Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

In his case it is a horrible idea. He has a 305. Before I EVER put $1,000+ into a 305, I'd just save 5K for a turn key 350 crate engine. Brand new engine with a warranty, bam, done.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

before i go out and buy a crate engine ill find me a junkyard 400, get it bored, decked, cleaned for under 700 bucks, get some vortec heads, slight cam, and good internals and cal it a day

Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

All that for under 700? Sign me up! Maybe just the machine work for under 700, which I think you were implying.

There's a reason why you can pick up a junkyard engine for a few hundred, and why you can buy a complete 350 HP turn key 350 crate engine with a warranty in the 5K range. Decent power, reliability, a warranty, all new parts, all the work is already done and guaranteed.

The saying 'You get what you pay for' is seeming more and more true to me, by the day. Even with the simplest, cheapest things.

A few days ago I ordered 6 quarts of oil and some decent spark plugs for the Mustang. Needed the oil for the Vortech install, and just want some good spark plugs for when the supercharger goes on. Anyhow, the place I order from, you get over $100 and you get $5 off. I decided to spend another 14 dollars to get me over $100, ordered some inlays for the rear bumper of the Mustang.

Now there are vinyl stick on ones for 13.99, and stainless steel pieces for 59.99 a set. Of course I got the cheaper option since that's all I needed to spend. These things were so crappy, that just when pulling the M off, it stuck to the back side of it's self, so no M for now. I asked for a refund, and they're sending out a new set, so I decided to go ahead and put the other letters on. An hour and a half later of messing with vinyl as gently as I can, I'm still missing an M!



Them things were a huge pain. Had to soak them in water, then get them arranged before the water dries up and they stick.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

nope not joking my friend just got his 350 block all worked on at a reliable shop, dipped, honed, aligned, and zero decked for just under 700. work was done good too, didnt get it bored that was my mistake

EvilCartman

iTrader: (1)

I'd never spend 5k for just a crate engine, I have a tick over that in my current engine.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

So under load you have random skips and misfires?

Sounds like some fuel injection nonsense to me.

Dont get me started on the BS around seafoam.

It's either ignition or electrical in nature in my estimation. If it idles fine and it cruises fine then I dont think it's anything mechanical. I very much doubt it's the cam - those cars came with roller lifters, roller cams just dont fail that often the way flat tappet setups do. Besides, if you had a destroyed cam it'd be rapping and tapping to let you know, you'd get some noise and you'd have backfires out the intake and it wouldnt run right ever, not just under load.

Does the tach jump at all when your car misfires? Does it do this when it's cold? The ECM switches from open loop to closed loop when the engine gets to normal operating temp around 200 degrees somewhere. Does it skip or misfire better or worse when it's cold or when it's warm? It uses a coolant temperature sensor to sense how warm the coolant is (which is separate from the one that goes to the gauge, btw) and when it's below a certain temperature the ECM doesnt pay attention to the oxygen sensor, among other things.

Here would be the places I would look:

Ignition module
oxygen sensor
Coolant temp sensor
Throttle Position sensor(because it threw a code on you)

You already did a compression test, you said the highest reading was 125 - that doesn't matter. What matters is how even the readings are relative to each other. Another thing you can try is to put a vacuum gauge on it, they usually come with a list of tests you can do to determine the health of the engine. You'll see if you've got cam problems because you'll see the needle fluttering as it runs. You can temporarily disable the ignition and turn it over with the starter and check the vacuum there too, it tells you certain things. And you can see how much it's pulling at idle. Leaks, fluctuations ,and ranges of readings in different situations tell you things. The box it comes in will usually spell it out to you too. They're cheap... like $15 or something if I recall, and it will tell you if your cam is bad. If it's not making a racket then a lobe is ground all the way down and it's just not moving the lifter at all anymore, that WILL show up on a vacuum gauge along with the health of your rings.

Here's a fancy vac gauge:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/Vacuu...motiveQ5fTools

You'll see them at auto parts stores.

