Engine Cuts out and stumbles under boost...HELP PLEASE! `

[achalmersman]

Newark DE? Damn I'd have driven there and picked them up had I known that. 50 min away

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message, however, a significant number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

 

[ttypewhite]

I just built a custom one off harness for my car, so since it's still some what fresh in my mind, hopefully I can give you some things to look for. I always start off looking at the grounds first. If I was to guess, it would be the wiring to the cam sensor. That area after 30 years imo is the weakest link with the harness in terms of reliability.

1) At the ignition module, check pinout L and G. Both of these are grounds. L is a ground to the cam sensor. G is a ground for the crank sensor (you might also want to wiggle the harness at the cam sensor and the crank sensor while the car is running to see if the problem gets worse. Wires tend to fray under the loom and finding them can be tough)

2) At the ecu, Pin out B12, D1, and B10 run your critical grounds from sensors to ignition.

3) Check the grounds at the back of the intake or head. Make sure that the 3 or 4 wires connected to it are all intact. Best to see on a hoist looking up near the dip stick tube of the transmission.

4) Check the ecu pin outs that the wires going into the ecu are all down. Sometimes when connecting these harnesses you will notice that a couple of the wires at the ecu connector will pull up and not make good contact with the ecu. Look at them all carefully and if you see one up, manually grab that wire and push it back in.

5) Did you check to make sure that the pump is supplying the motor with enough volume at the rail with a gauge on the windshield? The problem you have is either ignition or fuel related, whether it's in the electrical or hard parts. I know you guys have checked a bunch of stuff, but it would definitely be something to check.

6) If you have a stock ecu in the car, check the hose from the turbo to the mass air that there is no leaks in that area of the hose/pipe.

7) Check your fusable links at the starter. Those also share 12 volts for the ignition module I believe.

8) Check for any corrosion or bad wires near the ignition module and ecu pin out from moisture

9) Check your fuel filter and see if it's good, or replace it. Also it wouldn't be a bad idea to dump the gas in the car and get some new fuel and put in.

10) would be to inspect the injector harness for bad pins or bad connections, even replace with a known good one as another process of elimination.

11) Check your spark plugs and make sure the porcelain didn't crack when putting them in.

12)Last thing I have in my mind to check is the fuses under the dash for good connection and any piggy back additions that you may use the fusebox + voltage for.

 

[Nero328]

I had this exact same problem . I switched to non-resistor core plugs and had this problem immediately , switched back problem went away .

So you are saying that the non resistor core plugs are what caused your problem?

 

[Nero328]

I just built a custom one off harness for my car, so since it's still some what fresh in my mind, hopefully I can give you some things to look for. I always start off looking at the grounds first. If I was to guess, it would be the wiring to the cam sensor. That area after 30 years imo is the weakest link with the harness in terms of reliability.

1) At the ignition module, check pinout L and G. Both of these are grounds. L is a ground to the cam sensor. G is a ground for the crank sensor (you might also want to wiggle the harness at the cam sensor and the crank sensor while the car is running to see if the problem gets worse. Wires tend to fray under the loom and finding them can be tough)

2) At the ecu, Pin out B12, D1, and B10 run your critical grounds from sensors to ignition.

3) Check the grounds at the back of the intake or head. Make sure that the 3 or 4 wires connected to it are all intact. Best to see on a hoist looking up near the dip stick tube of the transmission.

4) Check the ecu pin outs that the wires going into the ecu are all down. Sometimes when connecting these harnesses you will notice that a couple of the wires at the ecu connector will pull up and not make good contact with the ecu. Look at them all carefully and if you see one up, manually grab that wire and push it back in.

5) Did you check to make sure that the pump is supplying the motor with enough volume at the rail with a gauge on the windshield? The problem you have is either ignition or fuel related, whether it's in the electrical or hard parts. I know you guys have checked a bunch of stuff, but it would definitely be something to check.

6) If you have a stock ecu in the car, check the hose from the turbo to the mass air that there is no leaks in that area of the hose/pipe.

7) Check your fusable links at the starter. Those also share 12 volts for the ignition module I believe.

