This car is really starting to frustrate me. I guess it's just starting to show it's age.

Today, the car ran fine as usual on the way to work. At lunch, I go out to move the car and it doesn't want to start up right away. I have to pump the gas pedal to get it to fire and then keep on the gas to get it to run.

After a few seconds it will idle on it's own, but not real smooth. A/F gauge shows it going rich for few seconds, then it balances out, then rich, then lean. Basically, erratic readings from the guage and 02 sensor. I also found small vacuum leak, but correcting that did not resolve anything.

The car was able to drive home, but it's running like it's on 7 cylinders. I also noticed it ran a bit cooler tonight. Again, indicating that at least 1 cylinder is just pumping air.

When I pulled into the driveway I could smell a faint burning smell. I shut it down, popped the hood and briefly observed smoke coming from behind the distributor. A short while later I could smell fuel vapor.

The plug wires look good, so I don't think I smoked one of them. I'm thinking either the distributor may be taking a dump or I possibly smoked the wires to the EGR solenoid. The car is too hot at the moment to tinker with.

 

Looks like you'll get your new scanner a work-out. I fought a fuel vapor smell for a long time. Some times I would smell it and other times no smell. Turned out to be the fuel pressure regulator had a very small leak.

 

Yeah, busting out the scanner is next. I pulled the distributor cap and checked for any burnt wiring. Nada.

The distrib. cap and rotor had plastic shavings all over the place (due to some great Accel QC), but nothing that looks like something fried.

Car still won't start unless I hold the throttle part way. Could a failed/clogged catalytic converter cause something like this?