3.1 jarring miss

My 3.1 when driving will miss and really jerk the whole car. I smell raw fuel when starting the car and feel a miss when reving it in park. It feels like water in the gas but thats not the case. No fuel leaks. It started out just once a day but the more I drive it the more frequent it is getting. I hardly drive it now because of the hard jarring. I have changed the plugs, wires O2 sensor and fuel filter. Th e back 3 plugs are a bear to get to........

Back three aren't too bad, just tilt the engine forward as per the manual.

yeah, i know but thats pretty sad you have to do that to change a spark plug. They call it progress I guess?????? I call it poor engineering when you can't even get your hand back there without taking the alternator out!!!!
do all that to see if a plug is fouling.......

Back three aren't too bad, just tilt the engine forward as per the manual.

I hear ya. I picked up plugs andf wires for my GF's Lumina Van and I can't get at the back. I know how to do it from what I've read on here but what a pain.

Ahh, I have no experience with the van, sorry.

Lumina Van!!! What fun, just did one!!...... Run it up on ramps, crawl under the Passengerside and take the exhaust off the manifold, this will give the extra room you will need. I hope you have a swivel and quite a few extentions thoough!!!

Now for the original poster, Check your coil packs and make sure they have the correct resistance. You can take them off and Autozone can test them for free! The manual has all thes things you have to take loose to get them out, but here is the deal, unplug spark plug wires and label them, there are to small bolts on the tops of each coil pack, unscrew, and remove coil pack, instalation is reverse. I bet you have two cylinders missing, 1/4, 5/2, 3/6...Good luck!

two cylinders missing makes alot of sense in why its missing so hard......
I've changed the module and coils on a Olds Minivan 3.8 before so it shouldn't be a problem.

Lumina Van!!! What fun, just did one!!...... Run it up on ramps, crawl under the Passengerside and take the exhaust off the manifold, this will give the extra room you will need. I hope you have a swivel and quite a few extentions thoough!!!

Now for the original poster, Check your coil packs and make sure they have the correct resistance. You can take them off and Autozone can test them for free! The manual has all thes things you have to take loose to get them out, but here is the deal, unplug spark plug wires and label them, there are to small bolts on the tops of each coil pack, unscrew, and remove coil pack, instalation is reverse. I bet you have two cylinders missing, 1/4, 5/2, 3/6...Good luck!

Have you checked the crank sensor...

I just checked for error codes and there are none.. Would coils or crank sensor cause and error code????????????

It can But when mine died it didnt.
Hay I got something for you to try dont ask me but this worked on mine. Go on the passenger side at the front wheel follow the drive shaft with your hand up to the trani and feel for a plug with a couple of wires sticking out un plug it but dont damage the plug. that is your speed sensore. Once you have disconected it try to drive it let me know what happens. The plug you would be disconecting is your speed sensor. I dont get it yet but mine was missing and doing stuppid sh_t (dying all the time no codes) I disconnected that plug and car runs great just I dont know how fast Im going. Now I just have to find what is in that circuit that would cause the car to stall...

I have the 3.1 in a 95 lumina APV and the back plugs were much easier than the front. No rust. I broke 2 of the front 3 and need to put an easy out in the plug body and twisted it out with much force. Take off the air cleaner and they are not to bad to get at. Just lie across the engine at pull hard on the boots.
Mine is hesitating now. See 95 APV thread maybe a follow up.

It was the Crank Sensor. Thanks to all especially Jason Charette.........U called it first......

I dont get it yet but mine was missing and doing stuppid sh_t (dying all the time no codes) I disconnected that plug and car runs great just I dont know how fast Im going. Now I just have to find what is in that circuit that would cause the car to stall...

Sounds like you've got a sticky TCC solenoid. The VSS tells the ECM when the car is goin fast enough for the TCC to engage. (around 45mph) If the ECM thinks the car isnt moving, it will never engage the TCC. And without the VSS your speedometer wont work, obviously.