I AM TOTALLY STUMPED!!! EVEN WORSE NOW.. 3 weeks later.

[ka50]

Well I just got back from chaning the plug... at first I was happy cuz I thought I solved it. Engine revved and sounded like a charm, pulled like there's no tomorow, I even forgot how really fast my car is... 5 minutes later SES flashing, suttering, boggin down under any load in any gear. I think it might be cat. Gonna have to get it checked. Might also be coilpack. Injector? Hm... I doubt it, since it runs fine in cold loop, but stutters in hot loop.

[Tyler]

new update for me...


havent changed the fuel filter yet. but here's what it does..


in Cold Loop.. it runs smoooth.. unless i totally floor it.

but in cold loop i dont get blinking ses.. just a solid one.

when its warm.. well..its too embarassing to talk about.

if its the cat, im just gonna have it totally removed

[Tyler]

can this be a symptom of a bad cat???


ok..lets say im slowly accelerating in 2nd gear..

its stuttering bad.. misfireing everywhere...

then Boom.. it seems like my engine locked up for a second, nearly slamming me into the steering wheel.


thats what just happened today down the road

[ka50]

Since you already changed plugs, wires, coil and injector... it would be either low fuel pressure (but I doubt it's the case since it's fine when it's cold), sticking valve, timing, bent pushrod or some sensor (it would throw out codes for the sensor then, but it doesn't). Which are not likely since it's fine in cold loop. Which leaves us with one, logically obvious choice: catalytic converter. When it's cold, it doesn't work, since it's not hot enough to work (ever noticed how smelly your exhaust is when you first start the car up and it's cold?).. when it heats up, it expands inside (which is also logical, since heat makes it expand). If it's clogged all that **** inside expands too, creating MORE backpressure. In any case, I'm getting cat checked next, since I suspect it's the problem. Also I noticed that when my car first started doing it, it wasn't very bad... then it started to get worse and worse and worse til I got SES light. Then I got SES light flashing. Therefore it was gradual, not immideate. The more it misfires, the more it clogs the cat up, thus creating more backpressure, more misfires and less power.

[ka50]

http://auto.howstuffworks.com/question482.htm

Sometimes you can tell that a converter is clogged because you don't go any faster when you push the gas pedal. Also, there usually is a noticeable drop in gas mileage associated with a clogged catalytic converter. A partially clogged converter often acts like an engine governor, limiting the actual RPMs to a fast idle. A totally clogged converter causes the engine to quit after a few minutes because of all the increased exhaust back pressure.

[ August 31, 2003: Message edited by: ka50 ]</p>

[Tyler]

ya good call on this..


i did manage to bang up my cat a couple times on a speed bump in my gf's neighborhood...

and since there are no emissions here in florida.. OFF WITH THE CAT!

also..

when its cold..

lemme scratch off the PERFECT NOW.. casue this morning.. when i FIRST started it up.. I primed it 3 times... started it up.. drove away.. and floored it.. it was a lot smoother than how it is when it heats up.. but it still stutters...

[ka50]

Well if cat is clogged, it's always clogged. Only when it heats up it expands inside creating even more backpressure. If I was you that would be the next thing on the list to check.

[ka50]

http://www.camarov6.com/cgi-bin/ulti...c&f=1&t=008557

[Tyler]

cool.. that will be added to the list

[Tyler]

so ka.. you ever get your fuel psi checked?

[ka50]

No I haven't. How do I go about checking it? The fuel rail splits into 3 separate rails in the engine bay... is there a gauge or something that you have to hook up?

[Tyler]

ya..to the schrader valve..

[ka50]

Where exactly is that valve located? Is it that green colored plastic valve on one of the fuel lines inside the engine bay? Tomorow I'm going to get the code scanned again and see if it's cyl number 5. If it's so, I'm swapping coilpacks and see if misfire moves to other cylinder. I noticed a strange thing today. I drove around the block and there's this kinda uphil part of the road. I went there 3 times, EACH time SES light started flashing right at the end of the hill (as I was on top) at around 3500 RPM in 2nd. Well, this is either the fuel pressure or cat... appears so to me.

[Tyler]

supposedly hooking up a fuel pressure guage is hard..


thanks to speedy v6 camaro, he's been helping me search for days on end on how to hook up a damn fuel pressure guage.

all i need is the money..


btw. the schrader valve is at the front of the fuel rail, on the passanger side.

[ka50]

I'm going to do few more things (check cat, swap coilpacks to see it its gonna be missin on other cylinder, change fuel filter) and then I think I'm just gonna go to the dealer. For the past 2 weeks all I've been thinking is this stupid misfire problem. I can't even do anything else, cuz all I do is tryin to figure out what the **** is wrong...