Strange Stuttering at Low Speed and Low RPM

[ideutsch]

My car is a 2000 V6 Camaro A4 and has had two strange problems. When I give it full throttle to accelerate while it's already moving, it will flash the SES light while in 3rd gear and in the red. I checked this out at Autozone and it was a cylinder 1 misfire each time. I'm planning on just replacing the spark plugs as that seems to be the most logical solution.
However, when at low (1500-2000) rpm's and around 30-40mph my car will start to stutter in it's acceleration. I've found that if I just shift down into drive, it will stop so I have a feeling the transmission is either slipping or trying to go between drive and overdrive.
This has been happening more and more frequently and I mention the first problem because as much as I doubt they're related I'm still new to this and won't take a chance on that. I should also note that the SES light does not come on when the car is stuttering. My tranny is one with the 3.42 gear ratio, if that could at all be involved. Any suggestions? Car has only 36000 miles on it.

[ September 05, 2003: Message edited by: ideutsch ]</p>

[96sc]

Your first problem (misfire under load) sounds like a classic ignition problem. Go ahead with your plan to replace plugs, but also replace the plug wires (at least on cylinder 1). This may solve both problems.

Problem two could also be the torque converter clutch solenoid ... this solenoid locks the torque converter when you reach a certain speed. The torque converter "locks" the auto tranny (much like the normal operation of a manual) to increase fuel mileage. When you accelerate, the solenoid is supposed to disengage the torque converter lockup. Shifting into Drive also disengages the torque converter lockup.

If you think the tranny is slipping, check the fluid level. Also note the color and smell of the fluid; if it is brown or smells really bad, you may have a problem. Buy a quart of transmission fluid if you don't know what new tranny fluid should look/smell like.

[ideutsch]

Well, I just went out and checked the transmission fluid level. I assume the car should be sitting for a while before checking, if I'm wrong, please correct me. For one, the level was right on the mark. Also, the fluid on the stick was a clearish pink and had no distinctive smell to it.
As a side note, I noticed it "stuttering" while I was going about 70 and still at low rpms. I was almost coasting but giving a little gas to maintain speed. I watched the tachometer while it was stuttering and the needle wasn't changing, so I guess that rules out any throttle problems?

[Wolfy]

hehe, ok you need to check the tranny fluid in park, when your vehicle is running, try to get it up to a moderate temp too, not too hot and not too cold then check it


your misfire can cause your torque converter to act up too, its not a bad thing just fixing the missfire will take care of the converter lock up, it should help it out, so just do one thing at a time and see where that gets you

[ka50]

http://www.camarov6.com/cgi-bin/ulti...c&f=1&t=010951

Also, correct steps on testing auto tranny fluid are in your manual. If it's misfire on one cylinder I doubt it's the tranny. That kinda slipping feel is due to misfire. I had the same thing on my manual, I thought it was clutch at first slippin and catching. Turned out cylinder 5 misfire.

[ September 06, 2003: Message edited by: ka50 ]</p>

[ideutsch]

Well, the SES light flashes more often now at around 4000 rpms, but only while in drive, it won't misfire while in neutral. I am going to attempt to replace my spark plugs tonight, is there anything specific I should be aware of when doing this? I don't have time to take it to the dealer and get it fixed, so I'm pretty confident that I can figure out how to do this.

[96v6bird]

yeah...... make sure you have plenty of tools handy and the medics after you decide you need 3 joints in your arms...after trying to screw with the heat shields on the manifolds today i wish i had 3 joints per arm.

[ideutsch]

Well, the results are in. I managed to replace the "problem" spark plug and all that came out of it was sliced up hands. Good news is that it's no worse, but bad news is that it still runs horribly. Now I notice a knocking sound when I try to push it under load. Notice, by push I mean getting to 3000 rpms. I took it to autozone and they said aside from a cylinder 1 misfire code, it is getting an egr valve code. At this point, I guess I should just take it to a mechanic because I'm at a loss. Any suggestions though?

[Coop]

I just went through the exact same thing over the last several months. At first I thought it was the transmission, because it feels like it was shifting too early. The computer kept saying I had a misfire on #3 cylinder. Changed the plugs, wires and coil pack. It turned out to be the fuel injector. I replaced it last weekend. Runs like a champ now.

[ideutsch]

Well, I hope that is something that the shop can figure out. I guess it's going to cost me an arm and a leg, but I'm too much of a novice to figure that out myself. I did run fuel injector cleaner through it, but I guess that wouldn't do anything if the injector itself is bad. Once I'd get into trying to work with the coil packs and the fuel injectors, I know I don't have the skill to be successful. I guess the only way to learn is to try though...

[99CamaroV6]

there is NOTHING wrong with your transmission. I had the same problem and it was a corroded wire and a fouled spark plug all on teh same cylinder.

[ideutsch]

Well, my mechanic found the problem at the cost of $150. Turns out that it's a bad cat. Luckily, it's covered for 8 years or 80,000 miles, so that's $650 less I'll have to pay. Sadly, I have to drop it off at a chevy service center for them to evaluate it and then give me the replacement covered by waranty. Hopefully they won't charge me for labor. Just thought I'd mention that people with problems similar to mine should check their cat. Go figure.