PLEASE Help! Sputtering, Popping, Lagging problems! - Camaro5 Chevy Camaro Forum / Camaro ZL1, SS and V6 Forums

gottahavemyjunk · 02-19-2013, 01:58 PM

Hello, I am a first time poster and hope i am doing this right! I need help! I have a 97 Camaro RS and recently drove it on the beach. (Yah....I know...Already heard it all from my husband

) I drove into soft sand and got stuck. It wasn't buried bad, just had to dig out behind tires and backed right up onto harder sand, no problem. Then a sneaker wave came up and my drivers side got a bit wet, to where the tires threw the sea water up onto the windshield. NOW......... Since this happened my car has not been running right. I don't know if it had anything to do with the beach incident or not.
PROBLEMS: When stopped and i go to take off it is missing and sputtering. If i put it into park/neutral and rev it up really good it seems to burn out whatever the problem is for a little bit but then it starts all over again. If i sit at a stop light and go to take off it lags and sputters when giving it gas. If i stay at a steady speed, it is okay but if i speed up it misses again until i hold my speed. In park/neutral if i rev it up....once my rpm's start to get into the red line it really cut's out, never did this before. (No i don't make a habit of that...just when checking out issues). The check engine light has been on since i bought it a year ago (Never paid to have it shut off) but now when the car starts missing the light starts to flash on and off. Never did that before either. Checked air filter & it's good. Had a new Catalytic converter put in a few months back so i know it's not that.
Took it to a mechanic today & says it's miss firing on number 5, but new plugs did nothing. Also ignition JUST stopped working! Wont turn! JUST HAPPENED TO HUBBY AS I WRITE! ARGHHHH!! Wont move AT ALL! ??????????
ANY IDEAS? HELP!!!! Thank you, Melinda

gottahavemyjunk · 02-19-2013, 02:03 PM

Ok, Hubby freed up ignition..... Still need help on other issues!

Partlow · 02-19-2013, 08:25 PM

I actually had a 97 rs 30th anniversary for my first car. Manual v6 and had the same problem as well. It would bog down and I'd have to put it in neutral, rev it, then back into gear and it would fix the problem temporarily. After multiple mechanics and dealers we found out one of my wires had been laying on a pipe underneath the car. Basically the wire melted and was barely connected which caused it to short out and the rev gave enough juice to transfer to the other wire that was hardly attached. I'm sorry this is pretty vague but thats just what happened with me. I'd check underneath for wiring that are no longer clipped up and that could be your problem. If your problem is the same as mine was you'll need new wiring, if I remember it was an inexpensive fix.

Partlow · 02-19-2013, 08:34 PM

After rereading the misfire in 5 could be something else. It could be the wire from the plugs thats burnt and shorted out or possibly could be a bad headgasket. I'm assuming you're not getting any white smokebfrom your exhaust?... if you're not then I'd say your headgasket is looking better. Either way I'd check least expensive first so look at all your wiring. When my car had the problem it was like I put it into 5th gear and tried taking off. Obviously it was in first but it bogged down that much. Good luck

dragon22 · 02-20-2013, 01:29 AM

Just throwing this out there. Are you sure you don't have water in the distributor cap? That sounds so much like a wet distributor. You may have to take the cap off and blow out the cap and distributor real good with a good blast of compressed air. Any moisture in there is going to be bad. If that corrects the problem, you may want to test your wires afterward. Once it is running properly, use a spritzer bottle with water and mist the ignition wires while it is running. If there is any arcing or misfiring, replace the wires.

Hope this helps.

Hannibal · 02-20-2013, 07:15 AM

Salt water and electrical contact points don't mix well. You may have a lengthy road of checking every contact point that may have been exposed to the water. Start at the bottom of the car and work your way up and inspect all of the contact points for surface rust. If you find any, clean them and then try a road test to see if you've solved the problem. Good luck.

