1987 t/a with 89 formula 350 tpi

Has shift kit high stall and headers

Recently replaced fuel pump and added lucas transmission helper.

I was driving it the other day and all of a sudden it stalled out. I pulled over and tried to start it back up. It wanted to start and everytime I tried it died. Then i got it to idle by gasing the hell out of it. Really choppy and idled around 4 or 5k. As soon as i got it to idle i got back in the car and attempted to drive. It was fighting me when i tried to drive it going thru the gears. When i was gasing it and weird enough only when i floored it it felt like it better than just driving it normal. As soon as i let off though the whole front end was shaking. I brought it to the mechanic and they tried replacing plugs and distributer and they were black as anything. But i had already got them replaced almost a year ago.

Idk whats going on but my car is my only means of getting to work and ive been struggling over here so if anyone could give me any input it would greatly be appreciated.

 

All the pugs where black or just certain cylinders??. Did putting in new plugs clear the drive-ability issue??. Are any of the plug wires arcing??. Are you using Delco only cap,rotor,wires??. Was it damp out when this happened??. What fuel pressure do you have??.

 

Is the blackness a kind of wet or sooty look? If wet, your getting oil into the cmbst chmbr. If sooty, black plugs dead giveaway running way too rich. did you chg the plugs recently? If so, maybe they are too cold, so get the recommended stock units.

shaking front end, suspension problem or just another symptom of the engine problem. does it shake when idling/standing still?

 

I'm not where the car is being looked at now so I don't know. But yea the plugs have been replaced again and a fuel filter as well. Could the fuel pump be faulty? I don't understand what could be causing it

 

You can rent a fuel pressure gauge from one or more of the bigger parts stores
It uses a shrader valve looks like an air filler for your tires on the fuel rail
Turn it off screw it on then turn the key to the "on" position tell us what you got. Start with basics its usually something simple. This can be done in minutes in the store parking lot. If the FP is good next (it has a long line) put it up against your windshield and see what it reads under load. Doesnt sound like youll have to drive it. Try and see if you can get a scanner on there to see if you have any codes.

There is a method to doing this with a paperclip I can never remember how.

 

Do you think maybe the computer chip is messed up?

 

No experience with TPI, never even seen one, but from general reading don't they have a fpr with a diaphragm that is fond of rupturing and dumping fuel down the intake?

 

The "computer", otherwise known as the Engine Control Module(ECM) is the last thing I would suspect. Does the "Check Engine" light illuminate when you turn the key on? If so, does it ever illuminate while driving? Check for codes in the ECM memory.

One common problem that will cause rich running is a faulty ECT sensor or open sensor circuit. I've had them suffer what we call an "in range failure" where they caused the engine to run pig rich but didn't cause a code to set. Another possibility is a ruptured diaphram in the fuel pressure regulator. A stuck open EGR valve will cause the engine to stall at idle and run like crap. The condition is less severe with more throttle.

Just because the plugs and wires are a year old doesn't mean that the wires haven't been damaged from incorrect routing. Check all of the plugs for some being wet with fuel. These ones aren't getting spark. Also check the coil for damage and the coil wire for grounding. Check the dist cap for carbon tracking and the rotor for grounding to the dist shaft.

 

Well here's a little update... yesterday we found out that the previous owner tampered with the check engine light so its never visible but still on so god knows what else is wrong with the car now.. hopefully today they can plug in the scanner and see what's going on with it.

 

Thats a start in the right direction can almost guarantee you have codes stored

It blows me away when rather than fixing the damn problem people try and remove or disable parts hoping it will keep driving. LOL

Chips almost never go bad fwiw.

Codes
F pressure the ECT sensor is a good suggestion. One thing at a time youll nail it.

 

Thank you guys I really appreciate everyones input so far. I just wish I was car savy and be able to do it all myself but unfortunatly I have to rely on my mechanic for hands on and you guys for the crucial intel. Reading these posts helps ease my stress level and makes me feel like my car will get back on the road and not parked in a junkyard. From what you guys have said so far I think it coul be the egr. When I was driving it home it was horrible on the streets since I would have to gas it in drive to get momentum and throw it in neutral and gas it to keep it alive. When I got on the highway though if I just punched it it felt like it was running right but as soon as I let off it would just start shaking and try to die.

 

get the codes and report back