and would chug without me touching the gas pedal and it would happen more often when i would roll my windows up or down and hold the buttons.

 

I also took it out onto an open highway and pushed the gas all the way to the floor and i know somewhere between idle and a certain rpm it continues to accelerate but a lot slower than normal and its also louder and vibrates the car pretty bad. I havent been able to get my fuel filter off because its rusted in so i dont know if its that or not and im not a mechanic so i havent even tried messing with my plugs or wires. I dont have a tach in my car so i dont know when it happens but could it have something to do with the switch that limits the rpms in park and neutral?

 

It completely baffles me. I was thinking maybe spark plugs, plug wires, fuel pump, fuel filter, or alternator? I really dont have a clue whats wrong though. Someone please help! TIA.

[Guest Anonymous]

Chugging uphill? I would guess plugged catalytic converter. Does your exhaust stink real bad?

[Guest]

To tell you the truth i never really noticed but i did hear about someone else who was having problems accellerating and he said a chunk of the honeycomb in his cat broke off and it kinda sounded like my prob. Is there any way of checking without cutting it off because i would have to have a shop do that for me.

[Guest]

Another thing. Shortly after the first time i noticed the chugging i bought a can of gm top engine cleaner and did the decarbonization and then it started getting worse so i was also considering that i plugged up my exhaust somewhere or maybe my o2 sensor.

[Guest Anonymous]

Pull your 02 sensor and see how bad it looks. That could be it since you used top engine cleaner. Get a rubber mallet and hit your catilytic conv. and see if you can hear anything rattling inside. About the only way I could tell you to check it would be that or if your exhaust stinks real bad.

[ismellrealbad]

or you can just kick the cat. thats how i pinpointed my exhaust rattle 8)

[ctx46]

or if you have access to a infered heat gun, or a hight temp thermomiter, take a reading at the start of the cat and then at the end of the cat. I will look up the spec tommoro but if its working properly it will be hotter at the output of the cat. the "kick the cat" trick can work ut it wont always. the honey comb material can actually wedge it-self so it will not rattle at all......

[Guest]

This may sound dumb, but where is my o2 sensor and what kind of tools does it take to get off? Thanks for all your help.

[Guest Anonymous]

If I remember correctly it is behind the motor where the exhaust turns down. If you have an auto parts store in town ask them for an 02 sensor socket. It's a long socket with a slot cut in the side to allow the wire to stick out without getting pinched inside.

[GnatGoSplat]

A bad injector has similar symptoms to that.

Also a bad coil could do that. Does it ever downshift harsh? If so, I'd definitely look towards a coil or injector as that indicates insufficient vacuum.

If I remember, I'll try to get my non-invasive injector test procedure online.

[Guest]

I havent gotten a chance today to get under my car and bang my cat but i did go to the end and smelled my exhaust and it did stink. Not like rotten eggs but kinda harsh. I ran into $$ trouble so it prob wont get fixed anytime soon which sucks but thank you all for your help.

[ismellrealbad]

I havent gotten a chance today to get under my car and bang my cat but i did go to the end and smelled my exhaust and it did stink. Not like rotten eggs but kinda harsh. I ran into $$ trouble so it prob wont get fixed anytime soon which sucks but thank you all for your help.

 

The rotten eggs smell is usually a bad muffler, not cat, am i right?

[GnatGoSplat]

If it's a harsh burning smell, kind of like burnt matchsticks, then I'm almost sure it's a coil or injector.

[gpse3200]

Hey everybody. I got a problem with my car and i cant figure it out for the life of me. Well ok here goes: i first noticed it one day when i was driving up a hill my started chugging so i thought it was the tranny. Today when i had my car in my parking spot at home i had the front wheels up against the little lip of the curb and had it sitting in drive and i let it idle like that and i noticed every once in a while it would make a puffing noise and would chug without me touching the gas pedal and it would happen more often when i would roll my windows up or down and hold the buttons.

 

I also took it out onto an open highway and pushed the gas all the way to the floor and i know somewhere between idle and a certain rpm it continues to accelerate but a lot slower than normal and its also louder and vibrates the car pretty bad. I havent been able to get my fuel filter off because its rusted in so i dont know if its that or not and im not a mechanic so i havent even tried messing with my plugs or wires. I dont have a tach in my car so i dont know when it happens but could it have something to do with the switch that limits the rpms in park and neutral?

 

It completely baffles me. I was thinking maybe spark plugs, plug wires, fuel pump, fuel filter, or alternator? I really dont have a clue whats wrong though. Someone please help! TIA.

 

You have an igniton problem. Got to a junkyard and buy a module with coils say from a 3100(because it's still relatively new), swap the backing plates with your backing plate ans reinstall, your car will run fine providing you connect everything up right.

[Guest]

How hard would it be to take my ignition module out and replace it? Do i have to pull the motor? What is the procedure to do it? Sorry for all the questions but i need to know if this is something i can do myself or not. Any and all help will be appreciated. Thanks.

[GnatGoSplat]

Oh no, you definitely don't have to pull the motor!!!

 

It's a pain in the ass for certain though. There are 3 bolts holding the coil/ignition module assembly in. The top 2 are easier, the bottom one is more difficult. Be sure to disconnect the battery as it's only too easy to short a wrench against the starter electrical terminal (I speak from experience). You can't actually see the bottom bolt, so you have to just kind of feel for it, and clearance is tight down there. I found it easier to access by removing the radiator fans.

One of the top bolts is actually a stud so you'll need a deep socket. I think you'll need 13mm sockets if I remember right. Also, there's a nut on that stud holding a spark plug holder. It's almost impossible to get the nut off without totally bending up the spark plug holder!

[Guest]

Is this the thing the spark plug wires plug into below the front valve cover between the block and radiator?

[Guest Anonymous]

That would be it.

[Guest]

Update: Today i noticed that when i first go and start my car in the morning my car idles higher than normal which i would attribute to it warming itself up correct? Anyways when i drive it a few minutes after start up it seems to take a lot more rpms before it bogs compared to when ive been driving it for like 15 or 20 min. Does that mean or change anything about it being an ignition problem? Also could it be just 1 coil pack or should i play it safe and replace the whole ignition module? TIA.