BLKWS.6

I was deleting all my bullshit in that thread because it made ME sick and I accidentally deleted the initial post which killed it I did read your advice (and the lynching I deserved). I apologize. I have a lot of tests this week and just got back from a 12 hour drive. Still no excuse and Im sorry for being an ***. I will take it to the dealer today and get her scanned and see whats up. Again, I apologize for being an asshat and thankyou for not lynching me more severely and now I feel like even more of a ******** bc the thread died, but I did read it. I dont think its CPS, but if it is, it should show on a scan.

BLKWS.6

I guess what got me was I sunk all the $$ I have into this thing and have wanted one for years and it really just upset me big time (no sleep,roadtrip alone for 12 hours, all those great excuses) when It keeps messing up on me. Again, sorry for being an ***. I need to NOT POST after midnight it seems.

'Trust'

iTrader: (24)

Don't sweat it man, at least your tranny didn't blow 2 weeks after you had the car, then the AC compressor, then the calipers freezing shut. We all deal with crap like this, since I've had those fixed I have had zero problems with the car in the 3 years and 46k since. (Holy crap I've put some miles on this thing!)

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Well, you're man enough to admit a mistake, I give you credit for that....it can be tough to do. I'm just glad you realized it before you replaced the car, only to later realize that any car can break and wish you had the WS6 back.

We all have our moments. Hell, I'm probably one of the biggest GM supporters on this site, but I get frustrated from time to time with my cars as well. Things don't always go as you plan with any car. Ya just gotta step back and cool off a bit before making any big decisions.

Ls1Bait

Have you decided on what your gonna do to get it fixed. Keep us posted

BLKWS.6

Well, I am going to start by taking it to the dealership and having them run a full gambit of scans on the thing. I will also tell them the symptoms of course (random dying, inconsistant idle rpm (not surging, just 1100rpm sometimes, 750rpm sometimes, ect). and see what they thing. I have already checked for leaks on the intake side of things with a propane torch. I have already hosed my IAC with carb cleaner until it was clean enough to be a 2yo's pacifier. My main reason I was so pissed is its just that I have wanted one of these things for ever since I knew what they were ( 2-3 years maybe?) and everyone told me how great they were and now it seems that all I have is problems and I still have paper tags on the car. I blew up about it and apologize again.

Front end also needs aligning (not worried about that one but a tad pissed at the 50% tread left BFG KDW that it chewed the edge off of ).

I hear a strange noise from what SOUNDS like my left rear tire, could it be a wheel bearing? It sounds sorta like the tire is flat-spotted but there is ZERO vibraion. REally wierd, not loud, but it gets a tiny bit louder on hard corners. Maybe this is normal? I hear it at speeds above 30 and it doesnt get louder really, just more frequent (like a flat-spotted tire with no vibration pretty much. Wierd). I know these things have ZERO for insulation from road noise and all, I drove it on many surfaces and its not just ridges in the road I am/was on. Maybe its SLIGHTLY out of balance or something?

BLKWS.6

Thanks. Yes, I guess we all make mistakes (just like asian car makers?) and when I make one I own up to it when I see it. Its one thing to make an *** of yourself. Its quite another to deny it. I feel that if someone makes an *** of themselves and admits it, it doesnt make it okay, but it at least means they KNOW they were an ***. When people DONT admit it, it just means being an *** is normal/okay. I dont agree.

Yeah, I was pissed as hell but I still let the car warm up almost to operating temp before I drove it home last night (2am) lol. If I can get all this mess fixed I know I will love it, im just scared the GM guys will say "well, we dont know, sorry" like they did with my failure to start problem and I will be left forever wondering when and where my car will strand me. Im not going to lie, I would sell it if that were the case. I couldnt visit my family or anything for fear of being stranded in the middle of nowhere texas on 77 south or something. I jsut want it fixed. I will know more (I HOPE!) after getting back from the dealership later today.