8) Check for any corrosion or bad wires near the ignition module and ecu pin out from moisture

9) Check your fuel filter and see if it's good, or replace it. Also it wouldn't be a bad idea to dump the gas in the car and get some new fuel and put in.

10) would be to inspect the injector harness for bad pins or bad connections

11) Last thing I have in my mind to check is the fuses under the dash for good connection and any piggy back additions that you may use the fusebox + voltage for.

I am heading back to Houston today so I will be on the road for a day or two, as soon as I get home I will put it on the lift and start running down your list...it has to be something simple...thank you very much for your input, I will run down your checklist one by one and report back once I have had the time to check it out. I really appreciate everyone's time and effort to help me out on this one. the TuurrboBuick community is amazing!

 

[dynoman]

So you are saying that the non resistor core plugs are what caused your problem?

YES , after I switched to E85 , I changed plugs to non-resistor type and had the problem emediately. Changed back to a resistor plug and problem went away emediately.

 

[Ttype6]

Just looked at your signature and it shows you having GN1 heads. I bet you have non-resistor core plugs / racing plugs. If you are not 100% positive they are resistor core plugs start there.

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message, however, a significant number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

I agree and will also say that this is the most logical next step to fixing your problem and most probably the cause. If you put a non resistor type plug in your engine and symptoms appear that you've never seen before,it's the plugs. You'll prove this when you replace them with resistors and the symptoms go away. This is my personal experience.

http://www.ninjaperformance.com/ngk-bcr8es-non-projected-tip-resistor-set-p-219374.html

 

[3.8L V-8 eater]

Had a problem similar to yours...Turned out to be one of the wires about 2 inches off from the CCCI plug had been tampered with, but was covered with wire loom...Turns out they had tapped into that wire I would guess for an alarm system as a theft deterrent...It finally compromised the wire to the point it would break up under boost...When I pulled the wire tap the wire almost broke in half....

Not suggesting anyone has tapped into one of those wires on your car, but maybe you have a wire going bad that plugs into the CCCI....

 

[seedling]

I just built a custom one off harness for my car, so since it's still some what fresh in my mind, hopefully I can give you some things to look for. I always start off looking at the grounds first. If I was to guess, it would be the wiring to the cam sensor. That area after 30 years imo is the weakest link with the harness in terms of reliability.

1) At the ignition module, check pinout L and G. Both of these are grounds. L is a ground to the cam sensor. G is a ground for the crank sensor (you might also want to wiggle the harness at the cam sensor and the crank sensor while the car is running to see if the problem gets worse. Wires tend to fray under the loom and finding them can be tough)

2) At the ecu, Pin out B12, D1, and B10 run your critical grounds from sensors to ignition.

3) Check the grounds at the back of the intake or head. Make sure that the 3 or 4 wires connected to it are all intact. Best to see on a hoist looking up near the dip stick tube of the transmission.

4) Check the ecu pin outs that the wires going into the ecu are all down. Sometimes when connecting these harnesses you will notice that a couple of the wires at the ecu connector will pull up and not make good contact with the ecu. Look at them all carefully and if you see one up, manually grab that wire and push it back in.

5) Did you check to make sure that the pump is supplying the motor with enough volume at the rail with a gauge on the windshield? The problem you have is either ignition or fuel related, whether it's in the electrical or hard parts. I know you guys have checked a bunch of stuff, but it would definitely be something to check.

6) If you have a stock ecu in the car, check the hose from the turbo to the mass air that there is no leaks in that area of the hose/pipe.

7) Check your fusable links at the starter. Those also share 12 volts for the ignition module I believe.

8) Check for any corrosion or bad wires near the ignition module and ecu pin out from moisture

9) Check your fuel filter and see if it's good, or replace it. Also it wouldn't be a bad idea to dump the gas in the car and get some new fuel and put in.

10) would be to inspect the injector harness for bad pins or bad connections, even replace with a known good one as another process of elimination.

11) Check your spark plugs and make sure the porcelain didn't crack when putting them in.

12)Last thing I have in my mind to check is the fuses under the dash for good connection and any piggy back additions that you may use the fusebox + voltage for.

