benji's_z28

i drove my car a view days ago and it was running just great with no problems. then i go to drive it yesturday and i ran really crappy. it feels to me like a really bad miss but that doesnt make any sense to me sinse it was running just fine earlier this week. i checked my wires and the were fine and the hook ups into the spark plugs were fine so im gonna check the hookups at the opti and see if one of them came loose. if thats not it i would really appreciate some ideas from you guys. thanks a lot

jsetzer

Expand on really crappy.

idle, wot, part gas, in/out of gear, certain rpm range?

94YellowTAGT

Did it rain the last time you drove it? Just wondering if the opti got moisture in it.

mrmint69

What was the last thing you did to the car? The opti getting moisture like someone already said is a good chance. A burnt plug wire was my perfect to bad performance culprit, but it appears you ruled that out.

benji's_z28

it was a sunny day no rain or water on the streets at all. by crappy i mean it feels like a really bad miss because i have had that happen before, no matter the rpm range even at idle. and i checked the wires and from what i could see they were fine. i have not checked the plugs cuz i just wanted that to be my last "easy" fix since they are a pain in the a** to get to. but if it were a bad plug i dont understand how it could go from great to bad from sitting in my garage . the day i drove it and it was fine the temperature was about 70* and the temp dropped to below freezing the next day. (damn iowa weather). and when i drove it the next time it was about 40* would this matter? btw i have msd 8.5 mm wires and ngk plugs.

mrmint69

The temperature outside figures into the cars performance if the sensors are working correctly. The IAT is very important and others i can't think of right now.

benji's_z28

well guys this problem still exists. i just let it sit over the winter cuz i wasnt about to work on the car in below zero temps. now the weather is getting better and i am getting the itch to drive my car. the SES light isnt on. i disconnected the battery thinking the computer might have gotten messed up but that wasnt it. could this maybe be something with the fuel and air mixture??? cuz its running rough like a miss fire but im second guessing that. please guys any ideas would be greatly appreciated. thanks alot guys.

Kaj

You could try cleaning your K&N and all other intake components....get some mass air-flow sensor cleaner, Throttlebody cleaner etc. and then make sure you don't have any leaks to in the airflow paths.

Guest47904

I have a problem with moisture build up in my distributor cap. One day fine, another day, no start. On those damp, cool really dew days, I don't even bother trying to start it any more.

Try pointing a blow dryer at the opti from underneath. Prop it on something so you can let it go for about 20 minutes.

As far as your SES is concerned. The fact that it is not lit does NOT mean you don't have any DTC's set.

Last, if the blow dryer trick does not work, try the following after letting the car sit over night. With an IR thermometer, start the engine and immediately check all the primary temps and look for any that are very low compared to the others. Those would be the ones that are not firing. Then check them for spark.

benji's_z28

i just cleaned my k&n last summer. i will try cleaning the MAF. and blow drying my opti. that moisture thing might be it since there is ice melting on the floor of my garage so i will try the blow dryer method. and where do i find an IR thermometer? and with that do i just check the temp of the header pipes coming off my heads and which one is not as hot that one is not firing??

thanks for the help guys

Guest47904

IR thermometer at Sears

http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_1...94000&sLevel=0

Check the pipes about 3 inches from the head quickly after starting. Your looking for any that are very low compared to the others. If you wait too long to check all of them the residual heat from the adjacent tubes will screw up your readings.

benji's_z28

alright guys you wont believe this, i thought maybe to check the connections to my plugs so i just messed around with my plug wires and there connections to the plugs and the only plug wire i actually pulled off was the #8 cylider adn reattached it and i thought "what the heck ill try starting it and see what happens" well sure enough it was running smoothly and i took her for a drive and didnt stummble once and is currently purrin like a kitten. thanks for the input guys.