Savage388's Car

[Slash]

Sounds like a small timing issue than anything.

 

[savage388]

Sounds like a small timing issue than anything.

Can't be, once it warms up its fine. The miss is super common in these csfi 4.3 engines, it's either the fpr and "spider" injectors or the iac is junk.

 

[Joey D]

Are you getting a code at all? I seem to remember when I had a misfire with my Blazer it was due to the EGR valve and gasket were cracked. You might want to take a look at that. Also, you can always try running Seafoam through the engine, I swear by the stuff since I'm almost certain it's some sort of black magic potion. It's solved nearly every single engine issue that I couldn't diagnosis with my racecar.

 

[savage388]

Are you getting a code at all? I seem to remember when I had a misfire with my Blazer it was due to the EGR valve and gasket were cracked. You might want to take a look at that. Also, you can always try running Seafoam through the engine, I swear by the stuff since I'm almost certain it's some sort of black magic potion. It's solved nearly every single engine issue that I couldn't diagnosis with my racecar.

Yea the ses light is on but it's not blinking for a miss even though it's really bad when I try to drive with a cold engine. I have to go get it scanned when I have a day off, hopefully it's the Egr or iac and not the spider.

 

[savage388]

Well I got the check engine light code scanned and it gave me a p0420, something having to do with catalyst deficiency. Any ideas @Joey D ?
It seems completely unrelated to the cold. Engine miss.

 

[Joey D]

P0420, I think, mainly has to do with the flow through the cat or with the rear O2 sensor, which could contribute to misfiring. Unfortunately, I don't know much more past that.

 

[savage388]

It never came back so idk, it's been dry all day and the blazer hasnt missed a beat really, where yesterday it poured so I'm thinking water has something to do with it. So plugs and wires first I guess.

 

[savage388]

I've finally gotten around to fixing the crooked nose on the camaro, although I'm shocked how bad it was, the piece that supports the bumper came out in about 5 pieces, along with the whole front bumper/fender area missing a ton of bolts and even a few brackets to hold it together. Here's one piece of the bumper support.

I've had the brackets all made and hopefully it will be done tomorrow and I'll get to post my less embarrassing front end. Then it's on to getting this painted.

It's a sort of rare oem ss slp spoiler from a 98-02 camaro which lets me get rid of the big wing, although I'm not sure whether to paint it myself or have a shop do it I'm really trying to keep this car within a budget this year lol.

 

[Slash]

It's a sort of rare oem ss slp spoiler from a 98-02 camaro which lets me get rid of the big wing, although I'm not sure whether to paint it myself or have a shop do it I'm really trying to keep this car within a budget this year lol.

Duplicolor paint match in rattle cans actually works pretty good. I'd recommend it.

 

[savage388]

Duplicolor paint match in rattle cans actually works pretty good. I'd recommend it.

I'm the first to admit I flat out suck with a rattle can, plastic dipping my wheels was about the best I could do lol. I might buy a cheap gun from harbor freight (where I work) and try real painting a little. My paint got pretty bad all of a sudden so a perfect finish isn't important.

 

[Harry6784]

I'm the first to admit I flat out suck with a rattle can, plastic dipping my wheels was about the best I could do lol. I might buy a cheap gun from harbor freight (where I work) and try real painting a little. My paint got pretty bad all of a sudden so a perfect finish isn't important.

Yea painting even with cheap rattle cans takes skill. I VHT'd my tail light and had running problems after extremely light coats. To keep this in budget you're best bet is to find if anyone of your friends knows a guy who knows a guy. They usually accept payments in beer

 

[savage388]

Yea painting even with cheap rattle cans takes skill. I VHT'd my tail light and had running problems after extremely light coats. To keep this in budget you're best bet is to find if anyone of your friends knows a guy who knows a guy. They usually accept payments in beer

My friends dad used to be a professuonal painter/ body guy but hes pretty hard to convince to work on my stuff, I got a maybe when it gets warm out so who knows.

 

[savage388]

Finally got my phone working good enough to upload a before and after:
Thats before here's after.

It looks better but still isn't quite right for some reason.
The I got bored and threw this on.

Oh and random blazer shot because winter beater.

 

[savage388]

Finally got the spoiler painted and to take her to the car wash, all I need is tires now and I'll be ready for spring.


Its still the wring color but at least its silver

I'm still not sure what I'll do with the blazer yet, I really don't have room for it to sit but it's been such a good winter tank Im not really thinking of getting rid of it. I could sell both of them and buy an 04-06 gto but that's insane even for me lol.

 

[Harry6784]

I could sell both of them and buy an C5 Vette

Fixed 👍

 

[savage388]

Fixed 👍

I wish, its way to impractical to have a c5 on a minimum wage job, especially in pa where the weather sucks 6 months out of the year. I'll end up with a c5 zo6 eventually, I love those cars.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I'm still not sure what I'll do with the blazer yet, I really don't have room for it to sit but it's been such a good winter tank Im not really thinking of getting rid of it. I could sell both of them and buy an 04-06 gto but that's insane even for me lol.

