97 z28, long tube header nothing in cats(but they are there), ram air, MSD optispark.

Shes noting fancy but giving me hell none the less!!

About a month ago I removed my water pump, replaced radiator, took it all the way down to replacing timing cover gasket front seal and all other gaskets. Including oil pan!!

Now when i start her she idles very strange the rpm bounce up and down and struggles to stay running, very rich gas smell, smoke from air filter. popping back firing, all of it.

After about 15 min of this she will level off and run like a champ except when you step on the gas it bogs down not enough to kill it but enough that i couldnt even beat a stang, but after about 3 grand on the rpm she will come to life.

Changed plug wires, plugs, checked firing order. I dont know what else to do!!!!

 

Did you delete the AIR pump because there are no AIR connections on the headers? Or, if the headers have AIR connections, did you properly seal them off?

The exact sequence of what you did is unclear. From the topic, it appears this problem only appeared AFTER you deleted the AIR pump. Or did the problem appear after you regasketed the front of the engine?

At any point, did you spill coolant on the Opti? When you installed the MSD Opti, did you loc-tite the rotor screws?