This car seems to have a curse, which is why I keep posting here. I think I have it narrowed down to an ignition issue however. I just needs some advice.

So I take a 4 day trip out of town on a plane, come back and start up my firebird.. it's idling very rough. The whole car shakes a bit while idling which it never did before. I put the car in drive and go around the block to see what it does, and it's rough acceleration the whole way. Get to a straight stretch and give it a lot of gas to see how it accelerates - very very slowly and again rough, the car starts shaking and the engine sounds like it's struggling to stay running, but it does accelerate.

This sounds a lot like an ignition issue but I'm not sure what and where to check. If it helps, I've already replaced the ignition coil 2 weeks ago (when I posted about the odd stuttering... problem went away but started coming back after a week). The distributor was corroded to hell and back so I cleaned the leads both in and outside the cap. The rotor looks like it needs to be replaced but I can't seem to get it off without possibly breaking it and my Haynes manual isn't very helpful when it comes describing how to get it off. I do plan on replacing these very soon.

Also, I would love to check the spark plugs however they're incredibly difficult to get to. Any suggestions on getting to and checking those?

Any other ideas as to what's causing this horrible shaking and lack of power? The car is barely drivable so any help is very appreciated!

P.S. Misspelled Ignition in the subject line...oops

 

Are you blowing black smoke? The egr solenoids sometimes "stick", and it will give just the symptoms you describe.

To get the plugs, drivers side front three are relatively easy from on top. The back one you will probably have to get from underneath. (unless you have three elbows, then, it is simple....) The passenger side..... none of them are easy, especially if you still have the AIR tubes in place. (I removed mine, and tune-ups became MUCH easier.....) Do what ya gotta do there.

When was the last time this car had a tune up?

Cleaning contacts on the distributor is not the way to go. You are removing material there, thus making the gap between the rotor, and contact larger. This is counter-productive. Change the cap and rotor FIRST, and see what happens. If you have to, break the rotor to get it off. They tend to adhere to the steel shaft of the distributor, and can be a real bitch to get off...

 

Got a new distributor cap and rotor, working on getting those changed right now. Changed the fuel filter just in case as well. I'll post how she runs after I get this back together. Thanks for the advice on the rotor, I was scratching my head on how to get it off because it's pretty solid on there. Next thing to check is the plugs.

 

Running rough = one cyl, or a small # of cyls, is malfunctioning
Cause of running rough = something that only affects one cyl

Ignition coil = affects all cyls equally

Therfore running rough usually != ignition coil.

Sounds like a plug or a plug wire.

Why does everybody refuse to change the plugs because they're so hard to replace? If one is bad (as it probably is), is wasting your time on dinking around with other stuff going to make it heal? All it takes is a little patience; they're just like any other plugs, you rotate them counterclockwise about 4 or 5 turns an they fall out, then you rotate new ones clockwise about 4 or 5 times, and you're done. What's the deal? It's just basic maintenance like you'd do on any car. Am I missing something here?

If you can't get the rotor off without breaking it, then break it. Big whoop. It's going in the garbage anyway; does it matter if it's in one or in a million pieces?

Like I've been telling my (adult) children since they were old enough to understand it (or are they even yet? maybe not... I wonder sometimes): it takes the same (or less) time and effort to get the job done, as it does to make up excuses for why you can't get it done. And then at the end of all that time and effort, one way the job is done, but the other way it's not, and you STILL have to do it, and all you have is a pile of excuses. Which way is better? Use your "will" power to overcome your "can't" power, and watch all your problems disappear right before your eyes.

 

I'm not sure if it was the fuel filter or the distributor cap and rotor but it has smoothed out significantly. I still want to check the plugs and wires but that will have to be another day, I'm out of time and money.

sofakingdom, I appreciate your input and I've seen you post on many other threads with very helpful advice. I respect your advice, however because of limited resources I choose to take the troubleshooting path I know - start with the simple and work towards the complicated. I was already aware that it might have been (and could still be to an extent) an issue with plugs and wires. Considering the condition of this car when I got it, replacing everything up to a complex issue isn't such a bad idea since many of the parts are rusted, dry-rotted, clogged, corroded, or even broken.

Also, I try to research as much as I can before I post here. This not only involves searching the thirdgen.org message board, but also checking with other people who may have also had a similar experience. I post here only when I've run out of credible sources. I'm learning as I go unfortunately.

Again I thank you for your advice.