I think I'm having the same problem as you
Dosen't happen all the time
I had the spark plug wires changed
New battery cables
Did not fix the problem
The car is at the dealer now
Will see if they can figure it out
I'm thinking it has something to do with the ignition system
Does anyone know what happens when the Opti starts to go bad

 

if they figure it out let me know what they did

 

in my case the car got much worse when warmed up. The cat would let a little exhaust out, so it took a few min to build up the pressue in the system before the car started acting up. However, as the clog got worse it got to a point where it would not run right from the first second, if it would even start.

Just check you exhuast flow and figure out if the car seems quieter, if everything seems normal, it might not be the cat, but keep it in the back of you mind

 

well i just got the car so im not sure what to assume, but after maybe 10-15 minutes the car will start getting terrible launches and horrible "normal traffic" acceleration

what i mean by that is if i have to accelorate the same speed as other cars my car will sound like its gonna quit...

 

Newbie
Thats how my car sounds
I just goy my car
I guess this is why the last guy sold it

They cant seem to make it happen at the dealer,the mechanic is taking it home for the weekend

I know its not my cat. becouse the guy I bought it from said he hollowed it out

Will keep you informed

 

Dealer called said car drove fine on the way home for the mechanic,on the way back he said the problem started again

So now they know there is a problem, instead of telling me "no problem found"

They diagnosed the problem as a bad distributer

The part is $325
The labor is 5 hours @ $52 an hour
So the total is going to be around $600
This is after I paid $477 to have plug wires and battery cables changed

So you might want to have that checked on yours
Good Luck

 

thats what ive been thinkin, im gonna fix a vacum leak first but yea...

 

ok i got 3 more plugs out all i have left to do is #7 i didnt wanna break anything w/ my hand jammed down there trying to get the ratchet in...

but i fired up my car this morning and i think i got a miss i'll check my wires after my car cools down but i donno why w/ the new sparks its much worse, its not running right at all

its got a hissing sound thats in tune with the engine rumbles... and its got a much bigger rpm range where the stumble is in effect now, what could this be?

is it just my opti failing? or is it something i did i do something wrong?

i tried to cram my broken air intake as far as i could on to the throttle body but could that have made a difference too?

 

ttt

 

Im having pretty much the same problem with my car. I had a simuilar problem last year and it was my opti spark distributor... but I had it replaced already, but who knows.. maybe it went out again.... I need to fix my radiator first before I troubleshoot that problem, but I think Im going to go through the normal stuff first, the stuff you already went through... basically Im going to get a full service tune up, plugs, wires, fuel & air filter... etc... then if that fails, Im almost possitive it will end up being the stupid opti again. I'll keep you posted on my progress.;

 

k good, i'll probably get a new opti and wires soon, but money is skimpy right now

 

ok, my friend said that im getting backfires not knocks so does this help u figure anythng out?

 

well I got an oil change and I replaced the fuel filter... the car does run a bit smoother, and it starts up easier as well, but it still is acting up a little.. Im going to get the tune up right now.. so Ill keep you posted and let you know in a few hours.

 

I figured anything is worth a shot on this one: before you go throwing money around trying to diagnose the proble, I would first check fuel pressure at the shrader valve. I've had similar problems, and my fuel pressure was low (around 28psi.....down from the avg 43 psi..). I changed the filter first, and it helped my car to at least start and run, but its the same story as yours. So i ended up buying a Walbro 255 pump in the GP section for $99.99. Im positive its the pump on MINE cuz i have checked pressure before filter, after the filter, and at the shrader valve.....its worth a shot. good luck

--Fred

 

im pretty sure ive narrowed it down to EGR valve O2 sensors, and opti...

i know there is already a leak in the EGR valve and that could be causing the backfireing which i previously thought was knocking.

The O2 sensors because im getting ****ty gas mileage and it only happens after car warms up.

and opti because... i donno those go out lol