engine cutting out on accel.

i have a 96 grand am se with 108,300 miles on it. jsut a few days ago after i washed the engine out it started to no want to go on acceleration. it would like cut out and the car would jerk until it got past 2nd gear. it got to the point where i couldnt even move cuz the engine would stall out and the check engine light would start blinking. well i took it to the shop to have the code read off. it read "multi - cylinder missfire" on almost all the cylinders exept 3. they changed the spark plugs and ohm tested the wires (they were good), but it still did the same so they put fuel injector cleaner in it and changed the o2 censor..(dont no why) and then they found a hose or sumthing that was disconected so they reconected it. well not it runs better but the check engine light came back on and its it cutting out somewhat on some take offs, but still isnt right. Is there any thing that you know of that could be making the engine do this???


p.s.- also i have recently noticed that my coolant is leaking out slowly. i added some and with in a week the coolant light comes back on and needs added to. i thought it was my water pump but after reading about the LIM gasket leaking in these cars i checked and it looks like it is leaking from there. there is coolant on the block where the seal is and its all down in the lower motor and when i drive it then park it it smells like somethings burning and i open the hood and i think it was the cooant making the smell. anyways thx for reading this long ass post.

well i think it was my fuel pump. its getting replaced and il c if it runs.

Hey welcome to the forum. Your hesitation problem sounds like it could deffinately be related to a bad coil pack(s). This especially makes sense since it happened after you washed it - water most likely fouled one or more of your coil packs. Have autozone test your coil packs, or you can test them yourself.

i already had that checked by my garage. he said that there was nothing wrong with it. there replacing the fuel pump now because when it sits for a day it start and runs good but still cuts out. and when u turn the key on the fuel pump isnt humming. thx any ways

no problem - makes sense. At least you got it narrowed down to the pump. Hopefully that will fix it.

ya im hopin because fuel pumps arnt cheap to have changed lol

if the fuel pump doesnt fix your problem have your t.p.s. checked i ran into a similar problem on a cavalier recently.

With what you said about AFTER you washed the car it started to act up! That tells me that it is most likly a electricle problem. With the cost of the fuel pump at around $400 and then the labor, I really do hope this does fix it for you! I would also sudjest looking at the T.P.S. or the fuel pressure regulator before having the fuel pump replaced. But that might be because I'm too damn cheap to pay for the pump! LOL let us know what happens!
Good Luck

i have a 96 grand am se with 108,300 miles on it. jsut a few days ago after i washed the engine out it started to no want to go on acceleration. it would like cut out and the car would jerk until it got past 2nd gear.

The '96 SE has the Quad 4, correct? My '93 SE would have the same problem every time I got the engine wet, or even when it had been sitting outside in very heavy rain. The engine starts running normal again after 15-30 min of driving.
The problem went away after I replaced the coil housing (plastic piece that holds the 2 coil packs and connects to the spark plugs). You should check yours for any signs of damage or wear that might cause the spark to arc out. It's a realtively cheap part, so if you're still scratching your head you might just want to replace it. I am told that it's fairly common for these to wear out above 100k miles on the Quad 4.

Scavolia is right! The Coil Housing is known to fry itself and short out. Also, there is another thing that goes that a lot of people forget to check, which is the spark plug boots (Should be Grey in color) Most of the time they always look brand new because they are under the cover away from the dirt. But they can get a hairline crack in them and then if water does get in there, it will cause them to arch out to the block. Just make sure they aren't cracked or brittle. Try taking the cover off and drying it all up really good and see if that helps at all.