ok not quite sure why hince y i need help. ok here it is. me and my dad had bad spark so we changed plugs wires and distributor cap and rotor button right after that i started it rght up. ran like a dream took it down the road and bak (2 miles tops) and parkd it. then i went bak out later to chek tranny fluid. after cheking the fluid it startd to idle hard. like it was about to stall then its like it kiks in for a sec then stalls again then hit again. it is an automatic car. then tonight i tryd to trouble shoot it. chek for vac leaks even used the comp touble codes to try to figure it out. i cleaned out the egr valve. and now its really bad. will not even keep an idle. whn i give it gas it barely goes but not steadily. even with the gas on the ground it still studders then stalls. last time i moved it whn it was in drive the service engine soon light flashed rapidly. wht would cause this? any suggestions? please help.

Thank you, anything will help.

 

pleeeeease help.

 

hmmmm clugged up cat?....... multi cylinder missfire? i vote for the cat

 

yes, try to loosen the exaust doughnuts to check the pipes. then check the fuel pressure. the return pressure valve can make it run so lean that full pedal will not idle or fuel pump problems.

 

i rechekd the plug wires to make sure i set them right chekd the rotor/cap guess imma chek the ignition module. it seems more ignition or maybe timing then it seems to be exhaust. and what are the chances of the cat getting clugged the same time i change the plugs?

 

You said the timming was ok. Sounds like it may have jumped time. Engines jump time when you shut them off. How many miles are on the car?

 

Someone told me i may have jumped timing but how is that possible and how could i fix it? Tonight ill take off the number 1 plug and put it at top dead center and chek the rotor line up? is that how i should fix it maybe? or do i have to rplace my chain and assembly? Ide rather not replace much until im sure of the problem anyway i could be sure it was timing off? Ill also take off the cat and route exh around it to chek for clugs. ill post again if this doesnt work or if it does. keep on sending suggestions. ive also chekd the ignition control module it is perfectly alright.

 

If it did jump time you need to relace the timming chain and gears.

 

everyone always talks about engines "jumping time" never seen it happen... seems to be the excuse everyone uses when they have no real idea what is wrong...

it is highly UNLIKELY to happen and allow the car to run as if the chain is stretched enough to "jump time" it is more likely to come off the sprocket completely...

but by all means tear it down and look maybe when you put it all back together you will accidentaly fix it...yeah that happens

 

Ya i chekd timing by pulling out the plug. That def not the problem. its at the right terminal(1) at TDC. So timing is good. I chekd the plugs and wires again and still no better. i doubt itd be the cat because it wouldnt just die all of a sudden. Wouldn't that be gradual? What about tps? would that cause this problem? Could I have knocked it and somehow messd it up? The car isnt giving me any codes anything else it could be?

 

id check to see if your plug wires didnt come loose on you, from there id check firing order and then the dis cap just work your way backwards if it ran great then didnt right after your quick run i doubt its serious probably knocked something loose

 

I had a similar thing happen to me. it turned out to be a spark plug wire made contact with the header and ate through the insulation. the wire was arcing on to the header. ive also seen a brand new plug with the ceramic cracked. this could happen from it being dropped maybe not you but the guy at the parts store. or even a bad or cracked cap.

 

Ok heres the line of order that ive done.

1. new plugs,wires,ditr cap, and rotor button.
2. quadruple chekd wires over and over chekd for splits and melting and firing order. chekd distr and rotor twice
3. also chekd the ignition module(its good)
4. chekd timing and its right
5. chekd for all vac leaks
6. chekd sensors visually for any problems didnt necessarily see anything

And it still doesnt work. All fluids r correct and none r bad. This is getting pretty lame. Thinking about taking it to a shop unless someone could come up with another reason.

 

anything at all

 

I have an update.......gues wht. it still doesnt run, who would has guessed. Ive changed the fuel filter. Idk if there was an easier way to put it on but i just took a gas bath. no help wht so ever. Fuel is fine. vacuum is fine. ignition seems fine. the car dies whn too little petal and dies with too much petal but whn moving it today it seemed to stay alive at least when pumping the pedal. Would this indicate a sensor? im so confused. maybe a tps?

 

Idk man, I'm having an issue myself with no help....

Good luck....

 

Of all the people on here someone is bound to know.

 

yes alot of people know exactly what it is but there are many other things that could cause your situation too so instead of giving you the shotgun aproach and throwing parts at it we wait to see what you have tested and what you end up replacing on your own that helps narrow it down

check your rotor make sure it is seated properly you might have noticed that there is a small piece of plastic inside the bottom of the rotor that needs to line up with the slot on the top of the dist shaft if it is off it could be screwing with your timing

 

I checked the rotor many times and the timing is not off. i shot some carb cleaner into the throttle body and it idled good then stoped the carb cleaner and it died again. so it has to do with fuel i tried the filter which didnt help. so its either regulator, pump, or injector? does anyone know an easy way to check fuel pressure? I dont wanna buy a 40$ tester if im only gonna use it once. Do you know how to chek these things?