Dude that's like a $3000 job at least, not including dropping it in the car. The work involved with swapping a TPI system to a 400 or swapping a carb into a TPI car, in addition to getting heads, and you want to get heads that require a new intake base for the TPI, and "good internals".... really? If you go CHEAP on new internals, it'll cost you $700 by itself. You'll already need new pistons, there's $100. New 400 crank... at least $200. New rods... another $200... plus a balance job, rings, bearings, gaskets, valve jobs on the heads, valve springs for your "slight" cam, along with new pushrods and a cam/lifter/timing chain/valve spring set will cost you in the $300 range for a flat tappet setup that will be fussy about oil types and needs to be broken in properly. And after all that's said and done, he's gonna have an engine he cant just look in a 1991 Z28 shop manual to fix anymore. He'll need a new distributor, new carb, new intake, fuel pressure regulator, fuel line and fittings... if he stays TPI he will need a new intake base for vortec heads, and have to find someone to tune it for him and he hasnt had much luck in paying people to do work for him in the past. And the TPI will barely support the power of a 305, much less a 350, 383, or 400. And to get a 400 and bolt the stock 305 exhaust to it would be ridiculous... so there's another $500->$1000 in exhaust work. It may be $700 in machinework... but there's a whole lot more to it than that.

He can do it cheap if he wants to rebuild the 305. New pistons, new rings, new bearings, and new gaskets, new head bolts will probably run somewhere around $500 or so, plus machine work, plus assembly labor work, plus whoever he pays to take it out and put it in.

StephenS

Well idle is sometimes rough and at about 0-5mph and 40mph it starts to misfire.

The needle did flutter a lot a few months ago but i think that was because I had a new distributor cap/rotor and an old ignition coil. But now it doesn't even move when the car is on.

The car misfires cold and hot. I have kinda noticed that it does it more when the car is hot, however.

The oxygen sensor and TPS both threw codes saying they were faulty, along with the MAP but that was replaced.

What I absolutely don't understand is, I replaced the fuel pump and distributor about 5 months ago. It stopped my issue for a good month. The car ran great! But then the fuel pump started to do it's whining deal and a few days later i started having the issue again. So i changed the fuel pump once again, but this time it didn't fix my issue.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

no i meant if i was in the area to go a build or buy a new engine id rather build one

Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

Finally someone who takes a step back and really looks at the situation. 5K for a new crate engine seems insane until you individually piece together every aspect required in rebuilding the engine. All of the parts, labor to build it and machining, labor to drop it in. The only feasible option so save substantially more over a whole new crate engine would be rebuilding the 305. And after the internals and a cam swap, it's more than likely going to be $2,000 or more.

Cars are not cheap, and it bugs me that a ton of people on here expect a good, running engine for like maybe $250 from a junkyard. I have nearly 10 times that into my T56. When you look at all of the BS involved with ordering all the individual parts, picking up an old greasy block that won't be guaranteed to have any cracks or not until you have it magnafluxed, all the labor, it almost doesn't seem worth it. I'm dreading rebuilding my 350.

However I know I'll have $5,000+ into it when it's ever built the way I want it. I don't cut corners to just barely get something running. One of these days I need to drop it off at a shop, have it cleaned up, magnafluxed, bored, and machined for a 3.75" crank, to build a 383. If I didn't already have what seems like a decent block, I'd tough it out and save like 6K for a nice brand new 383 crate engine, and be happy with it.

IROCyou86

I would forget about restoring your interior or swapping the cam before you check your other basic electrical problems and get rid of your other codes. Just because you get a code 21 for the TPS does not necessarily mean that the part itself is at fault. It might not be getting a good connection i.e. it's coroded, not properly installed/adjusted, wiring problem..etc. btw a tps that throws a code will make the idle jump up to 1500-2000, not missfire.

My advice to you would be:
Actually test and determine whether your TPS/o2 sensors are in need of replacement
and make sure you get rid of those codes

The boyfriend is yelling over my shoulder to add this:
CHECK TIMING CHAIN SLACK!! low compression on all cylinders may inticate late valve timing. (coming from someone who had broken a roller chain and jumped two teeth)

-take off the distributor cap and move the crank by hand until you get the rotor to move. Note its position and crank the engine the other direction and see how long it takes the rotor to move. If it's something crazy like 20* before the rotor moves, then i'd look into getting a new timing chain.

