Engine hesitating on acceleration

[Mike75]

My Bird is hesitating - jolting, even - upon acceleration. It's not the mounts, it seems to be a firing problem. I blew my upper radiator hose not too long ago, and coolant got all over my distributor. Does this sound like it might cause this problem?

Thanks!

[97Bird]

It could be. Did the problem start shortly after the hose blew? Clean the cap well, inside and outside. Also check for carbon tracks on the cap after you clean it.

[Mike75]

Actually, I have been racking my brain about what has changed in the past week, and I thought about the gas. It has been impossible for me to find 93 Octane here, which is what I put in it in Georgia. So I went and got some of that STP Gas Treatment, and (maybe it's just me) it seems to be doing a lot better. I didn't have a lot of road to test it out on, since it's rush hour in L.A., so I will wait until tonight to really try it out. Does this seem possible to you?

And oh yeah, after posting this thread, I went out and removed my distributor cap only to discover that all of the contacts were heavily rusted/corroded. I have a small metal file set, so I filed all of the rust off, including the head of that arm on the actual distributor. What did you mean by carbon tracks, btw? I want to look for them.

Thanks for the quick response, man!

[intrcptrbird]

why are you running 93 in it? unless its a super coupe or you did some mods and a computer that engine is designed for 87 octane. and no you wont find 93 at any major sations in LA becuase in the south they run a lot of alternate fuel mixtures (meanin ex: ethonal and gas) and out here we run mostly straight gasoline. That shouldnt make a HUGE difference either I say your distributor is the problem after you said that about it being rusted. I say just but a new cap and rotor they arent very expensive.

[97Bird]

Don't mess around with the old cap. As Intrcptrbird said- install new cap and rotor for best performance. Carbon tracks are thin lines that can develop between the cap contacts or down the side of the cap allowing the energy that should be going to one spark plug to jump to the contact next to it or down the side of the cap to ground. It causes misfiring of the plugs or a dead cylinder. You can mess with your buddies by using a pencil or black paint (silver is better but they can spot it easier) to draw a line between contacts or from the contact down the side of the cap so that when you put the cap back on the line will touch the metal of the distributor body! Have you checked your plugs lately? It might be time to replace them, also. Using 93 octane or fuel conditioner is a waste of money if the car is tuned up properly.

[Mike75]

I'll go get a cap and rotor right now. Thanks!

As for the octane ratin - I get a really bad knocking if I don't. Any suggestions?

[RahX]

get a can of seafoam. they sell it at autozone. its like 5$ a can. i usually run half a can in the gas every other oil change but you might want to fill up and dump a whole can in. that stuff does wonders with carbon and gunk. it sounds like youve got carbon buildup on the pistons. also, when was the last time the headgaskets were replaced. i konw its been said a million times on this forum but 3.8 headgaskets pop quite a bit. it getting hot and whatnot can only make that happen faster :\

[intrcptrbird]

I remember your other thread talking about overheating and such and there might be a chance that these two are related. I say replace the distributor cap and rotor then replace the head gaskets and THEN see how it acts. It might be fixed after that.

[Mike75]

Yeah, I need to replace the head gaskets asap. Oh, and 97 - I replaced the distributor and rotor (MUCH cheaper than I always thought), but the problem's still there. The engine does sound like it's idling smoother, tho - so thanks!

Now, about the head gaskets...I think I'm going to try to do it myself. I have the day off tomorrow and need to do this anyways. I can spend the thousand bucks in a few months, but I would really love to get this done right away. I must admit that I am pretty damn handy, but I wonder if I'm going overboard. Is there any part of it that I need any special tool for? It looks to me like the plenum/throttle assembly will be the hardest parts to remove. What do yall think? Am I retarded for thinking that I can do this in a day?

RahX, I have used SeaFoam in the past and will do it again - thanks for reminding me.

[97Bird]

By rights you should use new head bolts which might be hard to find "on the shelf" somewhere. You should have the heads checked to be sure they aren't warped and also use a straight edge on the block to be sure it's straight. Put rags in the cylinders and valley before you start scraping gaskets to try and keep out as much crap as possible. Use a vaccuum and air hose to clean them out when you are done with the gasket removal. Since you haven't done this before, plan on a LONG day so that you don't have to rush (that's when mistakes happen). Use masking tape to mark all wires and such that you remove so you know where to put them back during reassembly. Don't forget to change the oil when you are done with reassembly and before you fire it up. It would be better to do this when you have everything you need before hand- bolts, gasket set, parts cleaner or kerosine, straight edge,gasket scraper, oil & filter, antifreeze, swivel joint for socket set, extentions, good set of wrenches, etc. I haven't taken the heads off of a V6 but I'm sure someone else will have more insight into the problems you might encounter. Good Luck and take your time!

[Mike75]

Thanks dude - I think I can pull it off. I won't have anymore to do it today, but hopefully thursday...

Another thing I was thinking that it could be is the exhaust. This could cause bogging down on acceleration - right? With my head gasket issues, could the exhaust get crudded up somehow and cause this bogging to happen? I'm not trying to get out of the head gasket replacement, I'm just trying to take care of everything that needs it.

Thanks again!

[97Bird]

I'd change the headgaskets and then see how it runs before worrying about the exhaust. Have you checked for any codes being shown?

[Mike75]

well, my check engine light isn't coming on, so can I still pull the codes?

[97Bird]

You can see if any codes are there. Maybe your light doesn't work. It doesn't cost anything to check so why not!

[Mike75]

Okay, I'll do that. By the way, this mechanic dude suggested that it might be my harmonic balance. I checked the crank pulley during idle, but it does not seem to wobble - but then again, it doesn't shake or whatever when idling, only under a load. Sound like a possibility?