CADEman98

Okay, about 3 weeks ago my car started acting funny. I'm in a hurry so i'm going to try to spit this out as accuratly and concisely as i can. Maybe someone can help.

In normal every day driving, the car is/was fine. It started out that if i was in 2nd gear or something (automatic) and the car was below 2k RPM, and i tried to accelerate, it would stutter, and have problems getting power in gear and accelerating, generally in situations where I only needed a little bit of extra speed.

Here are the symptoms : transmission/engine stuttering when in need of power below 2k RPM, having to give more than normal throttle to get the engine to downshift to get some go.

Today, on my drive home, the car wouldnt accelerate when i was getting on the highway at all, it just stayed at about 1.7k rpm and stuttered a lot. It eventually started to downshift and go, but now my Service Engine Soon light has come on. I have checked the only thing I could think of (tranny fluid) and that seemed fine.

I have to go back to work now, but i'll be home around 7, going to stop by autozone and see if they can tell me what the problem is..

1998 3800 Series II mileage : 80,000

BandDirector Blk98ZM6

I'm going to say plug wires...ESPECIALLY if you're still on the original set.

CADEman98

that would be nice, expensive fix? And, i'm going to drop by autozone on my way home, see what teh problem is...

BandDirector Blk98ZM6

GM Extended the warranty on plug wires in the '95 - '99 F-Bodies with the 3.8 to 7/70k miles becuase the wires were going bad early became a problem and they were causing a serious misfiring issue. I had a '96 with the 3.8 and my wires went bad around 60K miles. You're out of the warranty period, so that information won't help, but it is the basis for why I think it's the wires. If AutoZone pulls the code and it's multiple misfires, I'd start with the wires 1st. The wires won't be expensive, but if you can't do it yourself, the labor is expensive. A dealer will probably charge around $200 for plug wires and labor.

CADEman98

thanks for the info, and yes, i plan on doing it myself, i just don't know when im going to be able to...

Due to inclimate weather in the metroplex tonight, i wasnt able to stop by and see if autozone could run my car, hopefully in the morning I will...

3 people have said plug wires, so thats what i'm hoping....

CADEman98

alright, just returned from Autozone and the diagnostic said there was 1 error...a cylinder 6 misfire...

I guess i'm going to try the plug wires first...here is what I need to know

Where the cheapest place to get the wires is, and if OEM replacement is fine

and

How hard is the work, I only ask because i have a circle of friends, and I need to make sure I ask the right one to help...:-)

code was p030 btw

BandDirector Blk98ZM6

Fixed yet? Plug wires solve it?

smithtim

was the code P0300 or P0306? as the 0300 is a random misfire and the 0306 is a misfire specific to cylinder # 6... anyways with the V6 motor and the symptoms you listed I would definitely agree that the expected cause is the plug wires. As on the V6 the plug wires only seem to last about 30 to 40K on a good day (there was a post here a few weeks back about the cause of this - has to do with how they route the wires around the block/manifold and getting heat )

As far as replacing the wires it is not a hard job to do, but there is a little creative reaching to get the wires at the back of the motor.. I did them from underneath and it did take a little work to get them off but not all that bad I would say it took about a little less than an hour to do all 6 including taking my time to coat the plugs / caps with a silicone grease...


p.s. OEM is fine; I always try to buy delco parts as the place where I buy them in Florida ( Bennet auto) gets them very reasonable, usually half what the dealer quotes.. but if you are shopping elsewhere you may want to ask if they make a plug wire that is better resistance to heat? not sure if there is such a think?

xcseshdogg

Hey man, I just got done going through the same exact thing you did....how's it coming along?? those wires on the V6 are hell man, I had to do it in the middle of a parking lot since I'm at school 250 miles from home....I only got 4 out of the 6 changed and the engine runs perfectly smooth now....but I'll change the other 2 when I get home to the shop instead of a ****ty parking lot....another somewhat inexpensive thing I checked out on my car before I did the wires were the coil packs....they cost about $23 a piece which isn't that bad, and took 15-20 mins to replace.....my connections were pretty corroded so i just threw in new coils....it wasn't till the spark was arcing through my finger to other wires when I replaced the wires.....and they are tough, especially the front 2 on the passenger side, but do it from underneath the car and when it's done, you'll feel a power gain

smithtim

they usually offer some silcone grase to you at the parts house when your buying the plugwires/coils etc., and it is worth the couple of bucks as if you put a little of it on the ends of the sparkplugs + ends of the coils it will really help prevent against wear, especailly if you are parking outside