Engline light & sputtering when giving gas

tom_mc · #1 12-17-2004, 12:47 PM

My engine light came on and when I give the car gas it sputters but then catches up and drives fine except when I step on the accelerator...is this a fuel pump problem? Don't know what the engine light means...it comes on periodically for engine maintenance and I've ignored it this whole time...the car has 177,000 miles on it.

Ridenour · #2 12-18-2004, 06:22 PM

I'd say that sounds like your fuel pumps dying - specially if it's a GA with 177,000 miles on it. Take it into Autozone and get those codes read - it's free and it'll help you figuire out what's wrong. My bet is the fuel pump.

Ridenour · #3 12-18-2004, 06:23 PM

Hell, just thought of it - might even be your fuel pressure regulator or fuel rail.

adrenalin2k4 · #4 12-18-2004, 08:13 PM

I am experiencing the same problem myself. The only code i get is code# 26, which is for the quad driver module. No big deal there. I have replaced the fuel pressure regulator, fuel rail, throttle position sensor and idle air control valve. I am getting fuel to the engine, but it lacks the desired pressure needed to perform like it should. My next step is to replace the fuel filter, because it seems that it is stopped up or something is blocking the fuel delivery. I am going to do this in the morning. I will post the results when i get finished. if that doesn't fix the problem the final step for me will be to replace the fuel pump. I will let y'all know how things turn out. In my experience with other vehicles, on a GM make of engine if the fuel pump is going it will just go out without no warning at all. But like i said it is my last resort if the changing of the fuel filter doesn't solve the problem. Mine is a 1992 Grand Am with a 2.3L quad 4 dohc engine with 128,000 miles on it.

adrenalin2k4 · #5 12-19-2004, 12:08 PM

Well, i changed out the fuel filter and the engine is running a little better now. The fuel filter had a little dirt in it, but nothing to cause the problem i am having. Tomorrow i am going to change out the fuel pump and hopefully that will fix the problem. I will post and let y'all know how things turn out.

adrenalin2k4 · #6 12-20-2004, 07:48 PM

Well i changed out the fuel pump today. It only took me an hour and a half from start to finish. Sadly to say that it wasn't the problem. The old one was wearing out but it still did have some life left in it. i won't have to worry about the fuel pump for a while now. But, in my mist of committing harry carey on the car i decided to unplug the map sensor. Well low and behold the car is running fine, but... it will stall when i come to a complete stop. Well i guess i am going to have to come up with $30 tomorrow to replace it. If that happens to be the culprit i am totally going to be embarressed. i did check my codes from the ecm and it never once showed a map sensor fault at all. Well i will post back tomorrow and let y'all know how things turn out.

adrenalin2k4 · #7 12-21-2004, 07:46 PM

Well i replaced the MAP sensor and that took care of my problem. The car is running fine now. I drove it today for over 100 miles and it did well, but it still has a small problem. When i am at a stop light, i go to take off when the light changes and the engine stumbles badly. I have to ease into the throttle. When i ease into the throttle the car does very well, but if i need to take off quicker, it is like the fuel is overloading the injectors. Almost like the thing is starving for air or vapor locking like the old carbs used to do. does anyone have any ideas on what my new problem might be. I have replaced the throttle position sensor, so i don't think it could be the problem. Please help on this one.

EZFrank · #8 12-21-2004, 09:38 PM

my friend had that same problem it was the egr valve try that see what happens hope this helps.

april15_ · #9 12-21-2004, 11:02 PM

Check the spark plugs, especially coil cover housing.

adrenalin2k4 · #10 12-29-2004, 10:45 AM

Well, I checked the coil packs and the spark plugs and they are just fine. All plugs are firing and seem to be working fine. On a 92' grand Am with a 2.3l Quad 4, pontiac decided to go woth an air/oil seperator instead of a true form EGR valve. However it does have a sensor that goes back into the air plenum. I was able to get the part very cheaply so i am going to replace that and my #2 injector this morning. I will post later on to let y'all know how everything turns out. myabe with a little luck i might be able to get this car back to the performance level that i am used to. I am actually very good when it comes to car repair, but this sucker actually has me baffled this time around. It wil act all goofy at an idle or in drive it doesn't matter to the car one bit. It is almost like the darn thing has jumped time, but i really and truely don't think that is the issue this time around. The timing chain and the all the gears are new and are properly installed by me. Thanks for your replies. Maybe by me posting my exploits here will help someone out in the future.