 

Not to make you sound dumb, but is there enogh gas in the tank? Are you getting any fuel from your injectors?

 

I'm paying attention to the answers on this one.....my 89 Vette is doing the same sort of things....

 

i dont know which carb cleaner you are using but very few of them improve idle quality... actually almost NONE do... ether does but that isnt carb cleaner...


you have a tbi take the what kind of fuel are you getting from the injectors.. what does the pattern look like is it a full cone? you just need to look to see if it is a fuel problem at idle

 

is this tpi

if so disconnect the injectors one at a time and try to start it

check the ign module at a part store and check the pickup coil as well as the main coil

engines are simple and should be kept that way while diagnosis

air fuel spark

if its not running right then you have a problem with one of these

 

Thank you for responding. My car is TBI and both injectors r shooting mist. its not a dribble like a beat fuel pump would create. And yes it is a full cone of fuel. it shoots fine. well not fine obviously or it wouldnt be dying right now. but yes carb cleaner does richen the fuel to air ratio and yes carb cleaner burns. i shot some in the intake and it kept a good idle.a regular idle to be exact. so its definitely fuel. idk wht would cause it. the pump is working because while under the car changing the fuel filter i could hear the pump cut on whn i turnd the key to on. but idk wht pressure its pushing. but on the pressure part ive talked to a lot of people saying as long as the fuel is in a fine mist(which it is) then it has good fuel pressure.

 

I have also gone through air fuel spark. very good thing to go by but it seems like ive done almost everything. spark is there timing is right. air is there no vac leaks. fuel is spraying but it is just lean. just trying to find wht would cause it to be lean. doubtful its injectors ive run cleaner through the tank few times and they spray a cone mist of gas. im baffled
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i guess imma go change the collant temp sensor. yes it sounds wierd but someone told me it could alter the air/fuel ratio. *cross my fingers* ill update the thread tonight. this is very doubtful but at 6$ for a sensor its worth a try.

 

I have an 89 tpi 350 that is sorta having the same problem? It will start up when cold, but then when it is hot it's a no go! I have replaced the ignition coil, pickup coil, cap, rotor, coolant temp sensor, and no luck.

I don't know if you problem is similar to mine, but have you check the throttle postion sensor?

I am starting to think the injectors or the injector drivers (in the ECM)??

LET ME know if you figure yours out!! Maybe I can apply it to mine car even though it's a TPI.

 

Ok i have an update. coolant temp sensor was no help. I pinched off the fuel return line and the car still ran lean. So im guessing since the fuel return line was pinched off it should be pushing too much pressure but it wasnt. So Im going to change the fuel pump tomrw afternoon because for some reason the injectors r not getting the fuel pressure they need. I will keep you posted. I also noted a leak of some sort the bottom gasket for the tbi spacer is wet with fuel possibly a fuel leak. not quite sure but ill chek it out

 

have you actually checked Fuel pressure? or are you just guessing again... you said you had a full cone... and it doesnt really take much fuel for the car to idle... i mean it could probably idle with 7-8 psi... so what is it? do you have fuel out of the injectors or not?
that seal is probably leaking after you pinched off the return without a pressure guage and blew the seal

have you cleaned your IAC pintle and seat?

btw carb cleaner doesnt burn all that good... and should make an idle drop not increase...

 

ok here it is. i chekd my tank to c about pulling it down to get the fuel pump out. and yea if uve tryed it b4 may god be with u. from wht i c ude have to drop exh and some of the axle parts. so i said screw that. so i chekd a few more bonehead options like water in gas? no water. i added more gas no help. even got a fuel pressure regulator kit and that didnt work. i did get it running so i tried to c if i could drive it to a shop. whn at a start i had to pump the gas pedal and it would go but not well. up hill it did the same thing i had to pump the gas. but down hill it ran a little better i pumped it but as i got into 2nd/3rd gears it began to run a lil better and a little better. i drove it for about 5 min then put it in park. it idled fine. very low rpm it usually idled at 1k but this time it idled at 5oo. but it idled fine. this is wierd wouldnt the pump be a constant problem if its going out? it wouldnt idle after i drove it for 5 min would it. same for the strainer in the tank it must not be clogged or it would have died at high rpm. well the top speed i got it to was 70 mph and once at 70 it ran pretty well. not like a high mph caused a problem. this is veeeeeery strange and yes im still confused. any help would be great. imma chek the iac so ill update this again soon.

 

i took my car to a garage. yep i finally broke down i couldnt do it myself. they say its fuel pump related. we shall c.

 

they say its fuel pump related because they actually tested the pressure or because it will be alot of money in there pockets to do the job?

 

I'm just curious did you check TPS voltage closed, and WOT? or did you check it at all?

 

Ok here it is lol. they got back with me. The fuel pump was only pushing 4psi. Obviously beat well they changed it and got nothing. the fuel pump pushes 12psi now but still not running. So then they checkd voltage to the sensors. They have barely any. so with no power to the sensors im guessing its computer problems. I got a computer and lawd knows i hope it works

 

If the map/tps sensors arent getting enough power wht could be the cause?

