Running crappie

bmktrexpro · January 03, 2004, 09:07:01 PM

Had a plugged cat. to the point it was cherry red. Put new cat on, still crappie, changed plugs except for two back ones, they are seized to motor. Any suggestions on how to remove them? The car ran a little better when the new cat went on, and seemed to run a little bit better when the new plugs and wires went on. Somebody told me that some of the cat junk went to my mufflers and could of clogged them up?

90TGP · January 03, 2004, 10:01:26 PM

Do you still have the original cross-x pipe? If you do, it's probably cracked and screwing up your O2 sensor readings.

TGPRobNY · January 04, 2004, 06:23:58 AM

While your at it..after you replace the x-over pipe, replace the 02 sensor.

bmktrexpro · January 04, 2004, 05:50:16 PM

Still have the original xover. I'm gonna replace the o2 sensor and try to get the other two plugs off, then I'm done. I really don't want to invest a lot of more money in this car, not unless GM has a recall on the xover? Thanks for the input, highly appreciated.

god910 · January 04, 2004, 08:11:15 PM

Don't waste the money on a new o2 unless you fix the X first. Your new o2 will be shot before you know what happened.

Chris A · January 04, 2004, 09:13:15 PM

Spray some penetrating catalyst around the base of the spark plug let it soak overnight and do it again. then use a big ratchet and go for it.

bmktrexpro · January 08, 2004, 07:41:23 AM

Thanks for the info. How much does a new X-over cost?

jheiv · January 08, 2004, 09:05:10 AM

I would have to say the consensus on this board is replacing your x-over with a Jeff M x-over. I am almost positive that it's cheaper that OEM replacement and it is fabricated to prevent the same problem from reoccuring (cracked flex joints).

Chris A has some info on his website...
http://aldridgec.home.att.net/TGP/Engine/crossover.htm

Also, if you want some more info, check out the w-body page... This has different types of fixes budget dependent...
http://www.w-body.com/service/engine-crossover.html

Hope it works.

Chris A · January 08, 2004, 09:48:23 AM

Its far cheaper than oem. And Jeffs Pipe has a lot of value built into it.

Value and price are two things we tend to butt heads on around here. Some guys can't or don't want to spend money on certain things which is fine. That doesn't mean something isn't worth its price. So there are ways to do things to get the job done and we PROMOTE the PROPER way to do things. That is if you cut corners then it will end up costing you or someone else in the long run.

I don't mean just with the cost of a repair either. When something isn't fixed right because of an expensive part, and its fixed badly that reduces the value of your car. If you have an accident or sell it then it is now worth less than if it was done right. Even if the person doesn't know it, the bad repair may surface and over several different cars (since the same BAD repair technique may be applied to them) will start reducing the overall value of the model.

So with that said, there are several posts around here about economical alternatives to common problems depending on which way you want to go on everything from ABS to Headliners.

Chris

turby · January 08, 2004, 01:42:57 PM

Try loosening the plugs when the engine is warm, but DO NOT TAKE THEM OUT. After the engine is cool they should come out rather easy.

florida_tgp · January 08, 2004, 09:28:04 PM

if you pull the ecm fuse for a few mintues, by the drivers strut tower, and then disconnect the O2 sensor, you can eliminate the Xover as the main issue. If the car drives okay without getting into the boost, then Xover affecting O2 is main supsect, after changing plugs.if it still runs crappie. you got other problems.

TGPRobNY · January 09, 2004, 08:15:33 AM

When installing new plugs, use a dab of anti-seize on the threads. It helps threading in and out.

god910 · January 10, 2004, 03:53:29 PM

Quote from: redturbo90Try loosening the plugs when the engine is warm, but DO NOT TAKE THEM OUT. After the engine is cool they should come out rather easy.

Hell, no, get the car hot as you can, yank them plugs and then buy some new heads. Get them PNP'd, and you will be happy. (But poor, and maybe mad because you destroyed your perfectly good heads.)

bmktrexpro · January 12, 2004, 07:29:53 PM

Got the plugs out, still running crapie though. Just out of curiosity put a code scanner and it pulled a code of 45. The book said that the O2 is reading the exhaust is to rich. The car runs fine at idle, it's when you step on the gas it bogs down and starts to spit and sputter then clears out until it goes into overdrive then back to running crappie. To me, exhaust is rich, to much fuel is being dumped, or to much air, or a combo of both?

no1kicker · January 12, 2004, 07:51:44 PM

rich means too much fuel. How old is your air filter, ignition wires, coils? I'm pretty sure that if you unplug the O2 sensor, the computer has predetermined values to run from. So if it runs better then that's one problem.