Car in the shop

[Brian95SVT]

Ok so my car has been running weird for a while now. I got my remanufactored Jasper motor a while back with the BBK Shorty Headers, BBK Catted X-Pipe plus the mods i already had which are MAC Underdrive Pullies, Flowmaster Catback. Well it felt like my tranny was slipping because when I slowly accelerated the car would studder for a second but then my brother told me it could have something to do with my either ignition not giving a strong enough spark or my emissions or something. well i take it up to advanced auto and get a dyagnostic test because my check engine light is still on *even after gettin the new motor, but we used some of the parts from the old motor to put it back to a "full" motor* and it said o2 sensor and emissions control something. so my dad takes it to the shop and they put it on their machine and it says the same thing.
now its gettin fix, but will that really stop the hesitating/studdering problem?
what happens if i still have this problem, what all could it be?
HELP!

 

[Jrgunn5150]

It's unlikely you are getting a weak spark, these motor's either spark or not, no middle ground there.

However the O2 sensor may be leading it to run very rich and that would make it accelerate sluggishly. Try the front O2's first, and see if that cures your acceleration problem. It will also probably cure the problem with the emissions thing, since that is most likely the rear O2's freaking out. BTW do you have an Offroad mid-pipe? and if so are the rear O2's turned off via a tune or MIL eliminator's?

 

[Brian95SVT]

no i have a catted x-pipe

 

[nyuk98gt]

my96gtstang:

O2 sensors are pretty critical to the operation of the engine (no flame intended). An accurate reading is required because the computer adjusts fuel based on those O2 readings. If the sensors are not working, the car will run lean or rich and, in either case, poorly. No guarantee that new O2 sensors will solve the problem completely but they will help a lot. Check for exhaust leaks, too, because they can mimic failing O2 sensors. Get under the car and use a long piece of plastic tubing pressed to your ear to track down the leak. Watch out for the hot piping, too!

If the car is still running poorly, you can do a few more things. Check your plug wires (measure ohms (resistance) and physical length and calculate "ohms per foot" for each; compare them and they should all be fairly close). If you get high resistance on one wire, replace them. Make sure the wires are well connected on the plugs too. Use an old plug to test fit each boot. The boots WILL slide on the wires and this can leave the metal tip too far up inside the boot to make a good connection. Use a small dab of dielectric grease inside the boots, too. Check the resistances of the coils (primary and secondary) -- the Haynes manual has a good write-up with specifications for the resistances. Clean the MAF (very carefully -- the wires are tiny and very brittle). Change the fuel filter if it has not been changed for a while (say, more than 20,000 miles). If you have access to a datalogger, you should log things like STFT's, spark, load, MAF counts, RPM, inlet air temp, ECT, etc. and see if any of the basics look out of whack.

Good luck and post back with an update.

HTH,

Chris

 

[Brian95SVT]

wow, holy shit thats alot of stuff haha
yeah im not a mechanic or anything. i dont know much about that
i know parts, and what parts go with what to make good setups but as far as workin on a car, im a complete noob and know nothing.....
i can change my oil but thats pretty much as far as ive gone when it comes to work on my car....
id like to learn more but i have no teachers.....
i am supposed to get the car back today
hopefully she runs alot better
i know o2s can seriously affect things so hopefully that fixes it up but if not.... i can only image its the tranny.
where could i go to get a full tune up??
maybe that would fix it..

 

[nyuk98gt]

my96gtstang:

Get yourself a Haynes manual (less than $20) at your local AutoZone or Borders Book Store and read through it. Leave it on the back of the toilet so it's handy! Get yourself some basic tools (or add to the collection at birthday and Xmas time or when stuff is on sale). Read through the tech articles on this board and others. The most important things to remember:
1. Everyone was a 100% newb from the wrenching point of view regardless of where they are now, and,
2. There are tons of resources available on these boards, you just have to ask, and,
3. There is no such thing as a stupid question, and,
4. Learning about your car (or anything, for that matter) is a good thing.

So, get out to the garage and get to know your GT better. You will be rewarded.

Chris

 

[Brian95SVT]

i have a haynes manual and my brother and dad have just about every tool. and they know what they are doin but me and my dad dont get along and my brother is to busy to sit there and teach me

 

[Jrgunn5150]

You gotta get in there and do it, that's the only real way. i'm sure they would be available to answer a question.

 

[Brian95SVT]

well me and my dad dont get along so theres a no go there
my brother said he would help me but i gotta find a day when hes not busy and actually wants to sit out there and teach me....