adrenalin2k4 · #11 12-30-2004, 10:38 PM

Well I decided to go ahead and replace all the injectors and the air/oil separator sensor. No luck this either. This car has me completely baffled this time around. I know the thing is getting fuel just fine, i can smell the emissions badly. It is getting very good vacumm as well. There is nothing blocking any kind of air going into the air throttle or the plenum itself. It will start up just fine but idles very poorly and runs like crap. I can stand and the throttle and it will runs very, very rough and it might get up to 40 mph. The tranny is just fine and shifts properly. but this thing lacks power. Oh and the compression is within specs. I even retimed the engine and no help there. I am at the very limits of my knowledge and talents. I simply do not know what else to do. I cannot afford to go and take it to a shop. I am on a fixed income and this is the only vehicle my family has. If anyone has any more ideas please send them my way. Thanks for your time and patience, i hope this thread might be useful to someone out there that may be experiencing the same problem i am.

Ridenour · #12 01-01-2005, 01:35 AM

Hmmm.... from what you said in your last post, I'd say it could be the cat converter. Plugged cat maybe.

adrenalin2k4 · #13 01-01-2005, 10:16 AM

I unclogged the catylitic converter about 3 weeks ago. it was completely stopped up. After i did that i changed out the O2 sensor. i even went as far as to check the rest of the exhaust and lokk for any more blockage. but with a stroke of luck yesterday, i found that the problem was in the new ECM that i put in when i first originally bought the car. What happened was that the air conditioner drain line was clogged coming from just inside the firewall. from being clogged it created it's own way to drain the line by creating a hole. so now the thing was draining, but it was draining into the car and filled up the little sub glove compartment. Appearantly it has been doing this for a while, because the water was overflowwing into the floorboard. But, instead of leaking to where i could actually notice it, it was leaking behind the plastic kick panel and then proceeded to fill up the ECM and created a short. I think it shorted out when we had one of our first unusually rare freezes in east texas. When i pulled out the ECM, it still had some water in it. The short that was created fired out part of the prom, the part of the prom which had the QDM #1 and #2. So that was the whole problem the whole time. i did check the codes in the ECM and it did give a fault with the #1 QDM like it did when i first got the car. but, it never showed the #2 QDM fault. I replaced the ECM but not the prom. The ECM only costed me about $90. But, the prom would run over $400 plus the diagnosis. So i would have run into over $500 by the time it was all said and done. But, i did have some good luck yesterday, because i was offered $1500 trade in on the car even with the problem that it had. So i went ahead and traded away a the car. The car only costed me $400 when i bought it. I had almost $400 in it. So i profittrd about $700, plus i got a 2001 Pontiac Grand Am with the 3800 V6 in it. My payments are under $300 per month, which is affordable for my budget. I hope that what has happenned to me doesn't happen o anyone else and i hope that someone (besides myself) has learned a little something from this. thanks to everyone for thier time a help. I am going to stick around and help out those that need the help. I am a Grand Am enthusiest and will continue to help those that need it. Thanks again for the time and help on this issue.

Forkliftguy · #14 01-01-2005, 08:05 PM

It's cool that you kept every one up to date with this stuff. My only objection to it all is that you threw a lot of money by just replacing parts that weren't broken. For example you could have done pressure checks on the fuel pump, which would have told you if the pump was any good or not. All said, that's a pretty good deal on the trade in. Hope the newer treats you better.

adrenalin2k4 · #15 01-09-2005, 11:15 AM

Actually the fuel pump pressure was about 15 PSI and it should be somewhere about 35 - 40. This car did have a mind of its own. Whne the car was right, it was a little hotrod of sorts. But, when it was off it was way off. When ECM got water logged it appearently shorted out everything, which i consider it an anomoly and chalked this one up to a lesson well learned. I am no way an amatuer when it comes to automotive repair. This one just absolutely baffled me. Thanks to evenone for thier replies and suggestions, it was very well appreciated. I am going to stick around and help out those in need of help. Thanks again for all the help.

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