 

the TPS should only have maybe .4 volts with the throttle closed... and like 1.4v at WOT
i forget what the map should read at ambient but it is also low

and 12psi with a new pump is weak

and 4psi would have never opened the injectors

 

New update. I put the comp in. No help. I cut the cat off no help. nothing seems to be working. I sprayed for vac leaks no help. im running out of crap to do......i think it could be the egr valve but if not wht else is there?

 

have you tried to manually operate the egr valve? the are places around the underside of the valve that you can squeeze to manually move the diaphram if you cant move it it might be stuck or even stuck open... the other thing you can do is get a vac pump and see if the valve hold pressure

 

Update. new egr works well chaeked the vac and eveerything and put it on the car still dies. i even took the intake manifold off and put new intake gaskets on it. wow.....still nothing. so i unplugged every sensor and it idled low but the up and down revving stopped. the thing is that all the sensors r new so im pretty sure they r all working. im gonna switch out every sensor tomrw i guess. but if that doesnt work wht would?

 

When i plugged the iac in it still ran ok. then as soon as i plugged the tps sensor in it die. automatically just shut right off didnt even try to live. the coolant temp sensor can run plugged in idk wht to do.....

 

The only thing I can really say to try is follow the wires coming from the TPS sensor as far as you can and check for shorts, or anything that may be interfering with it.

 

In your first post you said your ses light was flashing , did you ever pull a code ?

 

did you replace the TPS sensor recently move it anything like that?
if not replace just the TPS, then follow the instructions here https://www.thirdgen.org/tpimod2
about properly seting the tps... or you can use those instructions to test out the TPS

 

thanx for the advice. i did chek each sensor with another they r all good. it must be something to do with power to the sensor or a short of some sort. And yes i did install a new tps sensor. i just did the easy way of installing unplugging the battery and waiting then change sensor and plug it bak up. still no good. its driving me insane lol. well thought ide give u guys some more to go by. oh ya btw i did check all the fuses for voltage drops after the car started and they looked fine.
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The computer is no longer showing chek engine light anymore. and it gives me no codes. weve chekd for codes, voltages, everything we used so many scanners idk wht else to chek.

 

Thank you for the tps/iac install info ill try this i didnt know about the idler adjuster on the car. guess ill try it. thnx again ill keep u guys updated.

 

i had similar problems, my car would only stay running if i kept on the throddle then die once i let off. i believe (it's been awhile) the tps was so clogged and black that it wasn't doing it's job ( i have a tpi not throddle body) but i sprayed that off and cleaned it then took apart my tpi and lceaned that bitch out and when i did some of the air tracks were completley clogged with ****, once i put it back together it ran almost perfect (has other problems) so i don't know exactly how tbi's are set up but make sure eveerything is flowing good, that helped me out, hope it does for you!! i know your pain

 

Does the throttle body have any passages like the tpi would have that could be clogged with dirt or anything. sounds like it could be my problem but we've tried everything(me/mechanics)not sure if there is some stuff i could clean but i can tell u that i changed my tps so its good and clean and that didnt work.

 

just changing the TPS can make your problem worse... the TPS is made to be adjustable as in you can partially rotate the TPS to change the output voltage of the sensor as the TPS is basically an over priced potentiometer...

you need to follow the directions on that tech article to properly set the TPS as it isnt a plug and play device it needs calibration

 

how do u set the tps sensor then? i lookd for any adjustment stuff and i couldnt find any. whn i put my new tps on i have to put it on and turn it an 1/8 turn to get the torx screw holes aligned. is this bad. and if there is a way to adjust idle speed then wht is it. this seems like it could be the problem please help. my car is a 92 rs tbi so lots of camaros prolly have the same adjustment if u could point me in the right direction i would love you for the rest of my life. its been 4 weeks since my car ran and thats waaaaaay too long thanx again for the help.

 

ttt

 

Tools needed:

1. [*]
2. [*]
3. [*]

Turn on ignition, but don't start the engine.
With a scanner: plug in the scanner and read the TPS voltage. It should be 0.54Volts +/- 0.075Volts
With VOM and jumper wires: disconnect the connector from the TPS. Using your jumper wires, make a connection allowing some room for the VOM terminals to contact the jumper leads and read the TPS voltage.
here is how to adjust it...
If out of spec, loosen the two screws holding the TPS to the throttle body, and slightly rotate the TPS up or down, reading the voltage until it comes into specification. Tighten screws.


Using the throttle lever, rotate the throttle to WOT (wide open throttle). The TPS voltage should be over 4.0 volts. Close the throttle again, and then slowly open it to WOT, observing the voltage reading. It should increase progressively and in a linear fashion. If it sticks or jumps or falls off at all while doing this check, that could mean a bad TPS switch and could be a cause of stumbling and driveability problems.
After setting the correct voltage, turn off ignition switch. Remove jumpers/scanner and reconnect the TPS connector as required.