The ASE spec is 1/2" timing chain slack but that's A LOT.

or another easy test if you havent done it is a power balance test. while its running you disconnect one sparkplug at a time and note the rpm drop. find one or more that doesnt drop rpm and you have found your bad cylinders.

what if your issue is with something that has nothing to do with your engine itself? you would go through all that trouble and money to rebuild your engine and have the same problem and a $1000+ bill....assuming you do it yourself.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

Does it always run rough, or just sometimes run rough? If it only sometimes runs rough, then it's not mechanical. IE, does it run rough at idle one day, and the next day run fine at idle? If it's mechanical all the rotating parts and whatnot are always going to run raggedy and knock around and whatnot. If it's electrical it will come and go or only be affected in certain situations where the ECM can't work around the failing sensor or ignition component's failure mode

I have a suspicion this may be an issue with the ignition system or the distributor. A rotor and cap is usually part of a tuneup along with plugs and plug wires, did those get replaced?

I had a misfire above 4500 RPMs that would come and go, turns out it was either the coil or the module... never really could isolate it to either, just had to throw parts at it and it finally went away with a new module. But coils affected it too. Modules are cheap, though. Just get a Borg Warner one if you try it.

I can't really teach you from here how to distinguish between an electrical and mechanical problem by the nature of the symptom and when it's apparent, but try to think logically - if it's a mechanical issue, it may be worse in certain situations, but as long as the engine is turning, it will still be there, and it will be wreaking havoc on the operation of the engine all the time. If it's electrical then only certain situations will cause it to act up. Does that make sense?

Also, you mentioned the vac gauge fluttering, how big was the flutter?

http://v8sho.com/SHO/IntakeManifoldVacuumTest.htm

StephenS

It does it everytime the car is running. Sometimes idle is ok and sometimes the whole car is vibrating. Not sure if that has to do with the car being hot or cold.

I replaced the distributor, cap, rotor, MAP sensor, fuel pump(twice), fuel filter, oil, oil filter, engine treatment, sparkplugs, wires, thorough air filter cleaning, throttle body cleaning.

Just about everything in the engine is factory stock. I'm am almost positive something in there needs to be replaced by now.

This is how the car acts: Start up is sometimes rough, might take a few cranks, other times it goes in one turn. But sometimes when it does go on in one turn, the car boggs down then shuts off. I always let the car sit for a minute, then i put it in to drive, foot on brake still, the car jolts forward a little(still on brake). I release brake, car roles, i think it misfires at this point, the role is rough and my body is moving back and forth as the car roles(it even does this in reverse). I hit the accelerator a little bit, it doesn't go like it's supposed to, finally catches, then moves forward. From there the acceleration feels like it's lacking power, A LOT! Starting from about 28 to 45mph, if i lightly hit the accelerator, enough to increase speed but very little, the car 'misfires' and it's a very bumpy and vibration filled ride, until I hit the accelerator even further down(about half way) then it stops 'misfiring'.

Thats basically what i go through when i drive the car.

When i first had this issue and my stalling issue, I replaced the distributor, cap, rotor. It didn't fix the stalling issue or the 'misfire'. The next day i replaced the fuel pump. Right away the car idled better and did not stall. It used to stall daily, about 8 times driving to school. And after a few days the 'misfiring' subsided and basically went away completely. It ran great for a full month! And during that whole month the car started right up in one turn, no bog, no rough idle, no rough ride(besides the bad shocks), and felt like it ran like its supposed to. Right up until I put my fuel filter on. The fuel pump started whining again and 2 weeks later my 'misfiring' was back. So i replaced the fuel pump, that got rid of the loud whining that could be heard a block away, but did not get rid of the 'misfiring'. I did the full tune-up thinking it would fix the issue, which it didn't.

Honestly, i'm desperate to get this car running like it did in that one month

And now I found out i might be leaking differential fluid.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

tps, that fixed the stalling and idle prob on my friends car

BillyTheGoat

iTrader: (2)

Did you install the fuel filter correctly? There's an arrow pointing to the flow direction, I'm not sure if that would cause your problems though

StephenS

I was told there is only one way to put it on so i haven't checked. I will check when i get a chance.