Then you would still need a ride for winter. I would keep the blazer so you have a winter beater. There must be a friends house or parents house you can store it during the summer.

OR you get an AWD sports car. Then you would have the best ride all year round winter or summer and only need 1 car.

 

[Ronald6]

OR you get an AWD sports car. Then you would have the best ride all year round winter or summer and only need 1 car.

Sounds like the voice of experience. I take it you suggest a Subaru?

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Sounds like the voice of experience. I take it you suggest a Subaru?

I have owned 3 Subaru's. 05 RS, 04 WRX 5 speed, and 04 WRX auto. While I do love them especially for winter, I don't know if I would suggest a Subaru for everyone. They are very expensive to fix and if you beat on them, they are not very reliable without a lot of upgrades. Especially the 5 speed manual transmission. It is absolute junk. So if you do decide to get a Subaru go with the STI that has the 6 speed. That is easily the most reliable of the entire series.

There are several other choices. Audi, Lancer Evo, I believe chargers are also AWD. Ford Fusions are AWD. Those are just a few I can think of right away. There are a lot more AWD choices out there these days. I know members on this site could also help you come up with some AWD options if you are serious. It all depends on what you want to use them for. The base line Subarus are great for daily driving all year round. But if you want something to race and beat on all year round, then you will really need to shop around.

Most of this reply was actually directed toward @savage388

 

[savage388]

I have owned 3 Subaru's. 05 RS, 04 WRX 5 speed, and 04 WRX auto. While I do love them especially for winter, I don't know if I would suggest a Subaru for everyone. They are very expensive to fix and if you beat on them, they are not very reliable without a lot of upgrades. Especially the 5 speed manual transmission. It is absolute junk. So if you do decide to get a Subaru go with the STI that has the 6 speed. That is easily the most reliable of the entire series.

There are several other choices. Audi, Lancer Evo, I believe chargers are also AWD. Ford Fusions are AWD. Those are just a few I can think of right away. There are a lot more AWD choices out there these days. I know members on this site could also help you come up with some AWD options if you are serious. It all depends on what you want to use them for. The base line Subarus are great for daily driving all year round. But if you want something to race and beat on all year round, then you will really need to shop around.

Most of this reply was actually directed toward @savage388

I like having two cars too much, I can work on one and drive the other, Ive just been having the upgrade bug bite me lately. Fast and awd always means money and as cheaply built as fbodies are my camaro is still much more resilient to my abuse than a wrx or even a sti ( which is what I'd get.). Chargers, Audi's fusions, even the awd BMW's aren't sports cars so there's no way I'd want to give up performance for practically again. Plus v8 > everything else lol.

 

[Harry6784]

I like having two cars too much, I can work on one and drive the other, Ive just been having the upgrade bug bite me lately. Fast and awd always means money and as cheaply built as fbodies are my camaro is still much more resilient to my abuse than a wrx or even a sti ( which is what I'd get.). Chargers, Audi's fusions, even the awd BMW's aren't sports cars so there's no way I'd want to give up performance for practically again. Plus v8 > everything else lol.

True. I beat on my Trans every day and do a least 10+ WOT pulls every time I take it out of the garage and still zero major mechanical issues. While it was in garage getting new suspension I had to drive my dad's 528i and after a week engine light came on and a bunch of electrical issues followed. My dad yelled at me claiming I 'abused' his car and 'drove it too fast'. I just replied that I drive it the same way I drove my car

But in all seriousness I do eventually wanna get a WRX wagon as my daily. IMO perfect combination of performance/practicality/daily-drivability.

 

[savage388]

True. I beat on my Trans every day and do a least 10+ WOT pulls every time I take it out of the garage and still zero major mechanical issues. While it was in garage getting new suspension I had to drive my dad's 528i and after a week engine light came on and a bunch of electrical issues followed. My dad yelled at me claiming I 'abused' his car and 'drove it too fast'. I just replied that I drive it the same way I drove my car

But in all seriousness I do eventually wanna get a WRX wagon as my daily. IMO perfect combination of performance/practicality/daily-drivability.

I'd love a wrx but the performance per dollar doesn't compare to my lt1 and every one I've seen has been blown up or had to have head gaskets done. I'd only buy a super low mile sti if I ever have the choice. Hopefully I can afford cheap tires soon as spring is here and I'm itching to drive it.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

I like having two cars too much, I can work on one and drive the other, Ive just been having the upgrade bug bite me lately. Fast and awd always means money and as cheaply built as fbodies are my camaro is still much more resilient to my abuse than a wrx or even a sti ( which is what I'd get.). Chargers, Audi's fusions, even the awd BMW's aren't sports cars so there's no way I'd want to give up performance for practically again. Plus v8 > everything else lol.

I have pretty much always been the same way. The majority of my life I always had a truck AND some V8 muscle car.

