LukeZ34 Posted May 24, 2004 Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 Not bad.. but it's got me puzzled for the time being. Drove fine last night and to work this morning. But on the way home from lunch, it started acting up. Idles very rough, sputters, puffs wiffs of black smoke out the exhaust, drivable, but sputters and misses while accelerating. I'll try to get an audio recording if I get time. But it's strange since it came out of the blue. Any ideas? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gp90se Posted May 24, 2004 Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 sounds to me like ya fouled a plug. -Jeff Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted May 24, 2004 Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 Luke, start with the spark. Check the coils and ICM. Then change your plugs. Sounds like what happened to me, and if it's out of the blue its probably something spark related. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 24, 2004 Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 Sounds like spark to me also. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted May 24, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 24, 2004 Yea, the plugs don't even have 1000 miles on them yet. How do I go about testing the ICM and coils and such? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
no1kicker Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I also say check the coils. Not positive about how to test them, but there should be a certain resistance between 2 pins. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Got access to a timing light? Hook it to your battery and then to each plug wire one at a time. Pull the trigger and see if you have spark or if it's sparking erratically. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
R Dubya Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 If you don't have a light, just pull a plug and then the ECM fuse, connect the plug and the wire and crank it over. If there is spark, go to the next coil. The ICM is directly under the 3 coils in the front of the engine. Apparently there are 3 13mm bolts that remove the entire coil/icm assembly from the block. Then take them to Advance/Autozone/(Insert local parts store here) and ask them to check everything. Most chain stores can check them for you. Make sure you don't cross wires reinstalling. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
god910 Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Yeah, I'm all about the timing light. I use that all the time. There's no better way to decide if you have spark. Albeit, it could be shorting out somewhere else, that's why it's important to get as close to the plug as possible. (But, you'd notice a short while watching the light) Luke, no excuses, get cher ass to the track. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted May 25, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Cool, I'm gonna borrow a timing light and test things out. I'm thinking it's probably a coil as well, since it runs like it's not firing on 2 cylinders. What's recommended for aftermarket coils? Shit, I may just relocate them if that turns out to be the problem. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Anonymous Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Aftermarket coils? GM ones are good enough. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGPilot Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 I'm thinking it's probably a coil as well, since it runs like it's not firing on 2 cylinders. :shock: Sounds like the CHIP has failed!!! Contact the company who made it!!! :lol: Ohhh boy I kill myself sometimes!! :shock: Seriously though...I had a similar thing happen to that car after I had it for about 4 months. Where the spark plug wires are routed (up front) next to the intake plenum to go to the rear cylinders, 1 wore through and made the car run like total crap. It was arcing over to the plenum and one of the two other wires next to it... 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
RareGMFan Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 Luke, at the price listed for the following auction, there's no excuse not to just buy all 3 coils AND the ignition module: http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&rd=1&item=2476524234&sspagename=STRK%3AMEWN%3AIT I just picked up 2 sets myself (for both turbos) and he only charged me shipping for one. They're new take-offs for lack of a better term. They were on brand new GM motors, for which the cars were never sold for some reason, so they're basically brand new. The motors they were on were never really fired up. This is dirt cheap even by eBay standards, and it's one set price, not an auction. He just listed a few more sets. Click on view sellers other items to see them. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
god910 Posted May 25, 2004 Report Share Posted May 25, 2004 If you were closer you could have one of mine. I probably have 15 coils sitting around, and 1 of which I have ever had go bad. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted May 26, 2004 Author Report Share Posted May 26, 2004 Confirmed it, middle coil is sparking erattically. Those coils on ebay aren't a bad price at all, so I think I'm gonna snatch one of those up. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted June 6, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 6, 2004 Coils and module replaced. Upon the first startup, car still idles eratically, but not as bad as before. After I shut it off, it won't start again. Turns over, it's got fuel (can smell it), and it's got spark (tested it with the light), so what else could the problem be? The plug wires are on all in the correct places.. Any ideas? Edit: Let it sit for a while, tried to start it again. It fired right up, but still idled weird. Checked spark, 2 of the coils were sparking erattically/slow, the remaining coil was sparking fine (but still missing a spark every now and then.) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jeff M Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Possibly crank sensor and/or some injectors getting too low on the ohm scale. (this is for whiney god910) ALL MULTECs in every GM car made prior to 1993 (done ) can fail/ohms drop, so something to look at, I have posted before how to take one connector apart and be able to ohm the injectors without pulling off the upper plenum. Good to also check the ECM grounds and battery/engine power and grounds just to be sure. Good luck, sounds like progress, just know they ran great once, and will again, once you get these parts figured out and replaced, going to be awhile (14 years?) before it complains again 8) Jeff M Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Pulled out the crank sensor, and then put it back in. I was going to put my old CPS back in since it was in good shape yet, but the plastic tab for the screw had broken off. I started it up again after that, and the car sputtered even worse, and barely ran. In the 4 seconds I had the car on, it threw a SES code, (Code 33, Map Sensor). The map sensor LOOKS okay, harnesses are connected, vacuum lines look alright. I'm confuzzled here guys.. I need to get this damn thing running again. I checked the injectors about 2 months ago, and they were all alright as far as resistance goes. The grounds look good. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
god910 Posted June 7, 2004 Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Here's a spoon, eat my ass. You know, my 92 Cutty has 151,000 on the clock and is running off the factory injectors. Yet, I've got 2 TGP's that I've had to replace the injectors on. That seems like a 66% failure to me. 100% as far as TGP's go. But hey, I'm just messin around. Maybe if they would have put bigger injectors in at the factory they wouldn't have to work so hard and beat themselves up. Luke, buy it something, these things are like women, and usually if you buy a woman something they like you for a little while longer. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted June 7, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 7, 2004 Well, I have nicknamed the car, 'The Wife', so I guess that's fitting Jay. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted June 8, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 It's certaintly running better than it was yesterday, but it's still not drivable. No SES light this time either. This is irritating. The plug wires all look fine, but I guess the next step is to pull the plugs to see if I did foul one. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TGPilot Posted June 8, 2004 Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 Sabotage by kenny......... Yes...I have been discovered!! :shock: I set a timer under the hood for 1 year and xx days and it would run like shit!! Now I may be able to swoop in under the radar and buy it back from him! Oh crap...I typed that so he could read it. Ok only Luke can't see this message! 8) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
god910 Posted June 8, 2004 Report Share Posted June 8, 2004 No, it's the bad chip I think. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
LukeZ34 Posted June 9, 2004 Author Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 Injectors all checked out at 12.9 to 13.1 ohms.. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
god910 Posted June 9, 2004 Report Share Posted June 9, 2004 I call it stupid. I bet you did something dumb and didn't realize it. You need to take everything back apart and put it back together. That way you have no idea *what* fixed it, just that it's fixed. I dunno man. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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