BLKWS.6

See, if my tranny blew, I COULD FIX IT! It would cost me $800 to do it. If the calipers froze (and I lived) it could be fixed. What worries me is im pretty sure that noone will be able to fix this. Last time GM got my car they kept it 24 hours and pronounced it "good to go, we couldnt find a thing" and I fear this will be the same thing. THey look at it, they test it, nothing shows up, they cant do a thing about it and look at me crosseyed for bringing it in again for some phantom issue. If an ASE GM tech cant find anything wrong with it then im screwed, b/c I honestly dont know how to trouble-shoot an EFI motor. My 5.0 was easy, it had a carb. If there was spark, fuel, compression, IT WAS GONNA FIRE! This thing...much more complex in how it gets its spark and fuel

Lol, I bought my last TA (LT1) with 147K on it and sold it 1 year later with over 170 on the clock.

JD_AMG

Does it idle high only when cold? If so, thats normal, mine will idle at 1100RPMs sometimes on startup for a few mins until it gets warm.
That might be a bad tie rod
Strange noises are not normal, probably wheel bearing like you said.

BLKWS.6

How hard is that to replace on the rear?

RPM WS6

iTrader: (3)

Unfortunately this sometimes happens. As I mentioned in the deleted thread, I had a similar issue that haunted me for about 2 months on my L36 motor and none of the GM techs could figure that out either because it was so intermittent. So I had no choice but to start replacing parts randomly based on the process of elimination.

I started with the basic stuff and slowly got to bigger and more expensive parts till I found the cause. Granted, the problem was getting progressively worse, so had I waited it likely would have broken altogether thereby exposing the problem. But just like you I didn’t want to wait to be stranded.

Believe me, I know what it’s like to deal with these random/intermittent issues. Seems like every time one of my cars breaks (domestic or asian) it’s rarely something simple/obvious. Usually it takes multiple trips to the dealer and/or LOTS of my personal time diagnosing/researching/parts changing before I find the issue. It sucks, I hate it, I swear at the car using combinations of words that even Andrew Dice Clay would be shocked to hear. Then I cool off for a bit and get back to work.

I’ve learned SO MUCH about advanced driveability diagnostics regarding various GM motors/parts/systems while dealing with these odd problems over the years that I wouldn’t trade that knowledge for anything (well, almost anything ).

And the good news is, you’ve got an excellent resource right here in front of you. This board has a wealth of knowledge and a vast amount of people willing to help with ideas and experience when you have an issue.

Have you tried ALL the basics? Even stuff as simple as making sure the air bellow clamps are tight at both the MAF and TB side? And that there are no holes/cracks in the bellow? Have you tried cleaning the MAF wires with some electronics cleaner and a Q-tip (car may have had an over oiled K&N)? Have you tried checking for corrosion/tightness of the various ground wires around the engine bay? Have you checked/changed plugs/wires/fuel filter? Run and ohm tester on the injectors? Put a fuel pressure gage on the rail?

Some of the other basics that I’d recommend checking you’d need a scanner for. I’d want to know stuff like LTFTs, IAC counts, TPS readings, voltage, misfires, and some others when the high idle issue is occurring.

Well, no matter what you decide to do, good luck. Hopefully the dealer can figure it out for you. But if not, consider trying some of the stuff on my list if you haven’t already. It can’t hurt.

Finite1

iTrader: (3)

I was scared when you started suggesting an RSX as your replacement.

BLKWS.6

Well, I am going to take her to the dealer, the funky high idle is common enough that I will drive around a bit and get it going before I get to the dealer and then not shut it off, that way they can scan her while she is doing it.

Never a K&N

New filters for EVERYTHING

have not ohmed anything, but I doubt a bad plug wire KILLED the engine at 40mph when it was running smooth a second before

Car has no corrosion on anything, all that was checked when it failed to start a while back (has since started just fine)

To be dead honest I will trade the car in at a dealership at NADA before I spend thousands of dollars replacing parts. Its just not worth the time and money to me to do it. I am a college student and dont have vast resources to dick around with until my car works. In all honesty, I would probably find a Mach 1 and try to trade as close to even as possible. I just cant justify replaceing every sensor on this car. A new IAC is $98 and thats pretty "cheap" compared to MAF's and all that other stuff. I am pretty worried this will turn into an issue of me not being able to leave my neighborhood for fear of breaking down and me slowly starting to hate the car because it limits me so much. I mean, I love it, but unreliability is just something thats inexcusable when it comes to the thing running. The speaker that crackles sometimes is one thing, the car dying going down the road is another. I very well could have totaled it had the circumstance of it dying been different, could have even been maimed/injured. I dunno. Im not jumping to conclusions until the GM people have a poke at her though. Maybe it will tell them EXACTLY whats wrong...I can dream cant I?

