need help bad

[skriFF]

I have no idea what to do so I figured maybe you guys could help me out.

Originally I noticed that my exhaust had a bit of a deeper tone to it but I didn't really think anything of it. Shortly after that I noticed a really really slight hissing noise, like I had a vacuum leak of some sort. I kept driving it, becuase at the time the only thing wrong was the sound.

BTW this all happened over a 3 day period

Anyway, on the 3rd day the hissing got so loud even at 2100rpm that I couldnt hear my stereo at over half volume. It got to there point where I was losing most of my power as well. I was unable to keep freeway speeds up and actually had to get off and let the car sit for a while. I would be cruising at 65mph and then put it into 3rd and slam the gas and nothing would happen. I would actually lose speed. After letting it sit it seems to get relativley better, but not for long.

So finally I couldnt keep up freeway speeds and I couldnt even get it to go up hills there were like a 45 degree angle. The car just wouldnt go.

So the first thing I replaced was my EGR becuase I noticed that it was basically shot. Ive gone through and checked most of the sensors and they all seem to be fine. All wires seem to be good as well. There is no SES light so now I'm lost as to where to look.

Oh and I forgot to add that I ran a diagnostic and 2 codes came up:
24X signal error and CAM sensor error

If any of you have any suggestions that would be greatly appreciated, I have no idea whats going on.

[asdf1234]

I don't know what the 24X signal error is, but I know a bad cam sensor will cause some major problems. Definitely look into that.

[FunkZ]

Sounds like a clogged cat. But if the SES is pointing you towards those sensors I would look into replacing them. The 24X is one of the crank sensors I believe.

[skriFF]

Yea, Im pretty sure the 24X is a crank position sensor or something like that.

Also, that hissing sounds is still there loud as ever and it seemed to keep getting worse, right up until I stopped driving it last week.

[FunkZ]

Normally with hissing I would think vacuum leak also, but that would cause a high idle, and not so much the loss of power you describe. Have you tried to let it idle and get out under the hood to see if you can tell where it's coming from?

[skriFF]

Yeah, I have let it sit there and idle and it seems to do it fine for the most part. There seems to a quick second where it has a hard time, but its not for long and its not too bad. It could be my imagination, lol I dont know.

I can't seem to tell where its coming from though. You cant hear it until you press the throttle. Its very noticably once you hit 2K and above.

[FunkZ]

Well, after doing a bit of searching it seems that hissing is also often associated with a clogged converter, so I'm going to go back to my original diagnosis and say it's probably the cat. If it's as bad as you say it would probably be glowing cherry red at the point where you had the major loss of power.

[blacksport]

Hook up a vacume gauge to check for a vacume leak.

[99davenport]

correct me if im wrong but i don't think the car would start if it was a faulty cam/crankshaft position sensor. Isn't that what the computer reads to fire each plug? also if the leak is so bad you can't hear your stereo, It wouldn't be a vac leak unless all of you vac lines are disconnected(they aren't that loud). I am leaning toward gasket, or exhaust mani leak

[98Camaro3.8]

Originally posted by 99davenport:
correct me if im wrong but i don't think the car would start if it was a faulty cam/crankshaft position sensor.

It will run, but it'll use other ways of checking/guessing the position of the cam/engine.


But if the PCM tells you the CMP is bad, don't ignore it and go off chasing phantom vacuum leaks.

As for 24x signal....never heard of it. Only 3x and 18x are used.

Do you have the actual DTC numbers from when you scanned it?

[ November 04, 2005, 11:59 PM: Message edited by: 98Camaro3.8 ]

[FunkZ]

The 3.4 uses a 24x signal. Trouble code is 36. And I'm guessing the other one was a 17 Camshaft Position Sensor error. A service manual will give you the testing procedures for those sensors, but he said the SES has gone out now.

I still think it's the converter. [img]smile.gif[/img]

[98Camaro3.8]

Totally missed the fact that it was a 3.4. My bad. :(

[camaroman1181]

yeah.. def sounds like a converter to me.. i had a converter completely block up on another car of mine and it did the same thing. the hissing was the exhaust comin out of this little tube on the egr valve that blew off from all the pressure. hell, my exhaust also got louder in fact, but i didnt notice it til after i put a different cat on and it got real quite. I mean, all the symptoms seem to point towards the cat: loss of power, exhaust hissing, poor performance on hills, recovery of power for a short time after it sits (until the exhaust fills up with more exhaust again). The other codes could either be something else or just the computer being soo messed up from the cat being block. Id say fix the cat first and go from there.

[skriFF]

wow camaroman that was EXACTLY my problem. anyways, i pulled my converter yesterday and you should have seen this thing, it was completley clogged. the side going towards the catback was comptely blocked by the filter...there was no way any air flow was gonna get throught there.

so i ordered an OEM one and it should be here tomorrow. i drove it w/o the cat last night and my god that thing was loud. anyways, thanks a lot for the help guys. it almost makes we wish i had just come here in the firs place instead of going throught and replacing tons on senros and other stuff lol

[camaroman1181]

good to hear that you got it fixed man.. when you get a new converter back on, youll be surprised at how much power you suddenly have. you sorta get used to the reduced power since the converter blocks gradually. but let me tell ya, itll feel like a new car once you get it all back together again. let us know if you have any more problems...