Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

Alright. I have an intermittent stumbling problem with the car.

The car idles fine, always. Sometimes a bit high when cold, but it never "misses." Then, in drive when I get to around 2k rpms it will stumble and jitter and run like crap, then if I push it down more it will a lot of times run throughout the rest of the rpms (up to 6k or so) pretty good and not stumble as much, (Though still not perfect) It only does this sometimes. I also feel it hesitating and shaking a TINY bit going around 55mph if I'm steadily going...

I've replaced the MAF
I've replaced the CTS
I've checked Coils and Plugs.

I tried disconnecting coils while running to see if i saw a change in the way it ran at idle but they all made it idle noticeably worse.

The only things I have left to do are replace the fuel filter and clean up all electrical connections with some wire brushes and electrical contact cleaner. But I'm still at a loss at what the problem could be.

If it was an injector the car would run like crap all of the time right? Even at idle? It was my first suspicion, but I figured I'd notice it more.

Help. I've got a y-pipe on the way and I'm trying to get it running good before I put it on to "test"

also: I finally got my multimeter working, do I just pull the harness off the injector and just jam the pins in the connectors?

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

How did you know it's not a bad coilpack? how did you test them?


The way you describe it sounds exactly like a bad coilpack somewhere. I've had a few of these go out,and they all acted in the same manor.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Oh,btw did you inspect/clean all the other sensor connectors as suggested on aim?

92gxe/cg2

iTrader: (2)

could a coil pack on a GXE go bad. Do they have one or wat? Mine misses slightly on idle and up to aobut 1500 which sounds liek an injector but when i tested then nothing changed the idle sound. Its not a big noticeable misfire but still, any ideas? plugs cap and rotor are new.

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

I pulled them out and checked for cracks/ hairline cracks. The guy I bought it from said he had just replaced them before I bought the car and they looked to be in good condition. Would they be intermittent?

92GXE: The SOHC Engines do not have coil on plug assemblies. It is a standard plug, wire, distributor, and rotor setup. Check your wires.

Greeny

iTrader: (43)

Ok,try swapping out your coils on your parts car,then report back(no cracks doesn't necessarily mean they are good) I've had cracked coils that never misfired.


I don't know why coils misfire intermittently,they just do sometimes.

Also,like i said previously,check other sensor/electrical connectors for corrosion like your cts connector had on it..Corroded connections can cause intermittent problems..

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

Will do when I get off school (weather allowing) then report back. Thanks for the help.

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

GXE has a single ignition coil that has a wire going into the distributor. It can go bad and then you lose power to ALL cylinders. On a VE, if one goes bad, you still have 5 good cylinders. On a GXE though you can check your timing, which could be causing problems if it's way off. Check plugs individually, check for buildup and gap.. stuff like that.

92gxe/cg2

iTrader: (2)

my plugs are new and gap is fine, build up where? Theres none on the plugs of course and my timing was way off but now its fine and that did help alot but theres still a rumble to the idle, its weird....

max_freak

On the subject of spark plugs, my GXE has been misfiring recently, and I suspected that it was either my spark plugs or my injectors. I replaced the plugs and that didn't help, so I assume it's the injectors. However, when I examined my injectors, it looked like normal wear. People say that if your injector is misfiring, the plug for that cylinder has black buildup. Is that always the case ?

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

depends if that cylinder is running lean or rich. if it's running rich then yes. If it's not getting enough/any gas, then it'll be clean as a whistle. basically means whether the injector is stuck open or closed for the crapped out one.

92gxe/cg2

iTrader: (2)

if theyre stuck closed how would you open them or are they garbage?
Also on my injector plugs theres a metal clip/wire that goes around them to hold them on sorta like for the MAF sensor. HOw do i get these offf, bend them? I dont no..

max_freak

I guess one thing you can try is a fuel injector cleaner. A brand people have good experiences with is Chevron Techron. I've tried the Slick 50, and that seems to work pretty well also, but it is much more expensive than Techron.

smitty124

Hello all. Im new and not allowed to post new topics, so I believe this one is the most current, and fitting/similiar to my problem(s). I have a 92 SE (5 speed auto), and not only does it have 2 constant dead injectors (one on each cam), it frequently has shuddering/acceleration/thunking noise problems that are sometimes present, and sometimes not. (eg: Tonight I had to floor it to get it to slowly start moving from a stoplight, and it felt like a there was a delay from when I gave it gas, and when the engine actually responded. These issues are not consistent, and usually turning the car off for awhile then starting it again allows it to run better (aside from the obvious rough idle) Also of note, I've tried fuel injector cleaner multiple times, and I only run it on premium gas.

