Accused Normal

I tried running it without the JET chip and still no difference. The gap on the previous plugs was 50 but the plugs were old and it did the same thing with the old ones in. The cap and rotor are new and the timing is set at 9. I found a plug in on of the white wires that lead into the coil was unpluged due to a weak snap in the plug. Figured that was it but it was no different when plugged in.

Morley

Try setting the base timing to 6* and set the plug gap to .035-.040 (factory specs) and see if this has any effect. Even if it doesn't you will have eliminated those possibilities. Also do an ohms check on your plug wires and make sure none of them could be grounding out.

Accused Normal

How do I do an ohms check?

Morley

Nev mind, I see where you replaced the wires. Did you do the wire from the coil to the cap too?

Accused Normal

Yeah. My MSD EFI kit came with a coil wire and I just put that in about a week ago. I replaced it anyway with a new wire from my wire set.

Accused Normal

Okay, so I disconnected my 6AL. Same thing. I tried octane booster. no good. My mechanic said I may need a new distributor. The car only has 70k. Can that really be a problem? He said that the rotor may have slack and wobble at high RPMs. I'm gonna pull the cap and see if the rotor has any slack. This is really pissin me off! The car is fast as hell....till I hit WOT....a heart-breaker...

Yarnboy

I really would try decreasing the plug gap..I remember reading a while back a couple of debates over the actual performance increases of increasing gap size. I went from stock .035 to .050 and had alot of similar problems, I was using Accell 300+ and an Accell coil. Hey, it's a PITA, but it's free..

Accused Normal

Okay, changed the plug gap to 35. Runs better, but same problems. Do you think the distributor is bad?

NastyL98_T/A

We know now that the distributor is installed correctly....now how about the timing? Has it been properly set with a light? I just got my car to quit doing the sputter thing and all I did was play with the timing.

Accused Normal

Yeah, I have the timing set exact. It's at 8-9. That's what my mechanic told me would be the best. He said it isn't a timing issue.

Morley

Put everything back to factory specs. Timing 6* BTDC, Plug gap .035". Also try putting the factory coil and ignition in if it can be done fairly easily. You need to get everything to where it is supposed to be and then go from there. If your base timing is 3* higher than stock, then the total timing is going to be 3* higher too and you may be running into detonation. Also check or replace the knock sensor if you haven't already, it may be reporting false knock at WOT and the ECM is pulling a bunch of timing.

Accused Normal

I already removed my MSD box and coil and reduced the plug gap. I'll try the timing when I get home tonight. I bought one of those MSD timing control boxes where you can adjust the timing from in the car. I was gonna send it back since I felt I didn't need it but do you think I should try it to get the timing to the best setting? Also, where is the knock sensor located and how can I get a new one? And do you think a bad O2 sensor could be an issue. When a diagnostics was ran on the car the O2 sensor was acting funny.

NastyL98_T/A

The knock sensor is on the passengers side of the block, below the head and above the starter. Just take a wrench and thread it out. You can get a new one at Auto Zone, Pep Boys, Advance......whereever. Also get a new 02 sensor and put that in there while you're under the car.

Morley

Have the new knock sensor in your hand before removing the old one, it is in a coolant passage and will spew coolant when removed.

Yarnboy

Extremely hot coolant if done after the car has been running

NastyL98_T/A

Definitley the voice of someone who's been there before

Accused Normal

Well...changed the 02 and knock sensors...no good. The car does feel a little better as I do these things, though. Oh, and the other night, as I drove the car at a steady speed, like on the expressway, the SES light would come on but it would go off when I restart the car. No trouble codes come up either. It's happened a few times before but not for a while.

Morley

That sounds like the EGR feedback code, it will set the light but not always the code, and it seems to come on mostly when driving at a steady highway speed.

Accused Normal

This car's really starting to **** me off! Should I try to put another distributor in? I'm surprised that no one else has ever had this problem before. WTF!!!

davyboy04

Hey accused I have the same problem. Car run good and strong, but once I give it too much gas it just stumbles. Except I think mine is worse off than yours cuz it does this way before WOT. And once it happens the doesn't run until it cools off. I think mine really is a timing issue though. I just don't know how to set it cuz there isn't a plate with the degrees marked on it. I would have to do it by ear, and having no experience... ha ya right. Plus mine has a swapped in LT1 with a carb on it. And I don't think carbed cars and TPI cars use the same timing anyway, I could be wrong.

To get to the point... don't feel bad. Other people do have this problem. I guess they are just smarter than us and can fix it. lol

Thanx to everybody who has posted in this thread. I am printing it and trying all this on my car too.

P.S. How hard is it to change the fuel pump? Cuz I think it still has the same fuel pump from the injection. And from my understanding, that is about 30psi too high. Alsocould this be contributing to my car dieseling really bad and then kicking over the other way and blowing exaust out the choke?

Accused Normal

I think the pump may be in the tank. But you definately should change it if you have a carb because an FI pump is way more powerful than what you need. That might even be your problem. Even if not, I would change it anyway. Hope this helped!

Accused Normal

OO, OO, OO! Almost forgot!! Just a minute ago I found a plug toward the back of my engine that was unplugged. It looks like it snapped a piece off. It has two metal points and has a gray wire and a pink wire with a black stripe. I have no clue what it plugs into, though. That might be the culprit!

Morley

might be to the MAT sensor

Accused Normal

No, because when the MAT is unplugged the SES light comes on and the car has trouble starting. I experienced that when installing the new FI.

Accused Normal

Found the plug. It was a sensor connected to the stock coil pracket. There looks to be another plug with only 1 pin connected to it that is missing. This seems to make no difference, though.

davyboy04

Hey Accused, the same exact plug is disconnected on mine... stupid me decided to plug it back in with the car running and sent some voltage through my arm. Tickled a little. But same result, didn't make a difference. Do you know where the tach wire is?

Accused Normal

Hey, I tried to reply before but the site wasn't responding. I guess I gotta type it over now. I said "Ouch!! That must've hurt" Then I said "I believe that the tach plug is one of the wires connecdted to the distributor". I firgue this bacause when I hooked up my stock coil but left my 6AL the tach didn't work. Hope that helps somewhat...

Accused Normal

Oh, and my spelling is really bad because it's 4 am and I'm really drunk

davyboy04

lol, thanx for the help, and hope you had a good night. Cheers.

Kingtal0n

just want to throw in that im experiencing problems with the knock sensor, and i know its been mentioned but i want to point out that if the knock sensor is retarding your timing, even at idle, it will surge and run like crap at wot.

try unplugging the knock sensor see what happens.

Accused Normal

Hmmm... that's a good theory. I'll try that.