I did a few tests today.
I went on the highway just because it's been a while and maybe i can flush some things out of the engine. I went a steady speed of about 65. There was no misfiring, all smooth sailing. However, the car did backfire quite a lot at those speeds. What could that mean? I didn't want to go any faster cause the last time i went 75 on the highway the service engine light came on and when i pulled over the car died.

Also, when my windows are rolled up, and i press BOTH the window buttons as to role the windows up, the car bogs down like its about to die. I highly doubt the window switches draw that much power. I'm not sure what this is either.

And today the acceleration was very bad, i really had to punch it to get going.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

get a volt meter out and check your batter, if you window switches are killing your engine you may have a big wiring issue. did you try a power balance test? i always do that if i ever suspect a misfire. the accelerating may just be as simple as adjustment. check your tps and iac. both of those went on my friends car and it wouldnt idle and shook when it drove.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

The ECM operates differently when its cold. It supplies more fuel and it doesnt pay attention to the oxygen sensor. When it warms up it goes to closed loop and uses the oxygen sensor to adjust the mixture. Since it doesnt act any different hot or cold, it points towards it not being a fuel mixture problem.

Its either a spark problem or something mechanical. if sometimes the idle is okay, then it's likely not mechanical. If the crankshaft or camshaft or valvetrain were FUBAR'd they'd be causing problems 100 percent of the time. It wouldnt go away and come back and get better and worse.

This is 90 percent something attached to the engine. Could be TPS, CTS, or the Module, bunch of things, most of them cheap... unless you have an awful wiring issue. the only reason lowering/raising the windows would make the car bog is if the car is making next to no power and is barely making enough power to keep the car rolling at that speed (remember cruising requires VERY little power, that's why gas mileage is so much better that way) or you've got some electrical problems.

I just dont think you have an internal issue in the engine at this point, especially when it runs fine and then runs bad and then runs fine and acts different all the time. That screams electrical to me. Electrical is also the part I hate the most about working on cars.

Any of you guys think maybe he has a clogged catalytic converter?

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

a clogged cat would be more consistant in my experience. chop that sucker off and weld a straight pipe on, then scrap it get your 30 bucks back and see if it helps any i guess

StephenS

Are you referring to the month it ran great? Because every time the car is on, idle is bad, but other times it's worse. It runs kinda bad as well. Sometimes worse, sometimes decent.

I have the car in park when i role up the windows. The fuel pump does has a faint whine but it's tolerable, when the windows are up and i press BOTH buttons, the fuel pump whines louder, like when my car was stalling consistently, and the car bogs down. Not sure to what RPM because my tac isn't working for some reason, but it feels low.

Actually it's funny you mentioned the cat. My dad took the cats off like the second year he had the car. Sometime after he got the Hooker exhaust kit. It made the car sound throatier so he said it was worth it, and I agree

I do however have a sound system. 2 12inch Kicker CompVR subwoofers, 4 speakers, 4 tweeters, 1100watt amp, and a capacitor. All run directly through the car to the battery. I don't think this would cause much of an issue cause the car bogs down even when the sound system isn't on(with rolling up the windows).

I just checked advance auto and they have a TPS for 50 bucks so i'll get one of those this weekend.

I also can't believe i forgot to mention. The Oxygen sensor also threw a code sayin' that it was faulty. The TPS, MAP, and Oxygen sensor were the only codes to come up. MAP was replaced.

The misfiring happens everytime the car is on and in drive or reverse. Maybe even in park, i'm not sure cause idle has been bad lately. It does misfire unless i'm flooring it or have the accelerator half way.

Just today after school I started my car(one turn) and it died instantly. It started up right away after, however.

And whats the CTS?

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

idle air control would give false reading to the o2 sensor if it good too.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

The "sometimes its better, sometimes it's worse" sentiment makes me think that it's not an internal mechanical issue. Especially as you keep driving it. Those mechanical problems get very, very serious if you keep driving them and yours hasnt even started making any weird noises.


CTS is the coolant temp sender. Save that for later, it, like the module, is cheap (I think), but no need in spending unnecessary money yet.