I also agree beyond 100% that any F body or most V8 cars are 1000x more reliable than any WRX or STI will ever be. You can really just beat the heck out of the American V8 cars on a daily basis and they just take it day after day after day. The drive trains are just so solid and built to take so much abuse. Especially the older muscle cars. Its insane how much you can beat up older vehicles year after year and they just keep going. I also prefer V8 over anything else. Very inexpensive to build, plenty of parts, and can be beat to heck without breaking. I have had V8 cars I drove for 10+ years without ANYTHING breaking down. These WRX and STI are no where near as reliable AT ALL. They are ok for daily drivers, but just cant handle the abuse.

The only reason I even mentioned AWD to you was because you mentioned you were thinking of selling both vehicles to get 1 other vehicle. Other than that, yes I will take a V8 RWD over an STI, WRX, EVo or anything else any day. Unfortunately I live in a severe winter climate and must have at least a truck or AWD car for winter. If I lived in a southern warmer climate, you bet I would be in some sort of V8 RWD as a daily driver. Most likely a C5 or C6 Corvette or even a new Mustang.

 

[savage388]

So the blazer is DOA for now, the miss has gotten to the point its dangerous to pull out into traffic and I don't know what's causing it, plugs and wires both got replaced. So this week the camaro will be back as my DD, kind of good and bad at the same time, I did really miss driving it.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

So the blazer is DOA for now, the miss has gotten to the point its dangerous to pull out into traffic and I don't know what's causing it, plugs and wires both got replaced. So this week the camaro will be back as my DD, kind of good and bad at the same time, I did really miss driving it.

Why not take the Blazer to a local shop so they can run a diagnosis of the problem. Most shops will usually give you an estimate of the problem for free. At least you will know what is wrong with it at that point.

 

[savage388]

Why not take the Blazer to a local shop so they can run a diagnosis of the problem. Most shops will usually give you an estimate of the problem for free. At least you will know what is wrong with it at that point.

Ive tried, It needs a real time data log, and the only shop in the area will charge me for it.
Usually I'm really good at diagnostics but I'm stumped, it misses at idle, under light throttle and is worst when the engine is cold/ and or damp. If I nail the throttle it pulls hard like nothing's wrong. I do have a check engine light for the catalytic converter but its caused by the miss. Very weird problem.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

Ive tried, It needs a real time data log, and the only shop in the area will charge me for it.
Usually I'm really good at diagnostics but I'm stumped, it misses at idle, under light throttle and is worst when the engine is cold/ and or damp. If I nail the throttle it pulls hard like nothing's wrong. I do have a check engine light for the catalytic converter but its caused by the miss. Very weird problem.

I am sure you already tried the plugs. Have you tried the fuel injectors? If it has coil packs but maybe one of those are going bad. Very common overlooked item on vehicles. Try swapping around the coil packs and injectors and see if the miss changes cylinders. If it does then you know that's your problem.

 

[savage388]

I am sure you already tried the plugs. Have you tried the fuel injectors? If it has coil packs but maybe one of those are going bad. Very common overlooked item on vehicles. Try swapping around the coil packs and injectors and see if the miss changes cylinders. If it does then you know that's your problem.

It still uses a distributor setup so I'll just replace the cap in case its cracked. In all honesty it could be the fuel injector and fuel spider under the intake manifold but if that's the case I'll have to let it sit because I can't afford a new one.

 

[CAMAROBOY69]

It still uses a distributor setup so I'll just replace the cap in case its cracked. In all honesty it could be the fuel injector and fuel spider under the intake manifold but if that's the case I'll have to let it sit because I can't afford a new one.

Replace the cap and rotor for sure. I had a similar issue in my Camaro last year and replaced plugs, wires, starter wires, and much of my electrical, only to find out it was my MSD distributor and rotor. They were about 10 years old. Never even thought to think of something so simple that looked like it was in great shape on the outside. But the INSIDE was very corroded. The northern weather fluctuates so much that the moisture built up in the cap and caused it to rust along with the rotor. Then the spark was arcing to different locations inside the cap and started to melt it. Only ran bad at certain temperatures. Took a while to figure that out. Hopefully its just your cap and rotor or something simple. But check the injectors too just in case.

 

[savage388]

Replace the cap and rotor for sure. I had a similar issue in my Camaro last year and replaced plugs, wires, starter wires, and much of my electrical, only to find out it was my MSD distributor and rotor. They were about 10 years old. Never even thought to think of something so simple that looked like it was in great shape on the outside. But the INSIDE was very corroded. The northern weather fluctuates so much that the moisture built up in the cap and caused it to rust along with the rotor. Then the spark was arcing to different locations inside the cap and started to melt it. Only ran bad at certain temperatures. Took a while to figure that out. Hopefully its just your cap and rotor or something simple. But check the injectors too just in case.

I'll probably do distributor cap next week after the threat of snow goes away so I have the camaro just in case its down a few days. If its the injectors... Well it'll have to wait a while.