3800 HELP!

black00gt

Member
Aug 21, 2008
88
0
Okay, so about a week ago, I'm doing about 30, punch it, car downshifts, and throws a check engine light. Everything worked fine, car still ran okay, accelerated fine, all that stuff. So I go to Autozone after work to have them check what the light is for, guy the plugs in, looks at the thing (now it was dark out and I couldn't see it) and tells me to "check my hoses" I ask him what it said and again he says "check your hoses" i'm like, uhhhh....okay, then he continues to tell me he "erased it" (i have a DHP, so please tell me he didn't mess anything up) and if it comes back on to check my hoses. So whatever, I leave.
Now, this tuesday, I'm on the gas(and I just realzied I'm making it sounds like I beat the living crap out of my car, but beleive me I dont, I need to watch my ass cause of tickets) a car goes in front of me and I have to go straight from accelerator to brake, as I'm braking the car dies. I try to start it, it starts fine but as soon as it starts the revs drop and the car dies, i try again, same result, the third time it stays started but the rpm's are bouncing from 500-1000, I was like a block from my house so I drive home w/ no problems. About 30 mins later I start the car back up, nothing wrong at all, rpms stay where the should and everything, I rev it a little, again car stays on.
Now last night I'm driving and I realize that whenever I get off the gas, my RPM's drop and sit at about 800-900, not a block later, car dies again, this time i was just rolling b4 it died. I try starting it a few times and it keeps dying everytime, so I push it home, bring it in the garage and swap my stock PCM back in, start it up, and again no problem, but after reving it about 3 times it dies again, although now it will start right back up no problem, RPM's drop a little bit but then even out, but if I even rev to 3k it'll die on the way back down.

Does anyone ahve any ideas?
Also the car has 71k mi and i dont think its ever been tuned up(just bought it this summer w/ 65k on it)

I'm debating on just throwing all the stock stuff back in and taking it to the dealer since I have a warranty, but I just dont want to so I'm trying to figure it out myself first.
 

black00gt

Member
Aug 21, 2008
88
0
Well, I'll give the MAF sensor a try, and I was also wondering about a vacuum leak, but like you said, I need to know the code(cause I sure as hell don't hear one), and I have no idea what the code is/was, I dont even know which PCM I should keep in there to try and see if a code comes back. Thanks for the ideas, I'll keep going with the guess and check method for now.
 

black00gt

Member
Aug 21, 2008
88
0
YES!!!!! I THINK I FIXED IT! (a first) Well, I put all the stock parts back on the car along with cleaning out the thottle body (btw, I dont think I'm ever putting a fenderwell intake on my car again) and woohoo!!! the car is running consistently, now I don't know if it was just the throttle body or not, so I'm gonna give it a month or so and I'll start slowloy putting parts back on, starting w/ that damn PCM, and see if anything makes it act funny.
Basically just wanted to update and say thanks to those who had input.
 
I

imported_Ron Vogel

Guest
It is most likely a vaccuum leak. I'd check the condition of the vac line elbow to the EVAP from the TB first (it tends to crack over time), or the rubber grommet on the brake booster. Switching around a few of the things you did may have reset something, like the IAC. It can stick occasionally mimicing a vac leak, and swapping PCM's may have unstuck it when the PCM had to determine a baseline IAC setting. When this problem occurs again, first clean out the iac port and pintle, then put a few drops of lube like WD40 on the rod for the pintle and push it all the way in. Before reinstalling coat the pintle with vasoline. Hook it back up, then put the ignition to the "on" postion, but don't start the car. It will readjust to it's last known good postion. After about 20 seconds you should be good to go. If it is the IAC, that should fix it.
 
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