I am beyond lost at this point. Mind you, I was lost from the get go.
I admit, I am a wanna be backyard mechanic, I know some basics.. and I means SOME! as in oil changes, and belts, and alternators, (Used to drive a Fiero)...
So I have a problem, my 85 Firebird 2.8L V6 has been dieing on me constantly....
It starts up fine when it is cold, and runs well when it does run. More often then not though, after about a good 20 to 30 minutes of driving it will start to lose power and then just dies.... and yes, there is gas in it. That was the first thing I checked... I noticed my rad was leaking a while back, so I put in some of that sealant you can get at the local hardware store, and that sealed it up, no more leak.... Once it dies, it needs to sit for about an hour, then it starts up just fine again, and will run for another 20 to 30 minutes....
I have absolutely no idea what is wrong with it... Oh, and another thing that is really confusing me is that when I rev it up over 3000RPM, it'll start to choke, and if I continue to rev it, it will eventually stall out... and this is if I hold steady at about 3200RPM.... if I get it up over 4000RPM it just dies... It'll start right back up though.....

If anyone has any idea what could be happening to my baby, please fill me in... Or if I can offer any more info, just ask questions and I will answer to the best of my knowledge...

Thank you in advance...

 

I am thinking that your ignition module might be going out. check it when it dies to see if has any spark. The other thing to check and see is if you have fuel. Not as in the gas tank but either the carb or fuel injection (not sure which one yours is).

 

It is fuel injected... There is a little thing behind the engine, that if i poke it with my key gas sprays out. so I know there is gas getting to the engine.. and it turns over but it won't start.
As for the ignition module... I have no idea what that is..

 

check from possible, easy stuff,
fuel filter, vacuum leak.
u can find vacuum diagram somewhere in thsi forum, or in manual.


does it throw service engine light?

 

Ignition module is where I'de be placing my bets. If you take your distributor cap off, in the back of it will be a little black box about 3in by 1in with plugs going into it, it's held in place by 2 small bolts; that's your ignition module. It's probably getting heat soaked and causing your issues.

 

Im gonna go with an ignition problem of some kind. It could be the control module in the distributor or it could be the coil itself. Both of those will act weird and shut it off when they are going bad and getting hot. What happens in the coil is that the resistance just keeps going up and up and up until the spark cant get ramped up and out of it. The control module is like a little computer the transistors can overheat and they will stop opening and closing like they are supposed to. Many times after they cool off they will work fine until they start heating up again.

Im going to say 70% chance of the coil and 30% chance its the control module itself.

You can get some stuff at computer stores or wal mart even that is air in a can for cleaning computers. Take the can and turn it upside down after it starts doing that. Spray it on the coil being careful not to get it too cold or it could crack things that are really hot. Most of those things are similar to R134 a believe it or not. R134 is 1,1,1,2 Tetraflouroethane and most of those compressed air cleaners are 1,1,1 Tetraflouroethane or something similar. So they have what it takes to cool things off.

If cooling it off fixes the problem then you need an ignition coil. If it doesnt then try spraying it at the the part of the distributor in the back just under the cap. Where its still metal. This will get the control module cool.

Ive been selling parts for 2 1/2 years and these are the two things that I see just about more than anything. So its a really good chance all you have to do is change a part or two and you are ready to go.

Wesdog

 

I would say check the fuel filter. I had a problem similar, would drive, all a sudden no power, turned it off, turned right back on, father told me to change it, I did, no more problem/.

 

Check the fuel filter and throw a gauge on it and check the pressure.

 

Fuel filter is a good thought as well, that could explain your high RPM flutter, change that first because it likely needs changed anyways.

 

man, i'm late on this one.
That's a great tip on the compressed air for the ignition module wesdog, I gotta remember that!

I was also going to say fuel filter though. My buddy had an '85 camaro in highschool, and eventually it started getting very lazy at higher RPM... He couldn't figure it out. Before I started to even think about it, I just changed the fuel filter and was done.

Let us know if you need to know how to change the fuel filter, it's pretty easy.
His car should be MPFI.

oh, and use better subject lines in the thread, "need help" isn't really specific.