This has really got me worried. My 02 Z28 has about 13000 miles on it and while driving home (total of 15 miles) from work today, I felt a little miss while going through the gears. It continued to get worse. At one stoplight it felt as if it would stall and the "service engine soon" light was flashing. I pulled over and checked the engine compartment for any obvious problems and saw none. By the time I was home it was running really bad, almost stalling at idle and there was white smoke coming from the exhaust. I shut it down and let it sit for about 10 minutes. I re-started it. It continued to run ruff and smoke. Now the "service engine soon" light was on steady. At first I thought the white smoke was coolant but then after smelling it, it seems to be un-burnt fuel (it smells really strong). If it was un-burnt fuel, shouldn’t the smoke be black? The car is still under warranty but I can't do anything until after the weekend. Does anyone have any ideas what might have happened?

 

Spark plug maybe...or maybe a wire. Sounds like the same thing I had on my LT1.

 

The SES light flashing means the car is misfiring. Check for a cracked plug, burned wire, loose wire, etc.

 

What he said....

 

ehhh....Just take advantage of your warranty.

 

Oh yea, first thing Monday, it will be at the dealer. Thanks for the help. At least it dosent sound to serious. Should I drive it to the dealer, about 8 miles, or have it towed? I hate the idea of a tow but I also don't want to do any damage to the engine.

 

Do you have AAA or know anyone that does? Just go that route.

 

Same thing happened to my 02 SS last fall. I took it in and they ordered new spark plugs and wires and the problem was solved. So take advantage of the warrenty and get it fixed! I'm willing the to bet thats whats wrong because thats the same exact way my car acted.

 

Ya, give AAA a call .. see if they can get you a tow truck that tows with a flatbed on the back .. as opposed to dragging your front end 8 miles.

 

Sounds like what happened to my '02 at about the same mileage. Started to run rough, then rougher, then I got out of the car and watched it idle. And I mean I could see it idle. Then it stalled and would not start again. Dealer towed it and replaced the computer. Then it ran better than new.

What's worse is some buttholes in a Mustang recorded my car being put on the flatbed. Which reminds me... what a dolt that tow truck driver was. Over three hours from the call to Dealer till the tow truck shows. I think that's OK since a Camaro needs a flatbed. The driver pulled the flatbed up crooked to begin with. Wrenched my car around to try to line it up. Then put boards under the tires to help get it up on the ramp. He "misplaced" a board and a tire ran off and the board wedged between the ground and the rearend. He then got out a floorjack to unwedge the board. He repositioned the truck, what he should have done from the beginning. AND BUMPED MY CAR 3 TIMES WITH THE RAMP!!! Finally the car is on the truck and we are off to the dealer. A short distance and the driver asks where I live. He says he lives a few blocks away and insinuated he would like to dump the car at my residence and have it picked up the next day. At the dealer: The towtruck driver claims to be the owner of the towing company?! Service department tried to get me to call a friend for a ride. I told them I would be spending the night in their lobby. They pissed around a good hour before the "found" me a rental car to drive. I bought several new cars from Jack Maxton Chevrolet, but never again.

 

Sounds like I better insist on a flat bed and someone who knows how to use it. So far, I have had good service from my local dealer (Kurtis Chevrolet) and I didn't even buy the car from them. I'll let everyone know how I make out. By the way Z_28_0117, how do you like your ultra Z hood ?

 

I like it. It came with the car. It is something I would like to have but probably never would have bought if it wasn't already on the car. That bat wing on the back is gone as soon as I decide on either an SS or Ultra Z spoiler.

 

Well I got the flatbed. I also got the underside of the front bumper cover scratched to sh*t. Someone's going to pay for that to get fixed. As of now, the dealer is replacing the PCM. I hope that fixes it. For some reason, I have my doubts. Stay tuned

 

No respect...no respect....


Believe it or not, it's a good possibility that the pcm went south. Or possibly a crank sensor that feeds the pcm timing data...

 

He is right on the money. Change your stock plugs anyway, they are probably incorrectly gapped. I changed mine at 11,000 mi. along with the wires.

SteveC