DisasterFormula

iTrader: (1)

Alright, more problems with my Firebird. Saturday night, I buy a new battery for the car after work. Install the battery, no problems, pour a can of seafoam in the tank then head off to get some gas. As I'm leaving the parking lot, the car shudders going into gear. I think it's just me letting out the clutch too quickly and pay it no mind.

I get my gas and start heading home. Car is running strong, no shuddering or missing, drives and starts better than with the old battery. Monday morning I get up, drive to school and back home twice, no problems. Go to work, car is running great. Get off 4 hours later, hop in the car and drive home, don't notice anything different.

Yesterday morning, fire up the car so it can warm up. Start driving to college and it is missing hard under load. If I let it skip-shift, it shakes and rattles and will barely accelerate. Down on power, big time. Same thing this morning, and the engine isn't throwing any codes.

Plugs, wires, and opti all have less than 5k miles on them. Unplugged the MAF to see if that was the problem, no change. Connections were a little loose on the battery so I tightened them up, but I hadn't experience any electrical problems like the radio losing power. The gas I bought has never given me problems before but I don't think that's the problem since I had the shudder going on before I filled up.

When it's cold, it misses under load and when revved freely out of gear. When it's warmed up, it doesn't miss on the rev but it misses harder under load than when cold. Thoughts? Anyone experience similar problems?

DisasterFormula

iTrader: (1)

Thinking it may be an ignition problem. Exhaust smelled rich when I was out there, but not as pig rich as when the opti was dying the first time. Also, after I tightened up the battery connections, no change in how it was running.

NIUhuskies

iTrader: (4)

I have had many misfire issues in the past so I feel your pain. If one little thing is off in the entire circuit, everything runs like crap. One issue that took me a while to find was a loose wire leading to the alternator.

I am still a little baffled by your issues though. I am very surprised it is not throwing a code. It may be your oxygen sensors as well.

Good luck with this situation, please post if you find out any more info!

DisasterFormula

iTrader: (1)

If this thing is from O2 Sensors, I'll **** a brick. "Edit: Make that the bricklayer, his furnace, and his brick house." It feels like the car is about to shake itself apart if I go below 2k rpm in 5th or 6th. And it's definitely getting richer. It was so rich by the time I got home from church that I could practically smell bacon (maybe oil in the opti again getting cooked off by the spark?). Alternator should be good. I replaced the pigtail a few months ago and I'm putting out a fairly constant 14.4 loaded and 14.7 unloaded. I'm just hoping that someone will come in and say theirs did the exact same thing, or near to it, and it was only the $30 ignition coil. A lot easier to replace than the Opti even though it has a warranty.

DisasterFormula

iTrader: (1)

Well, after swapping the distributor, timing cover seals and gasket, oil pan gasket (water pump seal was leaking and tore pan gasket while removing front cover), and having the car sit in the parking lot for a week, I found the problem. I was reassembling the vehicle, tracing plug wires to attach them to the opti, and noticed some oil on the boot of one. Pulled it off, wiped it off, was clean inside, put it back on and found out that the #6 plug was loose as all get out! Not even finger tight. Tightened it up, hooked everything back up, and it runs well again.