Engine starts fine but runs poorly

[formula driver]

I need help quick. I just dropped 200.00 dollars Friday to insure this car and put plates on it. First it was just hesitating slightly. It got worse and worse and now the car wont run at all. It was backfiring, loosing almost all power, jerking real bad when accelerating, and hesitating. It got worse and worse through the course of about 45 mins then just wouldnt run at all. Anybody have any idea what this could be. Ignition coil, rotor or cap? Please help guys. My car is parked at the alagacy bank and they will tow it if I leave it there too long. They tow it and my breyton front is trashed. Thanks in advance.

Oh yea... it would start fine and run fine up to about 2500 rpm then it would hesitate and backfire.

[formula driver]

Can somebody please help me with this???

[PanamaE30]

Check...

Fuel Pump
ICV
AFM

And of course.. check to make sure you have gas in the car.

then check all the other shit lol

[AdamF 88iS]

Check...

Fuel Pump
ICV
AFM

And of course.. check to make sure you have gas in the car.

then check all the other shit lol

Not fuel pump or ICV, I can tell you that much right now.

AFM is a good cantidate though, as well as vacuum leaks. It could be the cap and rotor, but they'd have to be pretty far gone for it to run this poorly.

[formula driver]

Thanks fellas. I'll check these things. Any other things I could check while Im at it?

[formula driver]

It seems to me that if the AFM was bad it would start poorly and idel poorly. Im gonna see if I can do a better job of describing the problem.

It started out just hesitating slightly, then it started backfiring and would loose power at RPM's above 3000. It started fine and ideled fine. It started getting worse and worse. The motor would start loosing almost all power and would backfire and hesitate and the car would jerk at RPM's above 3000. It got to the point where it would real poorly to the point that I couldnt even drive it a 1/4 of a mile. The more throttle I gave it the more it hesitated and lost power. Its parked at the bank 30 mins from my house so Im gonna have to do the work at the bank as I dont have money to tow it and fix it so I need to have a good idea of what work I need to do to get it running again. Thanks again guys.

[PanamaE30]

I didn't see the backfiring part. yeah, the rules out the ICV and pump easy.

Funny thing, i had a similar symptom on my way home.. i think i have a leak somewhere and water got in my fuel tank.. i started losing power and at around 2500rpm the car would just lag. I even got some backfiring. i managed to limp to a gas station and put more gas in and it started running better.. maybe that can help.

[formula driver]

I thought at first it could have just been bad fuel so I put some new fuel in and it didnt help.

[kowalski]

have you looked at your spark plugs? i doubt its a leak cause it wouldn't idle if it had a vacume leak unless it was a slit in the hose and the psi has to build up b4 it colapses the hose enough to make a differnence. but check your plugs.

[formula driver]

have you looked at your spark plugs? i doubt its a leak cause it wouldn't idle if it had a vacume leak unless it was a slit in the hose and the psi has to build up b4 it colapses the hose enough to make a differnence. but check your plugs.

I havent checked my plugs. It thought about them, I have the platinum four tips too so maybe that could be my problem. It also smells like unburnt fuel from my exhaust.

I have a question that may lead to my problem. If the car is backfiring it has to do something with the motor not cumbusting properly right? Meaning Im not geting a proper spark.

Also... could this have anything to do with the timing of the motor?

[kowalski]

yes it could have to do with the timing of the motor, has it done this since you'v owned it? change out those platinum plugs, those have been the problem for many many cars, the unburnt fuel smell gives it away. if the plugs are all you havn't checked go pick up some bosch supers, put them in and be done with it.

[formula driver]

My reason for not checking the spark plugs is because if they were fouled it would not start right up would it?

[formula driver]

yes it could have to do with the timing of the motor, has it done this since you'v owned it? change out those platinum plugs, those have been the problem for many many cars, the unburnt fuel smell gives it away. if the plugs are all you havn't checked go pick up some bosch supers, put them in and be done with it.

No it has not done this sense Ive owned it. The entire ignition system is new. The timing belt was replaced a couple thousand miles ago.

[kowalski]

no it would, i had the same problem same symptoms, would stall some times and then i could drive it for a while after i let it sit. then i popped new plugs in and it went away.

[formula driver]

no it would, i had the same problem same symptoms, would stall some times and then i could drive it for a while after i let it sit. then i popped new plugs in and it went away.

Cool, then the spark plugs will be the first thing I check. Thanks alot man youve been a huge help.


Anybody else have any idea's.

I was talking to my dad and brother about this and I was making the point that the motor could start up and run fine with a weak spark but wouldnt run well on that same weak spark.