LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

misfire at high rpms?

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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 05:46 AM
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Default misfire at high rpms?

I've been experiencing misifre on my Z above 4k when I'm under WOT. It backfires loudly and acts like its hittng the rev limiter. The previous owner has a receipt for new plugs but it's running "rich" at idle and drives at normal conditions just fine. Idles a little low and may stumble slightly on takeoff from time to time. Drove it 4.5 hours back home when I bought it 2 months ago with no problems. I'm thinking it needs new O2 sensors, but wanted some imput before I drop a hundred bucks on it. Already have new plugs for it too as I'm sure they're near the fouling point. Any info is greatly apprecaited.
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 07:35 AM
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an easy 40 dollars down the drain can be the coil. i had a problem cutting out and popping at high rpms and i thought my opti was taking a ****. come to find out, it was my coil. they rarely go out but they do. just an idea..
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 08:25 AM
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yeah, i have the same problem, it almost acts like a rev limiter is being hit, but its in 2nd or 3rd gear and the trans isnt being manually shifted. i figured maybe the timing may be off or something.
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 12:09 PM
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Man Ive been having the same problem since I got the car in March but it would come and go! Sometimes I could unplug and plug back in the Pigtail to the coil and it go away for awhile...
Hell since yesterday my car hasnt started, think it finally took a crap on me... Ill keep you updated after I replace my coil and let you know if it fixes it...
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 04:44 PM
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Check the plugs and replace them, tr55s are cheap. Check for arching around the plugs, wires, and coil. Make sure its dark out so you can catch the arching.
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 05:08 PM
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Originally Posted by texas94z
Check the plugs and replace them, tr55s are cheap. Check for arching around the plugs, wires, and coil. Make sure its dark out so you can catch the arching.
Well arching would occur during normal driving too... this is just at high rpms...
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 05:44 PM
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i had a possibly similar problem over the weekend. my car would sputter above 3k and would backfire alot, but would be just fine in between 2-3K. i ended up having a broken fuel pressure regulator vacuum line. it goes from the pass. side of the manifold to the regulator on the back of the intake. the plastic it was made of was brittle. probably from the age of it. i hope this helps, because all i needed to fix it was some small diameter vacuum hose, quite cheap.
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 07:13 PM
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Thanks guys. I'm going to check all vacuum lines and swap out the plugs asap. I'm hoping that fixes it. I will post updates.
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 07:22 PM
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Originally Posted by Black96z28
i had a possibly similar problem over the weekend. my car would sputter above 3k and would backfire alot, but would be just fine in between 2-3K. i ended up having a broken fuel pressure regulator vacuum line. it goes from the pass. side of the manifold to the regulator on the back of the intake. the plastic it was made of was brittle. probably from the age of it. i hope this helps, because all i needed to fix it was some small diameter vacuum hose, quite cheap.
how on earth did you figure this out?
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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 08:04 PM
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the miss was so bad it seemed like the cam was off by a tooth, but the chain is new and has just beyond cam break in on it so i just ruled that out. i have worked on cars with vacuum related idle problems, i didnt know what the line went to until i realized it went to the Fuel Pressure regulator, it then made sense, it explained my extremely rich idle, stalling, and wrong fuel amounts at higher rpms. i was just looking under the hood, and found a broken vacuum line. after i made sure of where it went with a shop manual diagram, i fixed it, and it worked.

Heres a vid before i fixed the vacuum line.

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Old Dec 2, 2008 | 08:48 PM
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does your z have a dump on it? if so, when i take mine off and stretch it out there is so little backpressure in my exhaust, it just back fires like crazy and likes to lunge also.
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Old Dec 4, 2008 | 08:53 PM
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Well I replaced my coil yesterday and it started and ran GREAT! But it still missing at high rpms... im stumped
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Old Dec 5, 2008 | 07:18 AM
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well if the coil is new. how about your wires? if they are pretty new then lets look at your plugs..what kind and are they gapped right? You could pull them out and gap them .005 smaller. if both of these are knocked off the list then i would check fuel pressure and then unfortunately lean towards the opti.
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Old Dec 5, 2008 | 09:21 AM
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I had loose rotor button screws that caused a high RPM miss.
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Old Dec 5, 2008 | 09:58 PM
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I had a high RPM miss that was from a worn stock coil at 148k
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 06:19 AM
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"high rpm miss" can be almost anything. Cap and rotor should be checked if their age is unknown. You said the plugs were new but what plugs are they?? Wires can rub through fast if improperly routed. As said vacuum line troubles are another possibility, as are fuel delivery troubles, might be worth putting a fresh fuel filter on. One car I help work on turned out to have a cotter pin for a coil tower, ran fine for the first few years they had the car and only once the pin got rusty did it act up only at high rpms. Wacky stuff happens with used cars.

On modified cars worn out valvesprings often cause troubles described as "high rpm miss".
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 06:48 AM
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Originally Posted by 96capricemgr
"high rpm miss" can be almost anything. Cap and rotor should be checked if their age is unknown. You said the plugs were new but what plugs are they?? Wires can rub through fast if improperly routed. As said vacuum line troubles are another possibility, as are fuel delivery troubles, might be worth putting a fresh fuel filter on. One car I help work on turned out to have a cotter pin for a coil tower, ran fine for the first few years they had the car and only once the pin got rusty did it act up only at high rpms. Wacky stuff happens with used cars.

On modified cars worn out valvesprings often cause troubles described as "high rpm miss".

I'm changing out the plugs today(NGK TR55) and inspecting all vacuum lines. I'm getting a fuel filter today as well. I want to replace all the uncostly items first and hope it fixes it...lol I pray that it isn't the opti. So, can I rule out O2 sensors?
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 07:16 AM
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O2 info is ignored in open loop which includes WOT, BUT depending what they were reporting before WOT the computer can still use the info they were providing to adjust fueling. It is possible but to check that I would use a scanner and see what the BLMs are, if they show it adding a lot of fuel it will keep adding even more at WOT, would have to be severe for it to show up like this but possible.

Do you have a laptop? Datamaster($90) and a $50 ALDL cable are the best money you can spend if you want to drive and modify these things. Takes a lot of guesswork out of maintenance and repairs even without CELs being set.
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 07:46 AM
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Originally Posted by 96capricemgr
O2 info is ignored in open loop which includes WOT, BUT depending what they were reporting before WOT the computer can still use the info they were providing to adjust fueling. It is possible but to check that I would use a scanner and see what the BLMs are, if they show it adding a lot of fuel it will keep adding even more at WOT, would have to be severe for it to show up like this but possible.

Do you have a laptop? Datamaster($90) and a $50 ALDL cable are the best money you can spend if you want to drive and modify these things. Takes a lot of guesswork out of maintenance and repairs even without CELs being set.
Thanks for the info. I had thought about getting LT1 edit, but a semi-local guy around here started "tuning" some of the cars to get them opitmal, so I decided against it. Can the PCM be adjusted by Datamaster or is it just for logging info?
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Old Dec 6, 2008 | 09:39 AM
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My car had been acting up last few day doing the same high rpm studdering... Then wouldnt start again this morning.. I think it was my ICM pigtail... I unplugged it and tried to bend the prongs in the pigtail and re-installed it and it started right up!

AND

the sputtering is gone.... FOR NOW.. Ill keep you all updated..
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