You say it just died instantly. Are there ever times where it wotn fire at all for a few minutes? Like when it's hot outside and its been running a while? Can you feather/hold the gas nd get it to fire or stay running?

IROCyou86

good grief stop replacing parts before you know they're bad for certain. As mentioned eariler, the ECM will trip a code applying to that general area, meaning not necessarily the part itself is at fault. The "jolting" when you put it in gear could be something as simple as a bad trans/motor mount. You can check this by putting it in drive and put your foot on the brake and rev it, have someone look under the hood to see if the engine/trans is clunking around in there(You could also do it yourself from in the car to verify it's the same noise) Do it in reverse too.

My '86 305 TPI had electrical problems (as do many 3rd gens) out the whazoo. Rats had been nesting in my engine bay before I had bought it and started chewing on my wiring harness. They sucessfully were able to disable my cooling fan, driver window, dist/tach wire, CTS (gauge)...etc. The moral of this story is, don't blame the ECM's naive acusations on the parts it's pointing a finger at. Please invest in a multimeter and do some testing first. This will save you SO much money. I learned this the hard way.

StephenS

I found a relatively new multimeter in my dad work shed. Give me a list on what you would recommend i check.

IROCyou86

Excellent!!

Before you check your sensors, check all your engine grounds. Any little strappy thingies going from the engine/cables to chassis will need to have a good connection. Disconnected or poorly connected groud straps will cause a myriad of very odd problems. Like the little yellow-brownish strap that should be dangling from your hood if it's not fiberglass.

Set your multimeter to the Voltage selection:
-Put one lead on a clean metal surface of the engine, accessory brackets/manifold..etc.
-Put the other lead on a very solid part of the chassis, like the strut tower or something
-If you see any voltage, you have an engine ground that needs attention.

If ALL of these are in tact and fully operational, check..
-MAP
-TPS
-o2
..According to procedure and specification in the repair manual.

To see if the o2 sensor itself is the culprit of your problems, disconnect it and your issues will go away, in theory.

You can also check to see if it's putting out any voltage whatsoever, looking for .1-1 volt

StephenS

I looked everywhere for that damn Oxygen sensor but I can't seem to find it. I couldn't even find it in my Haynes repair manual. I heard there is one on the exhaust pipe and one near the engine. It kinda looks like a spark plug with a wire coming out of it right?

IROCyou86

Yes, it's located either in your exhuast manifold (Right hand side if you're looking at it from under the hood) or it could be somewhere in the Y-pipe. I'm familiar with pre-'86 so I'm not sure EXACTLY where it is but it should show up in either one of those spots if you have a relatively stock exhaust set up. In the Haynes book section 6-8 and 6-9 describe its operation and troubelshooting methods. If you test it and it's bad section 1-26 describes how to replace it, you will need a special socket which they sell at pretty much any auto parts store.

StephenS

I have a question about my multi-meter. I can't seem to figure this thing out. I don't get a reading from the chassis to the manifold. And when i unplugged the TPS to test I didn't get a reading either.

http://www.harborfreight.com/7-funct...ter-90899.html

This is the multimiter

lonestar7

iTrader: (1)

1. Do you have a good battery in the meter?
2. Do you have the black(-) test lead plugged into the ground/common (bottom) jack?
3. Do you have the red (+) test plugged into the V/Ohm (second from bottom) jack?
4. Do you have the meter set to the DC Volt lowest (200m) range to ckeck the body ground? You may want to use the 20V scale for the TPS, I think it will go to 4 or 5V at WOT.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

if your exhaust isnt stock you may not have one, it may just be a plug in there or there may not be a spot at all

StephenS

I have all of this correct. The reading on the strut tower to manifold is 0.01 but then it goes away to 0.00

I don't get a reading what-so-ever from the TPS.

Ground wire (black) is on the strut tower, positive (red) is on the TPS connector and the TPS itself. I tried it while the car was off, key half way, and car on.

And my exhaust is not stock. It's a Hooker exhaust system.

I forgot to mention. Today I put the rear tires on wood so i could check the fuel filter, which i couldn't even reach, but I saw that my differential cap had this black looking stuff all around it, some was old and was dried to the rear axle and differential, some was fresh. The newer stuff was still wet and looked like oil and had kinda the same texture as oil.

