Been super busy lately... got called out on a few assignments but I did find the problem. It's the middle coil... I'm not getting any fire from it at all. I'm letting it sit till next week though b/c I've got to go back out again and the company is renting me a car. I'm going to take this oppertunity to get a few other parts as well. Thanks for all the help Jeff. I'll be back on the road in no time.

Yeah, you know I could never find a shop around here that would know what to do with it. lol

I'm going to follow your advice tomorrow, trust me. I appreciate the help. It's good to know that there's somebody out there that knows these things inside and out and has enough passion for them to try and keep em all running right. It's my daily driver and everybody that knows about it's limited manufacture says I should put it in storage somewhere and keep it spotless... we all know that's impossible. It's just too damn fun to drive. :)

As for getting another car... I did find a Fiero for 200 bucks that needs minor repairs but at least it's still a Pontiac. I know they're a pain to keep running but it's like driving a big go-kart... heh. Anyway, I'll post what I find as soon as I can. Hey, thanks again for helping.

Found this while I was bored and surfing. I think it's the prototype for our cars. I wish I had the cash to get it, but then again... don't we all?

Prototype

Well, that sucks. lol
Hmmmmmm.... looks like I'm putting in an order for NEW coilpacks.

Plugs that were in there were black and they were bosch platinum with the big ceramic coating and sure enough they were wore well below said ceramic. I found out about the problem with them after putting them in. There was one plug that was a bit wet when I pulled it out. I checked pressure at the FPR and it holds. It's realllllly weak under load now. I just took it to buy smokes after tinkering with it and it has no acceleration at all. Transmission mod holds pressure too so I'm guessing it's not the cause of the hard shifts. I'm going to get some coils off of a junker at the local scrap yard (the yard owner is now under orders to hold all GP's and NOT crush them till I get a look at them. lol) I figure coils need to be changed anyway and there are no other trouble codes. I figured the vac lines should be longer and further from the heated areas, thanks for confirming. I'll let ya know if the coils get it, I'm hoping they do. Also, Jeff, something I wanted to ask you about... You mentioned a performance/rebuild kit a while back in a post. You ever finish those? If not, can I get a list of what to look for. I'm sure others would like to get an idea too. I'm thinking of getting the performance coils from Summit but I'm going to at least test with the junkyard ones. I've always worked on my own stuff but I'm thinking this thing should see a shop. Thanks again for the reply, especially since I know you're a busy guy. I'm still saving for some of your parts, especially the x-over and chip. I wish money wasn't so tight b/c this poor car deserves some TLC.
-Ryan

BTW: This is off topic but there's a Le Baron ragtop in the scrapyard that still has it's turbo. I don't have any plans for it but the guy is waaaay cheap on his prices if you or anybody else can use it. I can get it off of there easy. ;)

Update, changed wires and plugs and checked vac on everything with pump. Still rough idle. I re-routed the vac lines and got a good check valve off what I think used to be a Lumina at the junkyard (they crushed all the freakin GP's)... but I'm still getting rough idle. Any ideas? I know my crossover is probably cracked since I can see smoke from it when I rev the engine but would that cause this bad of an idle. I mean it shakes like a coil pack isn't hitting right. I'm thinking about changing the packs but I just wanted to know if that x-over would cause this. BTW do I have my vac lines right? Here's the diagram I followed (cleaned up.)

Here ya go... I'm pretty sure this is right but maybe somebody like Jeff could back me up on it. Also, I took wiper hose and made connectors to join extra line in there so I could move it all away from the turbo/exhaust after losing a vacuum check valve and a LONG section of line.



Good luck.

Okay, this is getting old. My vacuum lines have melted for the FOURTH time. I'm starting to think somebody was in there before me and snipped some things because they?re REALLY close to the underside of the turbo. This time the main vacuum source to the HVAC/Cruise melted to the exhaust! I've re-routed everything but I'm an amateur at all this. The girlfriend and I were about to take a trip to Arkansas. The car started to shake like a crack-head in withdrawals before we were even out of state. Now, it runs rough if held at a steady speed. If you speed up or slow down it?s okay. Also, idle is fine while in park but when I put it in gear and try to drive the acceleration is slower than a stoner trying to do calculus. There?s another odd thing, the car doesn't shift until it?s near redlining. It did this when I first got it but I fixed it on accident (not really sure how I did it.) Just to test it I disconnected the HVAC/Cruise and plugged the line the TB and the check valve but it's still doing it. I changed the plugs (I used Bosch Platinum and I know now about the issue with this car and those plugs.) Now I?m kicking myself because I didn?t change the wires at the same time. I would have but my pocketbook is thinner than Kate Moss. Looks like I'm changing wires tomorrow. I'm also going to the junkyard to get a new vacuum check valve since mine melted and I had to epoxy the hole shut. I'm at my wits end with this car... I want to rebuild the damn thing but 1) I?ve never gotten a car to work again after tearing it apart and 2) I don't have the cash to replace ANYTHING right now. As a side note, I tried to pull it onto a slab in my back yard to work on it and got it stuck in my swampy yard. The bumper was on the ground! After jacking the car up and dropping bricks/sand under it I dug my way out and put it back in the front yard. Arrrrrgh! Jeff M, how do you do it? I'm about to lose it with this damn thing. If it wasn't a rare car I?d have already set it on fire and roasted marshmallows over the ashes!!! Any other suggestions of what to check? Oh, and is it a bad thing to have coolant leaking from your waterpump pully shaft? If it helps I got codes 33 and 45 but I figure 33 would be the plugs, which were worn pretty badly and 45 would be a melted vac line. Anybody? Should I just push it off a cliff and be done? Lol.