This sound like symptoms of plug wires/ plugs or misfire?

[WishIHad$$$]

The car has a little trouble starting. If I don't give it gas when I start the car, it will die. I can drive the car fine under normal acceleration, but when the car idles, it is very rough, especially when I let off the brake and idle foward. When I do this, the car shakes and sputters. This just started happening today. The SES light is not on. I had my wires and plugs replaced 9k miles ago. The plugs are Bosch Platinum +2's, so I think maybe they got too hot. I'm just going to replace the plugs and wires tommorow with AC Delco products.

But if it is not the plugs or wires, the next step would be coil packs, right? How much are these and how hard are they to replace?

[RallyRed 98]

i would point to the ignition except when you say that the car is "fine under normal acceleration." typically if you're having a misfire bad enough to kill the car, your SES light will come on because of your increased emissions and your acceleration will be awful and unspeakable... barely fast enough to get out of your own way.

a common problem is the ICM, though when the ICM goes out you almost instantly (within 2-3 minutes) get the SES light. coil packs are not hard to replace... probably not even 30 seconds a piece, but if you replace one, replace them all. these coils go out in groups. if you replace your ICM, replace your coil packs as well.

to "plug" (sorry about the pun) one of mustangeater's contributions, you might check out some of the ideas behind protecting your ignition components:

http://web.camaross.com/forums/showt...threadid=78028

[chas]

try cleaning your throttlebody. sounds like the idle air bypass might be clogged. the computer controls your idle so it has a small bypass it uses to let air by the throttle plate. if this is clogged the computer can have trouble finding a setting that gets enough air for the idle it wants to find.

[Christian]

Fuel filter maybe?

[WishIHad$$$]

I changed the wires today, and the car runs fine. Thanks for your help guys, it would have cost 600-800 to get it done at the shop (or so I'm told), but I just did it for $30 autozone wires, lifetime warranty [img]smile.gif[/img] .

[Ian]

thats weird. if it does it again, check your mass air screen. if a screen is out of a car, or falls out, normally it will idle real rough, but under acceleration when the engine is bringing in a lot of air, itll run fine.

glad its fixed.