95 Eighty Eight Royale - Need Advice / Help

[jjones1193]

Hello, I have a 1995 Eighty Eight Royale with a 3800 series V6 engine. The car has around 220,000 miles on it. I have been reading the threads here and have learned a lot about my car. My problem is the car stutters sporadically. It will run just fine for a few minutes then it will just about jerk you out of the seat. Then run ok again. It does this at any speed, under load. Also while the car is idling it acts like it wants to stall. I have replaced the EGR valve, IAC sensor, and spark plugs. I have also cleaned the MAF. I have also had the ICM and coil packs checked. The engine light does not come on. There are no codes to be checked. I realize that the engine has a lot of miles on it, but I have never really had much trouble with the car, besides using a little oil. I hope that this can be fixed. I was planning on changing the plug wires again, and checking the fuel pressure. I was wondering what some of the people here would try next.

[Alibi]

Have you checked the fuel pressure at the rail? Should be around 40 PSI. I'm wondering if you've got a dying fuel pressure regulator. Oh, what about the fuel filter (they only last 12k miles)?

Also, you might look into replacing the coolant temperature sensor ($10-15) and the O2 sensor ($20). How many miles are on the plug wires? Are the battery cables tight and corrosion-free? You might also wan't to replace your PCV valve as they can occasionaly get gummed up after they get old (cheap...like $5).

[auto trainy]

Did you replace the wires w/ the plugs and were they AC Delco,GM motors run more consistant w/ AC delco,good luck.

[Alibi]

Ahhh, yes. When you replaced the plugs did you use AC Delco? I forgot to mention this but the 3800 especially hates Bosch plugs, but in general the motor will run better with AC Delco as that is what the engine was designed to run with.

If you end up replacing the plug wires as well, don't get really cheap ones. On plug wires, you pay for what you get to an extent. Basically, anything less than about $20 is trash, anything more than $30 is overkill. Basically, mid-range 8mm wires from a name brand is a good rule of thumb.

You can test the condition of your plug wires as well. Find a spray bottle that has a mist function and fill with water. Drive the car to a dark road or dark garage. With the motor running, spray a small amount of water onto the plug wires. If you start to see small arcs, then you've definately got bad plug wires.

[jjones1193]

Thank you everyone for the help. I do use delco parts. I'll try these suggestions. If anyone has any other thoughts, please post. Thanks again.