need help. car is dead at the moment?

[junbug8]

My 95 camaro(3.4 v6), was running fine until I tried to go home from work today. About 2 miles from my starting point, the engine suddenly started sputtering a little upon accelaration. I let off the gas and it started running ok. I then had to stop to turn onto a highway and crossing it was fine, even with heavy acceleration, but when I made the turn onto the highway and started heavy acceleration again, it started sputtering and then the engine quit. I pulled it off the road, gave it a minute, and started it up with no problem. I let it idle for half a minute, then revved it up and the engine died. I gave it another minute, started it up and let it idle for 10+ minutes with everything fine, but as soon as I revved it again it died. I checked the fuel pressure, all plug wires and wiring connections with all being ok. I turned the key to engine run, and heard the fuel pump run for it's allotted 15 seconds or so. I happened to have a new fuel pump relay, and replaced it. I tried several more times of starting the car, with it still running good in idle and even up to 2k or so rpms, but on heavy throttle it just dies now, no sputtering or hesitating. I need help as it's my only vehicle for work and like everyone else out there, I don't have the money to take it to a professional.

Thanks ahead of time for your response.

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Forgot to add that I had also checked all of the vacuum lines, all good. I had also replaced the fuel pump(that was a pain) about a year and a half ago. Thanks.

[tkoforpresident]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

check your fuel pump voltage anyways.

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Assuming that checks out ok, what else?

[Andy H]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

you getting any codes? could be throttle position sensor or maybe coil packs

[99v6bird]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

perhaps a bad catalytic convertor? fuel filter?

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Made some component replacements now. Still does the same thing. Replace TPS, fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter. I'm getting plenty of fuel pressure and the vacuum checked out good as well. Any other ideas?

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Ok, I am officially going crazy over this. I had checked all threads in this section dating back a year, looking for anything that even remotely sounded like my problem. The overwhelming favorite for the fix was new coils along with replacing plugs and wires. So today I purchased all of those, replaced them on the car, and still the same problem. Here is a detailed description of what the car is doing: I can start the car up just fine. It sounds like it's idling normally, no pings, no knocks, no sputters, no backfires, no engine loping. In park I can rev the engine up until I get to around 3k and then it starts hesitating, almost like it's starving for fuel, but the pressure is good, the fuel filter and regulator are brand new. When I go to drive it, if I take it easy on the gas(about 1/4 throttle) I can get the car moving up to 40-50 mph(around 2500rpm in D). If I let off the gas it seems ok most of the time, sometimes with a little cough or maybe stutter. If I mash the gas it starts revving good for about 2-3 seconds and then the motor just dies but will pick back up again with letoff of the throttle, sometimes it picks up again just fine, sometimes it continues stuttering between engine running and engine dead until finally it goes quiet. If it gets to that, I have to give it a minute before I try to start it again, just so it will start. I ran it this way for quite awhile tonite, pulled into the driveway, stopped the car and looked at the cat. No glow, it wasn't even all that hot. Any other ideas from anyone would be greatly appreciated. I am leaning towards pulling the whole top of the engine off to see if I might have a broken valve, spring or rocker, but that takes alot of time and headache that I don't want to go through if I can help it.

[ViperRider]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

You're at 2500 rpm at 50mph?

Could a bad MAF sensor cause this? EGR valve?

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Roughly that, give or take a few hundred rpm. That is in D not OD.

[ViperRider]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Roughly that, give or take a few hundred rpm. That is in D not OD.

Gotcha, what about clogged injectors? The engine needs fuel and air, its being deprived of something.

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Gotcha, what about clogged injectors? The engine needs fuel and air, its being deprived of something.

Well, I've been searching other sites as well. Pretty much anything to do with any chevy v6. One site had a thread that sounded like a similar problem. I guess the fix ended up being new injectors all around. Not sure how you sit with $$$$, but if you are like me, that is too expensive for me right now. How do I check the individual injectors? It was said on that site that just running injector cleaner in a tank of gas won't necessarily clear out a clog, but it was recommended to pull the injectors, place them in a bucket of carb cleaner and let them sit for awhile. How do you tell if it's an electrical problem with the injector? I have read on this board that an ohm test will tell you if the injector coil is good. Is that the way to go? Sorry such a long post but I'm trying to get a plan for tommorrow together to get back at it.

[Richardcoelho]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

the best thing to do is take it to a good shop with a good matco scanner and it can tell you how the injectors are and what voltage etc. but if the car keeps doing that it may be a bad MAF, did you do a tune up before this problem, like spark plugs and wires?

[junbug8]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

Well, last nite I took the injectors, harness, and fuel rail out and took it to work today. I pulled the injectors, cleaned the fuel rail with a parts cleaner, soaked the injectors for a few hours in the parts cleaner, unravelled the harness and cleaned the terminals, checked continuity of the harness, replaced the injector o-rings, checked the resistance of each injector(all were right at 12.2 ohms), replaced the injectors on the fuel rail, and re-attached the harness. When I got home I re-installed the injectors and fuel rail, pressurized the rail with fuel and started the engine. It fired up just fine and I let it idle for a few minutes, revved it in park(sounded good). Then I took it out on the road. Easy throttle was good but when heavy throttle was applied, it stuttered and died but picked up a little as I eased off the throttle. The engine caught again but when even easy throttle was applied this time, it started stumbling and died. I really am frustrated at this point as everything I've checked has been good with some parts replaced anyway. I'm not really sure where to go next other than taking it to a shop, which I don't have the money for. Any other ideas from anyone would be greatly appreciated.

[Blizzard242]

Re: need help. car is dead at the moment?

I've got an idea.. I had a similar fueling problem that drove me up the f'n wall. I thought it was a bad fuel pump but it was pretty much brand new yet that was my last option. So I go to replace the pump and find that a fuel line connected to the pump was loose. Upon initial inspection when I checked it the first time it seemed fine. I then added a redundant relay and wiring. Still no fix. Then when I went to replace the whole pump the line came off so easy.. It was like duh. I was hittin myself over that one. So perhaps you have a loose line on your pump.

I'm assuming you're going to check this so when you do, lol don't do what I did with just a visual inspection. Check your lines to see if they're tight and clamp them!