Ok, my wife just got her 90 camaro rs 5.0 TBI and we finally got it registered and inspected. First time driving far we were about 15 miles away when the car started acting funny. Here is what happened in detail, we pulled off the highway and came to a light where the engine started to idle extremly low, the car was running perfect before, anyway we accelerated and made a left and came to the next stop light, and the idle was again extremely low, then when the light turned green and we started to accelerate the engine suddenly lost complete power and was hesitating heavily, it barely made it up the small hill and we parked it at the walmart in hillsboro. We shut the engine off and let it rest for a few minutes. I turned the engine on and it started but the engine starting reving up and down on its own and when i put it in drive the car would accelerate up and down along with the engine and me not touching the pedals. I parked it again and the engine just reves up and down then goes steady and when you accelerate it hesitates heavily. An hour later we managed to drive the car home but the engine was hesitating even worse, and started stalling everytime we stopped. When the engine is floored it takes an extremely long time for the engine to climb throught the rpm's both in neutral and drive, while in neutral it takes about 1-2 seconds for the engine to rev up 1000 rpms. the only mods made to the car was an open element filter and 3 inch exhaust, before that the car was sitting for a year. I put new fuel in and new oil and put 2 bottles of fuel system cleaner when we first got the car a few weeks ago and we would turn it on and let it warm up. but now suddenly the car starts acting up? could it be clogged fuel injectors or bad spark plugs, or maybe a vacuum leak? any help will do, thanks

 

Sounds like a fuel delivery problem or a sensor problem. My bet is on #1 Fuel pressure is too low due to a faulty pump or regulator or #2 a bad MAP sensor.

 

the fuel pump was replaced by the previous owner already, but I guess its worth taking a look at anyway because the fuel gauge doesn't really work, and no I am not out of gas I filled the tank at walmart.

 

Hi everyone. Here's a pic of the engine if it might help a bit. I want to mention that the first time the car started hesitating, it wouldn't move when I tried flooring and and the engine wouldn't react at ALL. I had to pump the pedal to get it to move bit by bit. Needless to say the people behind me probably thought I was an idiot moving at 5mph then stopping over and over again.

 

Did the ses light ever come on? This might help in determining wether or not its a mechanical problem.

 

Does the car have a strong fuel odor, or is there alot of smoke coming from the exhaust pipe? Look at the injectors while the car is running, you should see some fine mist coming from them. If they look like gas is pouring from them then they are probably faulty. If you suspect they are faulty then you can use an ohm meter to double check them. If you don't see hardly any fuel coming to them then I would first try changing the fuel filter or at the very least bang on it a little.

 

First check the fuel pressure,it should be around 12 psi.Next I would say it may be a convertor clogged,also may be a ground issue at the block.I know that some of the early model cadillacs of the 90s would show the same symptoms as yours due to a ground being badly corroded.I would look at these things first.

 

My wife is convinced that it's the new open element filter we installed, could that cause the car to hesitate? I changed the fuel filter and nothing, I looked at the fuel injectors and they seem to be throwing in plenty of fuel but when I accelerate the engine everything stutters even the fuel injectors, but they continue to throw in plenty of gas, also the "Service Engine Soon" light did come on the night everything started happening. I am changing the spark plugs, they were bosch platinums and I remember my camaro (the 88 iroc) HATED bosch platinum +4's. it ate them up and spit them out. The plugs looked like they were dipped in charcoal. The spark plug wires seem like they have never been replaced, but the ignition coil seems to be new. I am switching to Split fire spark plugs, they are my favorite. There is a bit of smoke coming from the exhaust but we recently installed an slp 3" exhaust with a high flow cat from my 88 iroc, the iroc had the exhaust and cat for 2000 miles only but during those 2000 miles the car was always running rich, would that have clogged it? Thanks for the replies so far keep them coming.

 

Ok, correct me if I am wrong but don't our cars "Tell" us the code when the "service engine light" comes on by using a thin wire and connecting two parts of the Connector, that you would use with a scanner, together? ok I know it doesn't make much sense what I am writing but I remember seeing one time my dad took like a 24 guage wire and stuck it in one of the holes of the connector and the other end of the wire in another side of the connector and then he turned the key in the ignition to the "on" setting and check engine light flashed a certain number of times, for example it flashed twiced, then paused then flashed 3 times then paused then back to two and three which gave you code 23. Anybody know how to do that? and no I cannot drive it to autozone the car doesn't run.

 

i'd switch to cheapy .89 ac delco plugs. Sounds like a fuel delivery issue due to lack of pressure or fuel pump volume, and no the open element shouldn't be the cause of it.

 

ok I retrieved the codes and they are codes 32 and 44.

 

I can't believe the wife was right. The problem is the open element filter, when we installed it the EGR went haywire and can't tell what temperature the air going into the engine is so it cant adjust the fuel injection accordingly. I have seen other people install an open element filter, how do they over come this problem??? Darn Emissions!!!!!

 

they keep the air temp sensor away from all metal objects

 

I think the problem was that i didn't reset the ECM by disconnecting the battery. If that is the problem, then I will have to do the most obvious and honorable thing for having missed such a simple step, I will have to disembowel myself with a blunt object such as a 2x4 or better yet.... a giant ratchet, with an extention maybe a 3/8" socket.

Yes.. good bye cruel world with all your complicated yet obvious and simple car problems.

 

post pics!!

 

ok it wasn't the battery and the car is now worse. I disconnected the vacuum line from the egr valve while the car was running to see if there was any differance and now the car won't start for anything, the engine won't even turn over. I don't understand whats going on!!! is there step by step on how to disconnect all this emissions crap and get the car running right? I don't have emissions where I live by the way.