JDOldNo7

hey there folks. wondering if we can diagnose my 86 iroc. i was driving to my apt yesterday when my rpms started "hiccuping" and then just dropped. car didnt shut off, just couldnt accelerate. i drove the rest of the way home at a sputtering idle. couldnt get above 25 mph cruising downhill, and every time i hit the gas it would actually slow down instead.

SO:
-RPMs jumped around prior to incident
-wont accelerate, idles ok but at times it kinda gurgles
-throttle actually seems like it almost kills the engine
-engine does have gas
-transmission seems to be working fine

whaddya guys think? im guessing fuel injector, or o2 sensor.
any objections?

naf

iTrader: (7)

Check the distributor, especially the shaft for excessive play. Tach jumping is an indicator of a bad pick up coil. Don't run out and replace it yet, but give it a check.

O2 sensor wouldn't cause this. The ECM would ignore the readings once they got too far out of whack and go open loop.

CamaroIROC88350

iTrader: (1)

When you tried to drive did your car act like it was in neutral until a certain speed?

JDOldNo7

as soon as i press the pedal it would start to choke and slow down. when it first happened yeah it did seem like it was rolling in neutral, i was afraid i wouldn't make it up the hill but then i noticed it was slowly climbing in speed. wouldnt get above 25 tho...

CamaroIROC88350

iTrader: (1)

I hate to say this but it could be your transmission. Hopefully not. I know you mentioned up top that the transmission is seemingly fine but to be honest with you, my transmission was doing what you're describing for your car but it would stop acting like it was in neutral after 20mph and would drive fine. So it's just an idea.....

JDOldNo7

should i mention its automatic?

also, it didn't get better past 20, or 25 or anything. just kept pitter pattering along. only time it seemed like it was in neutral was when i happened, i was going about 45 then it made a noise like it was stalling out and just glided like it was in neutral till about 10 mph. then started picking up speed but at an idle. it didnt really act like it was in neutral, because it didnt rev up RPM when i hit the gas. instead it decelerates.
it also sounds like a problem with fuel because of the sound it makes when i (try to) give it gas. would the transmission cause that?

CamaroIROC88350

iTrader: (1)

You may have multiple issues with this car. It sounds like you could be having some transmission issues along with issues with your distributor, a dirty throttle body and intake, a dirty MAF can hurt acceleration, a dirty fuel pump can cause problems with acceleration, etc. Man, how long have you had this car and what do you know about it's history/history since you've had it?

I'm just throwing some options out there to you. Your problem is best narrowed down by doing the simple things first and moving up until you've fixed the problem or at least found what it is. It's what I call analyze/diagnose the situation & then moving up until you've fixed it.

JDOldNo7

IT WAS THE MAF!!! thanks a lot for your help. i went to check the distributer at first and didn't find any play, then i played with the throttle body for a bit, removed the maf, cleaned filters, then reconnected it. probably a loose sensor connection cus i noticed that the plastic clip on the plug was broken off. i guess ill have to get a new one. for now its in tip top shape.

long history with her. i didnt think it would be the trans since i swapped it about 5 years ago. had it rebuilt, installed it myself. never leaked, fluid smells/looks great. had the fuel pump replaced, fuel filters about a year old. try to keep up with it.

this past summer i had a catastrophic coolant leak, i mean it was vomiting coolant. found the leak at the intake manifold, i ended up having to change the gasket, took about a week. so now i can comfortably say im pretty confident in its condition. next step is to change the shocks. know anything about that? is it a tough job?

CamaroIROC88350

iTrader: (1)

To change the shocks you'll need to remove the carpet and stuff inside your vehicle so that way you can remove the 2 sides' bolt/washers holding the top of the shocks in. Then you'll need to have each side of the rear jacked up safely and you can unbolt the shocks from the bottom. It's really not that hard. It's actually easier to do than the front struts I had put on my car a few weeks ago.

I'm glad I could help too. I had named a few things you could check so I'm glad the MAF was it. Those can get really dirty after along time of being used and if it's not plugged in securely it can make the car run like crap too. One thing to remember is that 90% of the issues that occur on these kind of cars can be fixed on your own or at least for relatively cheap. That's the truth.