Would it help if i posted pictures?

lonestar7

iTrader: (1)

Here, read this, it should help.

https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ltage-vom.html

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

on the rear axle housing you saw the dry and wet black stuff? the dry could be the seal, and if the seals bad your probably leaking slightly

StephenS

There has to be something i'm not doing right. I got a reading of 1.05

I honestly want to bring it to a mechanic and ask them to check all the wiring, check the fuel line, fuel injectors, compression, code test, and not leave the shop till the misfiring is fixed, but if i do i'll never learn how to fix it when the problem comes up again. And when I took it out to go get gas, the fuel pump started whining again. Now it starts the high pitch whine every time the damn car is on. This is the 3rd fuel pump and they've all whined. I took sort of a wide turn and thats when it started. I'm really fed up and getting frustrated with this **** box

frankc

STEPHEN, I HAVE A 91 Z28 CONV. 305 TPI AS WELL. I POSTED MY PROBLEMS AS "FRUSTRATED" frankc. AFTER READING YOUR PROBLEM I WAS WONDERING HAVE YOU GOTTEN YOUR RUNNING UPTO PAR? IF SO LET ME KNOW WHAT WAS YOUR PROBLEM(S). THANKS frankc

StephenS

Unfortunately everything I just put in to the car hasn't changed it one bit.

louflemm

iTrader: (1)

you could have a bad pcm. my car did it took me forever to figure that one out. but check your fuel pressure regulator, egr. could be stalling at idle because its hanging open. but is you have a code for tps. id replace it. its gonna be hard to test it because they wear out in certain spots and imo youd need to graph it on an osciloscope. and if you feel like it vibrates through the whole car at like 45 mph only (like when its shifting into over drive you could have torque converter shudder.) but if you have a code for tps id replace it and if it doesnt help take it back

StephenS

I read that a PCM (powertrain control module) can run up to $1,000 dollars and can only be replaced?

I'm getting a new TPS tomorrow so i'll see what that does.

When I install it, how do i calibrate it or whatever i'm supposed to do to it. Cause I did once take it off just to check it cause I had no idea what I was doing and I put it back on. Would that reset settings or something?

louflemm

iTrader: (1)

bolt it on. hook up your dmm to ground and signal return. loosen up bolts just so u can move it notice how the holes are slotted thats how u adjust it. then turn the sensor till u see .54 volts on the dmm and tighten it back up. make sure your on dcv on the dmm. you can get those pcms for dirt cheap. but i recommend obtaining a scan tool like a snap on brick maybe your buddy at school could hook one up to your car and then you could see whats goin on.

StephenS

Well today i realized that it doesn't 'misfire' as much when I have the AC on. Not sure what that means.

And I bought a new TPS. I don't know if i calibrated it correctly. The car runs the same. The page that was posted on how to calibrate the TPS confused the hell out of me. So I spent 70 bucks on a part that didn't do anything I guess.

StephenS

Sorry for the double post but my car definitely runs better when it's cold. Today I moved my car to my usual parking spot in the driveway because I wasn't home last night. The car started right up, no bog, perfect start and idle in a long time. So I decided to take it for a test drive cause I didn't feel any misfiring. I got it up to 65 and it started backfiring and when i got back down to 45 it started misfiring. Basically when it gets hot enough it starts to misfire. I hope this isn't an engine issue.

InfernalVortex

iTrader: (4)

As I've said, if it runs fine sometimes, then it's not mechanical/internal.

How is the oil pressure? If it's not reading zero as it warms up then the engine itself is likely just fine.

Since it only does it when it's warm that says that the car may be running extremely rich or there's something flaky going on once the ECM goes into the closed loop mode - where it uses the oxygen sensor to adjust the fuel ratios. It will do that once the engine hits a certain temperature. If that's the magic switch that makes it run like poop that will narrow it down.

