Problem with my 1988 Iroc z camaro HELP!!!!

When i got my iroc it was sitting for about 2 years and finally i brougt it back to life. I changed the fuel pump and filter. i was was driving it from then till now with one problem and that is the car jerks or hesistate when i reach 20mph, when i step on the gas the car jerks a few times before it picks back up. i have changed the Mass air flow, tps , iac, nothing helped. i changed the distributer cap, roter, pick up coil, and wires and nothing help. when the car is cold it does not jerk but after a few minutes of driving it starts. i notice when i clean the ports it helps but dont want to clean it every day. ANY ONE OUT THERE CAN HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Sounds like a sloppy O2 reading.

Also replace the coolant temp sensor, it costs $7 at auto zone. It is located on the front of the intake manifold and it is the smaller of the 2 things up there.

Could be the torq converter shuttering

Can someone who knows Camaro please tell me what the timming is on a 1988 iroc z camaro with the 305 engine code F. I dont have the sticker on the hood and i just did the ignition system and need to set timming. Thank you

Sounds like a sloppy O2 reading.



i noticed that the car hesistates( jerks) when i hit about 1500 rpm comming off the line, the rpm drops very quickly and when i go to give it gas it jerks, do you think it might be o2 sensor still.

The timing is 6* BTDC at idle in gear (parking brake on, wheels blocked and don't rev the engine) WITH the EST wire disconnected. It is a brown wire with black stripe atthe back of the engine bay on passenger side. The wire is a single connector that comes out of the loom then goes back in. The connector should be outside the loom. Disconnect it and start the car (don't worry about the check eng light, it is on because the EST is disconnected). Let it warm up, then put in D with brakes on and wheels blocked. Set to 6* BTDC then shut car off and reconnect EST wire.

I would start with the coolant temp sensor and see if that fixes it. I had the same problem on a 91 Formula and it was the CTS. After that you can try an O2 sensor. But then it may come down to the injectors.

i have a new problem.. well not new my irocz keeps on shutting off while i am driving, i took all of your advice and i changed the o2 sensor and the CTS, but the car still would not run right. Today i was driving it and the car stared to go crazy i mean crazy.... the rpm started to jump and when i go to give it gas nothing i was pushing on the pedal and the car started to jerk. Any idea what it could be.....

if the MAF relay, Burn off relay are bad will that cause the car to shut off while driving?

by the way i wan to thank you for the o2 suggestion my sensor was not working at all and the the CTS also was bad so that was very helpful.

Well, with that much going on and already 2 bad sensors, I would replace ALL of the sensors, except the MAF (too expensive). If the MAF relays were bad they would throw a code 33 & 36 (power and burn off respectivly).
If it just starts jerking and won't really respond when giving it gas, replace/check the throttle position sensor. A bad one of these will make your engine do all sorts of weird things. NEVER EVER get the TPS wet (washing the engine, etc), they are NOT waterproof. Could be that someone wanted to wash the engine on your car and now the TPS is toast.

When i got my iroc it was sitting for about 2 years and finally i brougt it back to life. I changed the fuel pump and filter. i was was driving it from then till now with one problem and that is the car jerks or hesistate when i reach 20mph, when i step on the gas the car jerks a few times before it picks back up. i have changed the Mass air flow, tps , iac, nothing helped. i changed the distributer cap, roter, pick up coil, and wires and nothing help. when the car is cold it does not jerk but after a few minutes of driving it starts. i notice when i clean the ports it helps but dont want to clean it every day. ANY ONE OUT THERE CAN HELP!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!
bad gas, if it was sitting for two years. syphon it out, or if its too late let it idle until its low, then refill and add aditives like lucas, and yeah after all that clean the ports again.:popcorn:

I have been driving the car now for two years since i brought it back to life so i dont think it is the gas. As for the sensor i have changed so far the MAF(BOSH $180), TPS($33), CTS($12), O2(Denso $28), IAC(Delco$63). The fuel pump is new and fitler is new, By the way can someone confirm the timming for my car it is a 1988 irocz camaro v8, TPI 5.0 305ci Vin F. I set it to 6* but the car is very sluggish. Are the burn off relay and MAF relay interchangable? and if they are bad would it cause the car to shut off while driving.

try 10 degrees, and sorry I though the had been sitting for two years before you brought it to life, my bad

Make sure you set the plug gap to .035, which is what the emissions tag should indicate. Alot of manuals for some reason list the gap wrong at .045.

By the way can someone confirm the timming for my car it is a 1988 irocz camaro v8, TPI 5.0 305ci Vin F. I set it to 6* but the car is very sluggish. Are the burn off relay and MAF relay interchangable? and if they are bad would it cause the car to shut off while driving.
6* BTDC with the EST wire DISCONNECTED. Never had any problems with either of my TPI's running at 6*.
The MAF power and burnoff relays are interchangeable and yes, if the MAF power relay is bad/going bad it can cause the car to shutoff or jerk violently...but it will set a code 33. If your burnoff relay has failed and you keep driving it (weeks) you can get a build up of gunk on the MAF wire and cause false readings and problems...Bad burn off wil set code 36.

sorry i have been alittle busy with the holidays, but i am starting to think this car is haunted or something and ways as it is right the car drives horrible i changed the o2 and it is still jerking at 20mph comming off the line and it is still shutting off on me while im am driving and on top of it all at lease once a week i would start ans the idle would be at 15-20 rmp and stay there so i let it warm up, it only drops about 5 rpm so i drive it then suddenly it start to jerk all on its own and then idleing all crazy .....high then low then it would stall out and i would have to shut it off. then it would run good on a restart. just to update u i exchanged the MAF with another one from the parts store and i also changed the burn off and MAF relay ......nothin is working. i have a question i dont know if you have a mental immage of where the relays are located on a 88 irocz 5.0 but there are three relays in a row on the firewall...i changed the two on the right and left leaving the middle one because i think that the fuel pump relay (not sure) however there is a relay on a bracket on top of the three thats there and i dont know what thats for..it looks different from the maf and burn off relay which are similar to the fan relays. Anys i know its alot but i am stuck

http://www.eecis.udel.edu/~davis/z28/ecm_swap/ecms-photos1/fuelpumprelay85.jpg
the relay kinda looks like this one with that harness...this cant be the fuel pump relay on a 88 irocz because when i look it up it does not match. my fuel pump relay look more like the one that is in between the maf/burn off relay.