I'm assuming the fact that its running on four cylinders is a major part of the issue, and should probably be tackled first. (note: there is still power running to the two nonfiring cylinders, so unfortunatley it dosent seem to be wiring. I also changed the plugs just over a year ago.)

so, two questions,

Is it doable for someone to change fuel injectors by themself, or should it be done by a mechanic?

also, as the car is that old, im guessing it's best to replace all the injectors, but I can really only afford to buy rebuilds (I am a student that's very low on funds, and can get a set off ebay for about $250). What is the general experience here with using rebuilds?

MARKS_MAXS

My 1990 was doing the same. After replacing 2 injectors($137.00 each), fuel filter, fuel pump($289.00) the rough idle/stalling was gone but now it has a shuddering/ pulsating feel while crusing at a constant speed. Spent $600.00 on parts and still have this problem. Wondering if I bought a money pit.

Alex_V

Never use rebuilds, they fail faster then the bad ones you took out.

Just get some low(er) mileage injectors from some one on here or jy's.

It could also be coil packs, pull them and check for cracks.

Also theres a free search up top but it might not work.

~Alex

smitty124

Just to be sure, are the coil packs are the plastic cylinders that slide over the spark plugs?

Also, if I can get a few years out of swapping curent injectors with used/rebuilds i'd be happy.. (the ones that are in the car now have probably been there for close to 10 years if not the life of the car) Would a set of used or rebuilt ones actually last longer than that?

From what i've seen, people selling rebuilds give them 2 or 3 year warranties. So, shall i assume, swapping with used ones is still a better idea? (eg: i'll get more than 3 years out of them?)

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

Okay. Now that everyone and their mother posted about the SOHC. I'm getting back to the problem with my DOHC.

Okay. So I tested the injectors and they all came up around 12 ohms. Good, right? The COPS are fine. But I sat out there in the car and noticed a few things today:

if I'm in "N" and I'm keeping the revs at 2k, 3k, 4k+ consistently, the car sounds perfect and there is no sputtering. But if I try to do it right around 1,500, than it sounds rumbly and won't stay in one spot and gets kinda choppy.

What about IAC? I've cleaned it before on this car, but I didn't replace the gasket when I did it because I didn't feel like waiting for one from the dealer and the car was having problems (when I first got it, if anyone remembers how effing slow it was)

But when it idles around 700rpms or so it does alright btw. I'm at a loss with this problem, it's making me crazy...

CapedCadaver

iTrader: (8)

drugs are bad, dude. drugs are bad.

Cliff Clavin

iTrader: (11)

I don't see where the IACV would cause that, unless maybe there is an air leak where the gasket wasn't replaced. Maybe there is some other kind of vacuum leak that is very minor.

Other than that, my first inclination is always the coil packs. Since you said the previous owner replaced them, that seems kind of unlikely. One thing I will mention about those is that I had one in the back that was bad. It tested out OK on an ohm meter and it had no cracks at all. I tried swapping pretty much every part to get it to stop stumbling. The problem was it was failing under a load, so the car would have stumble on heavy acceleration. It sounds totally different from your problem.

It sucks throwing money at these things that are tough to figure out. I hate to recommend buying more crap to try and fix something. Things like new fuel filters and spark are maintenance, anyway, if they haven't been replaced recently.

These VE bishes are so f-ing crazy sometimes...

Pearl93VE

iTrader: (14)

Okay. So I've done some more searching and scanned my engine bay and I notice there is some oil around and below my camshaft position sensor.

Then when reading a post on an old forum it read:
And Also:

Well this is for the 4th gen... but I figured it would be about the same. Is the oil a concern? I don't know why it would be leaking from there unless it just wasn't tight?

I also noticed some belt squeal because I need to tighten down the belts on my UDP, I guess they loosened up some more from when I've installed it...

any of this relevant? I've searched but it didn't really help...

92 Max

Two Possibilities. One that oil has gotten INTO the cam position sensor and made the signal weak. Two that there's a problem wiht the fuel pump relay. I had a flat spot problem, occasionally and it turned out to be a bad fuel pump relay that tested out good. Only way I found it was to buy a new one and replace it.