Was home for the weekend, and when driveing back to work (300 miles away)
I noticed that the car felt like it was "missing", as a couple of times per minute
It would drop a couple of rpm for a split second, then reurn to the rpm I had the cruise set at.
Also, when I try to accelerate hard, the motor revs up, but the tach stays about in the same place, and the car increases speed very slowly. If I don't "step on it"
It accerorates normally.

It ran pretty good yesterday (before this happened). Since then I replaced the driver's side o2 sensor.
Couldn't reach the other side before running out of time. Planned to do it tonight.
In your opinion, is this car safe to drive 300 miles back to work, and fix it then?
Thanks

 

Mods, year vehicle, trans type, any recent engine work, etc. Help us help you!

 

Sorry.
'94 lt1, 80,000 miles, all stock.
I replaced the driver's side o2 sensor two days ago and plan to do the second as soon as I figure out how to reach it.
The car sat for nearly two years before I bought it.
I've put around 1200 miles on it since.
This problem seems to get worse as the car has ran a while.
Thanks.

 

Welcome to the board!

Anytime a car sits you should consider the fuel system as a source of runability problems. The first thing to do is change the fuel filter...it's easy with hand tools. Add a bottle of techron to a tank of premium...it's the best fuel system cleaner I've ever used. Check the fuel pressure. You're looking for about 43 psi. You might have to do something special to check the pressure under load..like tape the gauge to the windshield as you drive down the street.

Ignition wires and distributor caps degrade over time so dousing them in WD-40 might buy you a little life. Changing them isn't a side of the road repair....

Someone may suggest that your opti spark is failing and that's possible but not certain at this point...

A great source of information on our cars is on Rob's website; redirect

There are also the stickies at the top of the forum with information you're bound to need....

Good luck to you!

 

Today after work, I cleaned the mass airflow sensor (carboned big time)
And replaced the air cleaner (dirty).
Took it out for a drive and it ran like a raped ape! ---for about ten miles.
Then it began to stumble and eventually die. Turned over, but would not fire.
Luckily, my job provides me with a fleet of friends with their fleet of 3/4 ton
Trucks.* . I was just a phone call away from a tow.

Wtf?!?!

 

I would check the fuel pressure and make sure after it gets hot that it ins't starting to fail. Some will do fine when cold and if its on its way out will not work correctly after driving for a while. Have it scanned for codes. Something like the icm can be an issue after driving for a bit and be fine when the engine is cold. I would buy a fuel pressure gauge for around $35 with a long hose and hook it up and run the car with it attached. Does the car start up after it has sat for a while and cooled off?

 

I just came in from checking that after reading what you said.
The car started, but not easily. Seems to run fine once started.
I will check the fuel pressure within a couple of days.
Thanks for the info!

 

You're talking about the fuel pump, right?

I replaced the icm and it still acts the same.
Ten minutes into a drive it will start to sputter and then die,
Now with smoke from under the hood as it dies.
A few hours later, it will fire right up and drive fine...for ten more minutes.

I'm not sure how to check the fuel pressure, but will do some reading
To find out.
Thanks.

 

If your fuel filter hasn't been replaced in a while, I would do that first and see how it does. The fuel pressure gauge hooks to the valve with a black cap top back middle of engine. You get one with a long hose and you can run it up to the wipers and drive and watch at the same time. Pretty cheap at auto parts stores and just unscrewing a cap and screwing in the gauge is all it takes.

 

Sounds like fuel pump is going out when the car runs for awhile pump heats up and beings to fail get the fuel pressure checked . If there was old gas in the tank when you started to drive it that could also cause a problem so make sure change the fuel filter also .

 

If were my car,I would replace the coil wire first.See if the coil itself is crusted with white stuff,then clean it off.Then if I saw improvement,I would do plugs and wires all around.hope this helps.Also if you are loosing coolant,could be the water pump spraying the opti.My02.

 

The Camaro has been sitting for a couple
Of months while I thought about where to take
It to have a new fuel pump put it. I finally decided to
Just do it myself. Tonight, I put that bad boy in, primed the
Fuel line and turned the key...VaROOOOMM!* That 350 V8 sounded
so nice!...for about 20 minutes. Then it began to sound Like crap again.
It would have likely died, but I turned if off before it could. When I
Attempted to restart it, it didn't like that idea very much, but
Would. And then continued to sound and run steadily
Worse. I just turned it off and came in. Man, I was
Dreaming of flying down the road, T-tops off,
Music jammin'...on my way home for
The weekend in it. Not gonna
Happen. What a bummer.

Rereading posts here now
To see what to check next.
Thanks for your help.
Sooner or later it'll be running again

 

Try unplugging the maf electrical connector and run it to see if it runs good. This will keep it in open loop mode and use the map sensor instead of the maf. The o2 sensors will not be used in this mode as well.

 

Have you ever checked the fuel pressure and replaced the fuel filter?

 

I plan to test the fuel pressure tomorrow
or Monday if there is time.

And yes, the fuel filter, icm, air filter, fuel pump, battery
And one o2 sensor have been replaced since I began
Trying to get it running. I have also cleaned the
mass airflow sensor.
While replaceing the fuel pump, I found one hose that
Looked like it was not connected to a nipple where it
should be. However, there was a factory-made tab
blocking this connection.
I watched a couple of videos on Youtube where the guys
in the videos thought this connection had come disconnected,
too; but since it looks to me like it never could've been, I didn't
hook it up. Know which I'm referring to?
I'm not sure what else could cause poor fuel pressure.

A mechanic friend of mine who lives too far away from me
To take a look at it, thought perhaps a vacuum line had
Come disconnected somewhere, or since the car had sat
for a couple of years, vacuum lines might have become brittle
And broke.
Looks like a real chore tracking down all vacuum lines on this car.