engine skipping and stalling
 

ive got an issue with my car thats got me stumped. i have an 88 camaro with the 2.8 v6. after the car runs for about 5 or 10 minutes it starts to skip and when i come to a stop if i dont keep my foot on the gas pedal then the engine will stall. when i try to start it back up it turns over really hard(acts like the battery is dead) but then i wait a minute and try again then its starts right up without any problem and runs fine for another 5 or 10 minutes before it starts skipping again. it seems to me that its building pressure in the block or something and after it sits the pressure is releived until it runs again or at least thats the only thing i can think of.the catalytic converter doesnt seem to be plugged so i dont think its that. also the spark plugs and the inside of the intake port are black but the car doesnt go through any oil at all so i cant seem to contribute the black plugs to burning oil. as i said, im really stumped on this so any ideas would be greatly helpful. oh, the engine has 150000 miles on it if that helps

Re: engine skipping and stalling
 

that sounds like my 88 2.8 camaro. its doing the same things right now. do you ever hear the fuel pump making noise from the back? Mine does on and off and i think that may be what is wrong with mine. but i am about to replace the fuel filter so maybe that is the culprit. it just seems like its not getting gas consistently, however when i push the accelerator it responds quickly. I'll let you know what i figure out though. i just bought the car and it had been sitting a while. it got so bad that i had to abandon the car because it wouldn't start. i talked to a few people and they said it was probably bad gas by my description. so i put some premium(101) gas and a bottle of Seafoam in it. Then, i shook the car side to side to shake it up. I primed my fuel pump three times and it started-up perfect in one kick. I am really stumped on this too so if you figure anything out lemme know.
_DD

Re: engine skipping and stalling
 

First thing I'd do first check the timing...if its advanced to high (especially when warm) it will make the engine turn over too slow before it fires up and also misfire considerably along with pinging which isn't good in the long run...
If you have to deal with emission get a timing light...warm the engine to 220F... unplug the single brown wire over the blower near the firewall ...loosen the distributor...retard(turn clockwise) or advance( counterclockwise) distributor to 10*BTDC or if you dont have emissions set it to 12*BTDC for better throttle response and MPG.

Second check for codes...sounds like bad a Mass Air Flow problem and also wouldn't hurt to change the air filters along with it..

third possibilty Could be a bad or broken Idle Air Control Valve i know when mine when it sounded like i had a radical cam and my 2.8 was turning heads let alone it was already straight piped LOL. then i could barely stop the car or idle

Re: engine skipping and stalling
 

yeah, ive checked the timing and replaced the mass airflow sensor a couple of months ago because i had the engine light coming on and thats what it said it was. this problem just started a couple weeks ago and it turns over like it should when you first start it, its only after it runs for a little while and then stalls that it acts like the battery is dead and wont turn over but after it sits for a minute or two then it turns over again and starts without any problem and the engine runs and idles perfectly fine when you first start it, its only after five or ten minutes of running that it starts skipping and wont stay running when idling without you holding your foot on the gas and then after it stalls and sits for a minute or two itll start back up and run fine for another five or ten minutes