z28romance

hi everyone. this is my first post on thirdgen.org. hoping to find some ideas. as the title says i have an 87 z28 TPI 305. im having an issue with high choppy idle and engine stalling when placed under load (turning the wheels and shifting in reverse/drive). after several restarts my cel comes on. when the cel comes on the idle drops to where it should be and there's no stalling issue. im guessing a bad component and the ecm defaults when it doesn't get proper input. any help would be greatly appreciated.

update:

today i set the timing @ 8 deg. btdc. i jumped out the diagnostic port and pulled the dtc's. i got a code for the esc circut? also a code for mass air flow sensor and maf burn off circuit. since i had already repaced the maf burn off relay i went ahead and replaced the MAF sensor. the old unit was left in someones trunk for 6 mos by the P.O. of the car.

still stalling out. not idling so high though. when i disconnect the esc wire the car doesn't stall out. could this be a bad distributor component? im a little stumped. i have experience in the aftermarket parts industry but i need help with diagnosis. im getting sick of seeing all these summer nights go by and no cruising. any ideas? anyone?

z28romance

does anyone know if a weak spark/ignition may cause this?

Levi_Shears

hey had the same problem with my 88 firebird tpi. i messed around with tps throttle positioning sensorthen got it at the right idle. that worked for awhile it started shutting off if i would push in clutch fast and stop fast. it would just die but start right back up. i replaced the maf sensor and it actually ran better. i checked the wires that run too the maf sensor and there was a couple that were melted and cut through. i fixed that problem with a cremper set and havent had a problem since. hope this helps ya at all. keep me posted on your progress. good luck