1988 firebird 2.8l AT

Need to know if anyone has encountered a poblem like this, first when driving normally there is some hesitation out of nowhere and you have to play with the gas to keep it steady(to much gas and it starts acting like it is out of time real bad), but when it shifts it starts bogging exactly like if I had a manual and shifted to early before getting the rpms,s up, and it is shifting at the normal rpm,s that it always has, plus when I floor it it will kick in but the rpm,s will go up(with some sputtering ,etc) but she still just speeds up slowly. This whole problem has been kinda intermittent but is steadily getting worse, any ideas or help with similar problems would be greatly appreciated,
Thanx

 

Assuming it is worse in cold or wet weather, and sometimes if you shut it off for a half hour, then start it and it runs fine, (does it start cold fine, but the hesitation gets worse as the engine warms up, or has the problem gotten that far yet?) I'll go with my usual answer of coil or O2 sensor.
that's what was killing my car (I replaced both and never found out which was bad) and they're fairly easy to replace too.

 

I just replaced the o2 sensor about a week ago and it ran a little better the next morning up thru the afternoon then the next day it just started slowly going back to where it was. sorta felt like the computer was adjusting to the new o2 and then started to adjust for some other problem, will try the coil today and will let you know, thnx

 

time for a good tune up, mine did similar, i chased my self in circls, tps, maf, egr,ecu, coils, relays, fuel pump,filters,

just needed a good tune up. wasnt time for one but it needed it.

 

Vamp..did you reset the ECM after the new O2 sensor? If you didn't, do it....the comp has a very hard time adjusting to a new O2 sensor without being reset...mine ran like crap with the new sensor in and threw SES codes that didn't make sense until I reset it. Also, I have the EXACT same problem you described...does it get worse the longer you drive the car? Does sort of a buck/shudder thing periodically when you're driving, like every 4 seconds or so? And you mentioned it has a lag, JUST like a stickshift, after it shifts? Does it do this real bad when the engine's cold but not much when it's warm? Mine does the exact same thing...I haven't figured out what the problem is just yet, all I know is the more I replace parts with my ignition, the better and better the problem gets...so I'm thinking it's ignition. An O2 sensor, plugs, wires, and a cap & rotor helped me out a lot.. Still does it..but it's bearable now.

 

Yeah it does most of that but it isnt throwing any codes at all, plus today was a really foggy drizzly day all day and I noticed the problem was worse, I did reset the computer after the O2 sensor and I bought a new coil to put in as soon as it stops raining, I just had a tune-up this summer, plugs,filters etc, but I am wondering what kind of plugs they put back in, I didnt check plus I rarely have the time to do it myself, but besides maybe some new plug wires and an oil change I cant really think of anything else without going piece by piece and replacing them, egr etc and I am seriously thinking about just spending the 115$ and getting a new distributor instead of just replacing parts on it, LOL, plus I think one of my fuel injectors might be leaking a little bit but my gas mileage hasnt changed much(22-27 mpg) which I am thankful for plus it was doing this before I noticed an injector might be leaking, have the o-rings etc but need a saturday to tear down the manifold and rail to get it done since this is my daily driver/only car right now, but all the ideas are helping alot, thanx
Will update as soon as I get some improvement from the car(hit-n-miss thing)

 

Easiest thing to do for the plugs is just go on the driver's side, pull the boot off the middle or back-most one and take it out..those are WAY easy access plugs, you can check that easy..just be wayyyy careful with the boots on the plugs. I've ruined 2 pairs of wires just trying to take the damn things off...something tells me I don't use enough silicone... Btw, to my knowledge, they don't sell whole distributors for us...you just gotta buy the parts for a rebuild and either do it yourself or take it somewhere..but doing it yourself will save you a lot of money. The coil will be a great addition...

 

GM doesn't sell complete distributors for the 2.8/3.1 but I think you can get an aftermarket one.......

 

If you can find an aftermarket one, let me know. I was looking for one a while back..my distributor, all its parts beneath the rotor are covered and I mean covered in rust..rust everywhere. And I'm pretty sure my pickup coil is shot....so I figure the hell with it, I might as well give it a brand new distributor and bring the whole ignition system back to brand new.

 

sounds like a bad distibutor cap to me

 

check your O2 sensor, mass airflow sensor, and timing

 

I am gonna check the cap and stuff today and try to replace the coil, when I started it this morning now the idle is even up-n-down for till it warmed up a bit, plus I did change the O2,MAF,IAC this summer so they should still be good, Oh another thing(found out this summer) the Pontiac dealership told me that a code 34(MAF) etc, could mean alot of crap since alot of sensors are tied into that circuit, meaning that without taking it to him to put on the computer you cant really tell what is wrong, just for future knowledge does anyone happen to know what other sensors etc are tied into that loop??, thanks again, this should be fun in the cold today on lunch break, LOL


P.S. as far as I know O-Reillys, Autozone, AdvanceAutoParts they all sell complete distributors different brands to depending on how much you want to spend for it anywhere from 85$ to 334$ for an Accell Hi-Perf one, just some info.

 

if you bought a new maf sensor in the summer it should still be good, but if you bought the 30 dollar remanufactured one like i did once, it can go in like 3 months, i dont know why, but these cars just destroy them, but i dont know what other sensors are on the circuit, ill see if my buddy still has his shop manual

i think autozone can order accel and msd distributors, the one near me does order msd, but i dont know about accel

 

i had the same exact problem, i thought that it was either the 02 sensor or a clogged fuel filter. It was neither, i came to find that it was a bad spark plug wire. So i just did a whole tune-up and my car ran 100% better.

 

that could also be it, always look for the simplest explaination so you can crack a beer BEFORE the sun goes down

 

Ok, replaced the coil finally, a dremel and some sore forearms got it done, LOL, was still the stock one on there, anyway the car ran a little better but does it take a bit for the computer to adjust with the new coil??, plus I also noticed how much of a difference that freakin air/baffle box makes, mine has the top part loose so a little duct tape to hold/seal it for now until I can make my own intake(Lowes/Home Depot special) plus new wires coming cuz mine are all twisted up in there so I might be getting a cross somewhere and I cant straighten/seperate them no matter how hard I try, but all the suggestions have helped alot so far and saved me some $$$ so thanx to all of you out there for the help again!!!