02-19-2013, 01:58 PM	#1
gottahavemyjunk Luv My Ride! Drives: 97 Chevy Camaro RS, Trim, T-top 3.8 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Kelso Washington Posts: 2	PLEASE Help! Sputtering, Popping, Lagging problems! Hello, I am a first time poster and hope i am doing this right! I need help! I have a 97 Camaro RS and recently drove it on the beach. (Yah....I know...Already heard it all from my husband ) I drove into soft sand and got stuck. It wasn't buried bad, just had to dig out behind tires and backed right up onto harder sand, no problem. Then a sneaker wave came up and my drivers side got a bit wet, to where the tires threw the sea water up onto the windshield. NOW......... Since this happened my car has not been running right. I don't know if it had anything to do with the beach incident or not. PROBLEMS: When stopped and i go to take off it is missing and sputtering. If i put it into park/neutral and rev it up really good it seems to burn out whatever the problem is for a little bit but then it starts all over again. If i sit at a stop light and go to take off it lags and sputters when giving it gas. If i stay at a steady speed, it is okay but if i speed up it misses again until i hold my speed. In park/neutral if i rev it up....once my rpm's start to get into the red line it really cut's out, never did this before. (No i don't make a habit of that...just when checking out issues). The check engine light has been on since i bought it a year ago (Never paid to have it shut off) but now when the car starts missing the light starts to flash on and off. Never did that before either. Checked air filter & it's good. Had a new Catalytic converter put in a few months back so i know it's not that. Took it to a mechanic today & says it's miss firing on number 5, but new plugs did nothing. Also ignition JUST stopped working! Wont turn! JUST HAPPENED TO HUBBY AS I WRITE! ARGHHHH!! Wont move AT ALL! ?????????? ANY IDEAS? HELP!!!! Thank you, Melinda

02-19-2013, 02:03 PM	#2
gottahavemyjunk Luv My Ride! Drives: 97 Chevy Camaro RS, Trim, T-top 3.8 Join Date: Feb 2013 Location: Kelso Washington Posts: 2	Ok, Hubby freed up ignition..... Still need help on other issues!

02-19-2013, 08:25 PM	#3
Partlow Drives: 2010 1SS Camaro, 2012 Charger R/T Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Kokomo, IN Posts: 143	I actually had a 97 rs 30th anniversary for my first car. Manual v6 and had the same problem as well. It would bog down and I'd have to put it in neutral, rev it, then back into gear and it would fix the problem temporarily. After multiple mechanics and dealers we found out one of my wires had been laying on a pipe underneath the car. Basically the wire melted and was barely connected which caused it to short out and the rev gave enough juice to transfer to the other wire that was hardly attached. I'm sorry this is pretty vague but thats just what happened with me. I'd check underneath for wiring that are no longer clipped up and that could be your problem. If your problem is the same as mine was you'll need new wiring, if I remember it was an inexpensive fix.

02-19-2013, 08:34 PM	#4
Partlow Drives: 2010 1SS Camaro, 2012 Charger R/T Join Date: Jan 2013 Location: Kokomo, IN Posts: 143	After rereading the misfire in 5 could be something else. It could be the wire from the plugs thats burnt and shorted out or possibly could be a bad headgasket. I'm assuming you're not getting any white smokebfrom your exhaust?... if you're not then I'd say your headgasket is looking better. Either way I'd check least expensive first so look at all your wiring. When my car had the problem it was like I put it into 5th gear and tried taking off. Obviously it was in first but it bogged down that much. Good luck

02-20-2013, 01:29 AM	#5
dragon22 Drives: 2010 Camaro 2SS/RS SIM Join Date: Apr 2009 Location: Calgary, Alberta Posts: 1,697 View My Garage	Just throwing this out there. Are you sure you don't have water in the distributor cap? That sounds so much like a wet distributor. You may have to take the cap off and blow out the cap and distributor real good with a good blast of compressed air. Any moisture in there is going to be bad. If that corrects the problem, you may want to test your wires afterward. Once it is running properly, use a spritzer bottle with water and mist the ignition wires while it is running. If there is any arcing or misfiring, replace the wires. Hope this helps.

02-20-2013, 07:15 AM	#6
Hannibal Drives: Camaro SS & ZL1 Join Date: Sep 2011 Location: Southeast USA Posts: 527	Salt water and electrical contact points don't mix well. You may have a lengthy road of checking every contact point that may have been exposed to the water. Start at the bottom of the car and work your way up and inspect all of the contact points for surface rust. If you find any, clean them and then try a road test to see if you've solved the problem. Good luck.