phantomzer0

iTrader: (17)

i could really use some serious help. my car is running terribly. when i drive the car normally(like just barely accelerating, treating it right) it is fine, but when i drop to a lower gear(to go up a hill, or begin to pass somone) it stutters very very badly then kicks out of the stutter and resumes like nothing happened. also, when i floor it, it stutters very bad and you can hear a very loud clicking sound comming from the drivers side of the engine. i was told to change the plugs, and give it a tune up, by the guys at merlin. i just relaced all the plugs and wires, and also did the oil change. i triple checked all the plugs to make sure they were gapped properly, at .050, and triple checked to make sure all the wires were installed properly. thius did not fix the problem, it only shut off my check engine soon light for about an hour. now the light is back on and you can hear it backfire every once and a while.

also, if you put your hand near the exhaust you can feel **** comming out of it, this **** is oily and gets all over the back of my car, i thought it might be my cats so i took it to merlin and they told me it was not, they were fine.

so basically i dont know what the hell the problem is, any thoughts? possibly the opti??

specs on car
1997 A4 SS LT1
stock cats, loudmouth exhaust

plugs are ac delco rapidfire
wires are ac delco

some people told me to change the optispark, but what are the signs of the opti going out?

and my brother tells me its running righ cause you can smell gas in the exhaust, so he and his car freinds think its my o2 sensors and cats.
Any thoughts? suggestions?

MrBill97396

iTrader: (10)

Sounds like a handful of things really, when you have your hand on the exhaust tips (car running) is there the proper airflow? also try that with assistance and have a friend hold the throttle and make sure it is flowing properly. But that is just from my previous muffler shop workings. How many miles you have on it ? I would get an ORY or new cats, if the cats insides break lose your looking at a whole new system. The pieces will get in the muffler and stay and clog up there. Hope that is it because that is fairly inexpensive fix.

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

It you have oily something coming out the back of the car, then oil is partially burning in the cylinders, hence the sputtering/misfiring. You say it does it when you give it alot of throttle. Sounds like your Valve seals went wherever the leak is, and oil is getting into the cylinder or cylinders, getting partially burnt, and shot through the exhaust. As you get on it, the oil pressure goes up, and it forces more through the leak. That would be my best guess.

phantomzer0

iTrader: (17)

omg merv you seem to have hti the nail on the head, cause there seems to be smoke coming from one of the gaskets. the car has 69K on it.

the_merv

iTrader: (88)

No prob. This is why I told you it was that. There is 2 ways that Oil can get into a Cylinder. Through the Piston Rings, and through the Valve Seals in the Head. If if was through the Rings, it would burn it cause it is a gradual leak, and the car would smoke bluish, and you would not have as much power due to lack of compression. If it comes in through the Valve Seals, alot will come in, cause once they go, they fall apart. You say it's coming out the Exhaust, so it is alot coming in, and my guess would be the Valve Seals.
Now when you blow the Head Gasket, like I have done recently, you will smell the sweet smell of Coolant burning, which is the sweet smell of your car about to **** on you. Then it will blow a nice cloud of white smoke out the back, and misfire that Cylinder if it's a bad one, like mine is doing. Antifreeze can enter the Cylinder cause of the Head Gasket falling apart between the Water Jacket and the Cylinder which is the most common, a crack in the Head, or in an extreme case, a crack in the Cylinder Wall.