I dont know enough about TPI systems, but I would imagine that once you turn on the A/C and the compressor drags on the engine, the ECM would compensate in some way or another. It probably raises the idle speed a little bit and maybe other things, but Im just not familiar with that system, maybe someone else can chime in.

louflemm

iTrader: (1)

1st off r u positive its misfiring and not torque converter shudder. like does it start misfiring when ur shifting into overdrive. my dads 88 vette has torque converter shudder and i could see how one would think thats misfiring. be positive cause ull be working on that engine forever trying to get something to go away when its trans related. second get a scan tool and have it record right before it misfires so u can see some readings. also is it backfiring through the intake or exhaust. intake would mean ur running lean and exhaust would mean rich. Also can you accelerate past 45 and 65 or does it just hit a wall. make sure your ignition timing is right and make sure you got around 50psi of fuel pressure. and when u turn the key off it holds pressure.

lunaticinaZ

Have you made sure the timing is correct? I read that your timing was at 6* btdc and you or someone else set it to 8* btdc. I would check to make sure that it is correct. your timing may be off. Your Haynes manual has a detailed process on how to set the timing correctly.
Also have you checked or replaced the knock sensor? It could be giving false knock counts causing the ecm to retard the timing like crazy.

StephenS

I am not sure if it's torque converter shudder. The tranny is only about 2 years old so i wouldn't think thats the issue. But i'm going to have the car looked at fairly soon by a classic car mechanic and see what he says. I'll ask him to check pressures on everything as well.

The last time it did this the fuel pump was the issue. I changed the fuel pump, it solved my issue after a few days. This time when I replaced it it didn't fix my issue. Maybe it could be fuel pressure.

And also the fuel pump is whining VERY loudly again, even when the car isn't on. When it primes, it's loud and then as the car is on it whines. You can hear it about 30-35 feet away. Every fuel pump i've had has done this. It's driving me insane. Could there be something in the fuel line that could be causing this? Or just bad fuel pumps 3 times in a row? It started whining when I took a sharp turn at 35mph. I'm about to take the fuel pump out and re-install it to see if that changes anything.

I'll look into a new knock sensor, i'm not sure how to check it so as long as their inexpensive i'll just buy one. You gotta remember, just about everything on this car is factory original so things are starting to fall apart.

I have a question about the injectors also. If one injector was failing/failed, what would the signs be? Would they be a lot worse then whats happening right now?

EDIT: I was researching the torque converter shudder and that is basically what the car does. Or it's the tranny but I don't understand how thats possible. This is where I found my information:
http://www.ehow.com/about_5611225_to...-problems.html
It doesn't say that it does the shudder from 0 to 5 like my car does but I hope thats part of it and not the tranny.

Since I got about $800 dollars for my high school graduation over the weekend i'm going to be throwing most of it into my car.

StephenS

My dad just told me that the tranny is technically not "new", it was the same tranny but it had new parts thrown into it. Basically it was refurbished about 2 years ago. Could it be possible that the tranny is causing my issues? It's the one place I haven't been looking at.

Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

Just buy another car as your daily driver. Civic or Jetta, bam, done. And leave the third gen as a project.

StephenS

I don't have money for a new car. We've been over this.

Shadow Z

iTrader: (2)

It'd be really wise to keep saving on that $800 and just get yourself something that'll at least run to get you where you need to go man. I'm not just being sarcastic or trying to be a jack***

That way you can just let the third gen be a project car, and put money into it over time. There are late 90's Jettas around all over with less than 200K miles in the $2,000 range. Heck, join the dark side with me and get yourself a V6 Mustang, or V6 Firebird/Camaro if you want to keep it strictly GM. Took me a while to save for a nice GT, but if I had to I'd settle for the nearly 200 HP 99-04 V6.

Decisions decisions. Not smart to gamble away that graduation money so quickly when you haven't 100% narrowed down the problem. I'm on the young side too, but I like keeping my priorities in order. So I toughed it out and saved for a newer car.

And that's why now I'm already looking into a truck to take over daily driving duty, maybe a smaller car for the fuel efficiency. I don't want to have to depend on a 400+ HP 6 speed Vortech supercharged GT everyday, since it took the role of the go fast car.

84transamdude

OMG that was a long read. Its been almost a month and the guy is still tring to figure out what's wrong with his car. That suck. I know nothing about Fuel injection. Does his car have coil pack or does it still have the dizzy.

tylercamaro

iTrader: (1)

tpi has a distributor, coil pack is LS