Running Bad
 

I bought the car back in November and drove it around under 10 times, the service engine light stays lit and when I bought it the guy told me that "The check engine light stays on since it has edelbrock aluminum headers and they do not have the sensors in them"

Okay, said and done. After driving it a little the car then sat until the end of February when I finally got my license (This is my first car, I had my learners at the time)

And it my understanding that the car sat for quite sometime before I had bought it in the first place.

So, to get to the point. It runs like crap when the service engine light is on, runs under 500 rpm and dies. So, when I start it I have to keep the revs up, thing is.. the service engine light goes out every once and awhile and the car runs perfect. The engine idols at around 1,000 - 1,200 and the sound is much, much better. I do not understand how this happens and how no sensor can cause this?

To top it off, around 3 weeks ago the car stalled at a four way stop and would not start. The check engine light was blinking on and off for around 30 seconds to a minute and after that the car still would not start. I sat there for around 5 minutes before the car started and then I was okay and it didn't do it again.

However, last week I started it after a hockey game I was at, kept the revs up and.. it died, check engine light did the same thing, after that it started.. however this time it stalled every time I let off the gas or had to stop. So, I had to start it at every stop sign and basically drive with 2 feet. It sat for the night once I finally got it home. Next day, I get up for work go and start it and same thing. I tried to drive it but it I got pissed off and just parked it in a parking lot and walked to work. After work that day I drove it to my cousins house (He is a red seal heavy duty mechanic). He put the pins into the car so we could see what may be happening and it gave us a code 42. We pulled the distributor cap off and the distributor was rusty, without removing the distributor, we sanded what we could off and he used air compression to blow it all off and then used brake cleaner to spray on it since it would clean a bit more and leave no residue. Now, the distributor cap connections weren't in too good of shape and he told me to go buy a new cap and rotor, so I did. We put it on and the car seemed to run a tiny bit better and the service engine light is still on. He told me to go get new spark plugs and spark plug wires.

The car sat now for a couple days (Been driving a 2011 Camaro in the mean time) and I just got home and went to start it and it's doing the same thing. Check engine light and runs at 500rpm or under and dies. At this point I'm getting extremely annoyed with the car and really just want to do an engine swap or something unless somebody could help me out and tell me whats going on? The car only has 161,000km on it and is in pretty good shape, this just doesn't make sense to me.

Thank you

Re: Running Bad
 

And "the car" is a .... ??

Re: Running Bad
 

1989 Camaro IROC-Z

Re: Running Bad
 

Need to see if it really doesn't have O2 sensors in the headers.

Re: Running Bad
 

aluminum headers? are those even a thing?

the only sensor that would go into the headers is the o2 sensor which is vital to a fuel injected engine's performance. check to see if you have one threaded into one of the headers, if you dont have one then check to see if there is an o2 bung on the headers for one.

Re: Running Bad
 

Thanks I'll do that right away. It came with the original headers as well. Thank you

Re: Running Bad
 

These cars didn't come with "headers". Original or otherwise.

There are no such thing as "aluminum headers". Edelbrock or otherwise.

Nor are there even aluminum EXHAUST MANIFOLDS, which is the type of part the car came with.

Might be a good idea to ACCURATELY identify what you ACTUALLY have. ;)

As said, put the O2 sensor back in. There's only one in that setup; goes into the driver's side exh man right above the flange where the Y-pipe hooks up to it. Piece o cake to change out. There's probably one there; might just be bad. Or, (see my signature) might just have been left unplugged by some particularly lazy PO.

Re: Running Bad
 

I'm sorry everybody, I meant ALUMINUM HEADS

And alright guys thanks

Re: Running Bad
 

Ah... slight difference there...

Edelbrock aluminum heads have all the same holes for sensors that stock ones do. You can go ahead and re-install them. Only ones that go in the heads though, are the temp gauge sending unit in the driver's side, and the fan switch in the pass side.

Neither of those things would cause a driveability problem if missing.

Use your code reader and ask the ECM what it's unhappy about.

Re: Running Bad
 

Thank you very much! Sorry for that mistake.. to add to the code 42, he just used a wire and put it in the two top right holes (not sure what it's called, under driver side dash on the right) and then turned the key on for power and it gave us code 42, that was it.

Re: Running Bad
 

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/www.thi...ddedea0d26.jpg
I would first replace the Ignition Module if you haven't already done so. Located underneath the distributor cap, it has a trapezoid-shaped plastic housing and is held down with a couple bolts.