 

[jfor441]

I was in your shoes once upon a time. Cept me and my dad got along lOL but his job kept him traveling all the time. I had 88 Jeep Wrangler with a 4 Cyl in it. I blew the motor going through a mudhole. Got it back and thought oh shit. Went to a local boneyard and bought a 350 and th400 tranny from a van that ran for 400 bucks. Ordered a set of gaskets and rings. tore the motor apart and put the rings and basically just did a refresh. The transmission I got lucky on, it was a solid tranny. Then I went back to the boneyard and scavenged a front end, a rear end and transfer case out of 4WD Chevy 2500. I completely installed everything myself. Didn't have a clue what I was doing. I had a friend that worked at an off road shop and I would ask him all kinds of questions. Loooking back now, they were kind of stupid questions. When I got done, it wasn't pretty but it was very reliable vehicle. I learned so much doing everything that I am not scared to tear into my car now. BTW... I was 16 when i did all this.

Only things I haven't done on my car myself is the exhaust.

I guess the point I am trying to make, don't wait on anyone else. You have the book, read it, re read it and then read it again about what ever it is you are going to look at fixing.

Don't be skeered!

 

[Brian95SVT]

see which is why i wanna get that all stock one and start from scratch and just be able to pull the motor and stuff and work on it and take it apart and learn how it all works so im not scared to work on the car....

 

[UnNoticed46]

i just learned how t pull a motor out of a car about a month ago. its not as hard as u might think. i found it pretty simple. as long as u know how to turn a wrench then everything is cake. once u do it and look back u think damn that was easy.

 

[Fryrice]

my96gtstang:

O2 sensors are pretty critical to the operation of the engine (no flame intended). An accurate reading is required because the computer adjusts fuel based on those O2 readings. If the sensors are not working, the car will run lean or rich and, in either case, poorly. No guarantee that new O2 sensors will solve the problem completely but they will help a lot. Check for exhaust leaks, too, because they can mimic failing O2 sensors. Get under the car and use a long piece of plastic tubing pressed to your ear to track down the leak. Watch out for the hot piping, too!

If the car is still running poorly, you can do a few more things. Check your plug wires (measure ohms (resistance) and physical length and calculate "ohms per foot" for each; compare them and they should all be fairly close). If you get high resistance on one wire, replace them. Make sure the wires are well connected on the plugs too. Use an old plug to test fit each boot. The boots WILL slide on the wires and this can leave the metal tip too far up inside the boot to make a good connection. Use a small dab of dielectric grease inside the boots, too. Check the resistances of the coils (primary and secondary) -- the Haynes manual has a good write-up with specifications for the resistances. Clean the MAF (very carefully -- the wires are tiny and very brittle). Change the fuel filter if it has not been changed for a while (say, more than 20,000 miles). If you have access to a datalogger, you should log things like STFT's, spark, load, MAF counts, RPM, inlet air temp, ECT, etc. and see if any of the basics look out of whack.

Good luck and post back with an update.

HTH,

Chris

Whats up buddy ! :drunk:

What are you doin "sitting in the driveway" ? lol

 

[Brian95SVT]

i would like to talk a class or something where the go through everything.
idk maybe the hands on thing is the best way
but like i said i have no one that can take the time to teach me

 

[Jrgunn5150]

Hands on is definately best, just get in there and do it.

 

[nyuk98gt]

Whats up buddy ! :drunk:

What are you doin "sitting in the driveway" ? lol

LOL, yay, FryRice has not left the building! Glad to see you marauding around.

Well, I'm slowly working on 'driving up the street' but, as you know, I am old and don't type very quickly (no comments about spelling, please) so I'll be in the driveway for a while. :rollinglaugh:

Hey, help out "my96gtstang" while you're at it. The lad needs some encouragement to break out the tools. Share all that PI-swappin' experience, Truss!!

:thumb:

Chris

(my96gtstang: sorry about the non-tech content in your thread.)

 

[Brian95SVT]

its cool.

 

[Fryrice]

its cool.

Yeah,Chris is a great guy with a lot of knowledge ,or really good Google skills ,IDK which ,lol jk jk. He's a tharp shack for sure.

So when do you find out what the problem is My96 ? Im in the Va Beach area ,if you need any pointers drop me a line.

 

[Brian95SVT]

well we replaced the o2 sensor and an emissions control sensor and i was drivin to a friends house that same night and the CEL was still on. so now its back in the shop and hopefully it will get fixed....
where in VA Beach?
im in chesapeake. if you know where like the great bridge/hickory area is, thats where im at.
off Mt. Pleasant Rd