engine acting strange...

My engine has been acting up lately. The main problem is that when i'm just travelling normally, it will act like i let off the gas sometimes and then just go back to normal. Sometimes it will sputter for a few seconds and i push the clutch in and it goes back to normal. I am thinking it is the fuel pump, but if the fuel pump was bad wouldn't the car jsut not work. A better way to describe the problem would be that the engine acts like i'm hitting the speed limiter. I cut that wire by the way. Any thoughts would be greatly appreciated. The other odd thing is that this is an inconsistant thing. Thanks

well it could be a few things i would start by changing the fuel filter, and it could be the fuel pump cause when a fuel pump get weak it can cause liquid lock. oh and does it happen when you first get going or have you noticed it not starting after you kill it directly after a short drive or if it has a loss of power when ever you jump on it somethimes.if so i would say fuel pump. cause thats what mine did i changed the fuel filter ,no change then i changed the fuel pump and that fixed the problem

perhaps some Mystery Oil on a full tank of gas might help, since it cleans out your fuel injectors and anything fuel related

just my 2 cents, my car has a problem with fuel too, so i'm gonna try it soon enough

I kinda thought it was the fuel pump b/c i already changed the fuel filter to a 300zx. I cleaned the throttle body. It acts like it is getting no gas. I'll probably get a walbro pump or something.

do you have trouble starting the engine?

like you'll turn the iginition, but it'll just make the noise but the engine just wont "spark"?

it could be your PCV valve too, my friends and i are gonna clean it with WD40, see if that does anything

make sure your fuel line isn't pinched near the filter. Also try seafoam it cleans your injectors well and helps the idling.

no problem starting. Its just when I'm traveling along it acts like the fuel cuts off. It is completely random, not consistant, and speed and rpm are not a factor.

does your engine completely die?

in the past week i have replaced the fuel pump and rotor and cap of the distributor. The conductor on the rotor was completely gone. Now the engine has the problem all the time. It won't even idle correctly. if i push the gas it misfires and does not go up. it feels like the engine is completely missing. All the wires are on correctly. It was running fine all the way to work and then when i went to pick up a friend after work, it started the problem and would barely run. I need to have it fixed by monday or i'm fucked.

check your spark plugs maybe it is cracked or needs to be replace. Also just make sure your wires are correct, when you look at the dist., think of a compass and the west is 1, north is 2, south is 3, east is 4. Just make sure that is correct.

now it seems like the timing is whacked. It misfires consistently and backfires a lot. any suggestions would be appreciated.

Off hand I would guess a problem with the plugs/wires. If you are not getting any spark to 1 or more cylinders it seems the timing is off. If it was lack of fuel the car would more than likely die. Putting in a new pump and adding more fuel would make the car seem even more goofy. If you start a jdm engine still in the clip it acts much the same way(bad plugs).

Your MAF is going bad. At least that's what happened to me when it did the same shit your car is doing. Could be your 02 sensor too though, but I doubt it. If you're sure that it's not a fuel or spark problem, then it's a mixture problem, which means that it's a sensor.

I would try adding another ground to your MAF. In a SOHC, it's the black wire (out of 3 wires). Just splice another wire into the black one and run it to your engine ground. Dunno what one is the ground on a DOHC though.

One of the plugs was screwed up. I put some NGKs in and it ran fine. I took it to school today and on the way there, it started the shit again. On the way home it did it too. I took one of the plugs out and it was kinda white on the fork. I guess its running a little lean. Ill try a new MAF. Thanks to everyone for the advice.