BLKWS.6

I like the RSX-S's. They are pretty fast after $1500 or so in mods (13's@103 or so is the norm for a K-pro/I/H/E RSXS). But I would like my WS.6 10x better than an RSX, provided I can get my car to work.

BLKWS.6

Fuel pump (dying)

IAC (wierd idle)

Would either throw an SES, the fuel pump is the oNLY! thing I can think of that would kill my car like it did (bucked 2x and then silence when doing 40 and then ran rough for a split second and died when parked) without throwing SES codes out the ***. Any ideas from anyone?

Revelation Z28

iTrader: (10)

when i was going through bad plug wire syndrome, my car bucked and missfired about 2-3 times hard and the engine shut off at 45mph. but this def isnt your case unless your wires are mysteriously arcing under load.

the fuel pump can go out without warning sometimes. a dying engine IS one of the signs of one dying. check fuel pressure at the schrader valve in idle and mid-high rpm. see if it drops.

carado1984

i dont really have time to read the entire post, but i recall you mentioning a couple weeks ago about having heard ticks or something and saying your cars still running fine.. i believe it was in a thread someone else started about the ls1 engine tick or something... anyway.. do you know if your car has been wrecked before or had perfomance parts on it that were taken off and had stock parts reinstalled.. I checked my carfax and it was clean but i know for a fact the front left fender and bumper have been replaced.. kinda pisses me off because i dont know what else if anything was damaged.. oh and my car only has 32k and i think the rear shocks are beat because the entire rear suspension squeeks and clicks.. it sounds like **** and i have no clue what it is, im just guessing shocks..

TransAminal

Considering that stock RSX Type-S's run 14.8 @ 95MPH, its hard to believe that an intake, header, and exhaust can gain you a full second and 8MPH in the 1/4, thats a huge difference. Sounds like someone gave you some optomistic numbers.

After owning an LS1 I don't see how you could ever be happy with a buzzy 2.0 4 banger with no torque, but as they say, different strokes for different folks

LS1Formulation

iTrader: (13)

Get a fuel pressure gauge ($50 at most part stores) with an extension so you can mount it behind your hood by the cowl. Drive the car and see what it reads. My mom's Buick had the exact same issue a couple weeks ago. Seemed to drive fine, then all of a sudden she was driving and it just died. The fuel pump was only putting out 20-25 PSI. It would run and drive above 23 PSI but below that it would just die. Have them check out your short and long term fuel trim as well. If it's a fuel problem, the long term fuel trim will be a positive number (i.e., on my mom's car it was +16%) Keep in mind, if you need a fuel pump it's not going to be cheap to replace. The pump itself is reasonable, it's the installation that will kill ya. I had it happen on my old LT1 Formula and lucky for me, the previous owner must have had the same problem because they cut an access hole right above the sending unit and took it out through the hatch. I don't advocate cutting your car up, but if you're on a budget it may be the way to go.

BLKWS.6

I thought like you, my friend ran a 14.8@95 in his with a cai and catback and no tune. A tune and header put him at 13.9@101 with a **** driver (he has run low 14's at 103.X and I saw the timeslip and have witnesses) I know, tune does a SHITLOAD! for that car.


Okay, back to the questions posed to me.

GM is doing a fuel pressure test. The car has a clean carfax and if it was ever wrecked they fixed it with all 01' serialized parts and had the best paintshop in the world do it (ZERO!!!! trash in the paint, I mean ZERO!, even the best paint shops other than HIGH DOLLAR customs I have seen have a spec or two). The car was last owned by a 40/yo man and the oil pressure is great, has a paper air filter, stock lid, even CAGS skipshift is still active on the car. The car also feels very tight. I highly doubt I have someones spray toy.

I feel that it is possibly the fuel pump and the idle issues the IAC. I told the whole thing to the GM shop foreman and he said "with what you gave us WE WILL FIND IT." For now, I will have faith in that. Keep the ideas rolling! Thanks so much (over my initial anger and did enjoy the drive over to the dealership. I want this thing fixed)