That's great info somebody needs to make that a sticky! As that is very helpful when chasing rabbits down the hole.


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[captrob]

5422(BR8ES) vs 5430(BCR8ES) - Same plugs except the hex size 20.8mm(13/16"ish) vs 16mm. Would like to know if the Champion or TA aluminums have issues fitting the bigger socket. I would like to get these plugs cheaper and stateside if there is no fit issue.

http://ngkntk.co.uk/wp-content/uploads/2011/03/Car-Catalogue-2014.pdf from page 5 NGK breakdown chart.

Thanks, Rob

 

[Heskahoka]

I agree and will also say that this is the most logical next step to fixing your problem and most probably the cause. If you put a non resistor type plug in your engine and symptoms appear that you've never seen before,it's the plugs. You'll prove this when you replace them with resistors and the symptoms go away. This is my personal experience.

http://www.ninjaperformance.com/ngk-bcr8es-non-projected-tip-resistor-set-p-219374.html

Count me as another guy who's problems were solved by going to resistor plugs. Nick built my engine (similar build as yours), installed solid core copper plugs (what he uses for aluminum heads) and I had breakup issues. Found the NGK resistor plug and everything worked as intended.

Had the issue come up again and it turned out the porcelain on one of plugs had cracked (must have happened when re-tightening the headers) which showed a similar breakup issue. Replaced the plug and all was good again.

-M

 

[Nero328]

I ordered (6) NGK BR8ES plugs that are supposed to be here on Thursday morning...I sure hope that solves the problem. I appreciate everyone helping out and explaining their experiences. I will update the status as soon as I get home and get the plugs. I will put the car on the lift and confirm all of the grounds and everything one more time...I know that this is one of the biggest problems with these cars. I also have a ground kit on it so I don't really think that is the issue but it is entirely possible that something got missed even though I have looked at that stuff so many times now it is crazy. Again, thank you for all of your help!

 

[achalmersman]

I hope you mean BCR8ES. I dont know for sure which is why I didnt reply to one of the previous posters, but I dont think thr BR8ES will work because I seriously doubt a 13/16" socket will fit in the heads

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message, however, a significant number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

 

[Ttype6]

I ordered (6) NGK BR8ES plugs that are supposed to be here on Thursday morning...I sure hope that solves the problem. I appreciate everyone helping out and explaining their experiences. I will update the status as soon as I get home and get the plugs. I will put the car on the lift and confirm all of the grounds and everything one more time...I know that this is one of the biggest problems with these cars. I also have a ground kit on it so I don't really think that is the issue but it is entirely possible that something got missed even though I have looked at that stuff so many times now it is crazy. Again, thank you for all of your help!

I see that these plugs were offered as a solution to your problem. I did notice that the c was not in the part number,but thought it was an honest mistake. BCR8ES is what you need and there is one place that I and many others have determined to be the only place to get them from and I provided the link to you so you wouldn't need to think or make a decision. You thought about it and made a decision anyway even though you were given a pretty good amount of information to make one. You had a 50 percent chance of being right. You made the wrong choice after 2 people specifically talked about BCR8ES and one person mentioned the size of the BR8ES.

I'm hoping that you incorrectly typed the part number of the spark plugs that you ordered and that you ordered from the link I provided.

 

[achalmersman]

http://www.ebay.com/itm/10-PCS-NGK-...ash=item1c5034a4d4:g:j9wAAOSwPhdVEklb&vxp=mtr

Looks like the guy I get my plugs from, has them. And, at a good price.
Just got a spare set for the LS project. Took 4 days.

So Chuck is the one that caused all the confusion lol.

I did not realize that was the wrong plug in that link when I commented about being surprised they were here in Delaware

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message, however, a significant number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

 

[Chuck Leeper]

I seriously doubt a 13/16" socket will fit in the heads

It won't. My camps alums required I turn down the OD on the 5/8 socket.

 

[achalmersman]

Still would like to see a log file...

No trees were harmed in the sending of this message, however, a significant number of electrons were terribly inconvenienced.

 

[Nero328]

Well crap...I actually ordered both sets because the one on ebay shipped faster and is actually arriving today. I was so excited that I could get them fast that I ordered them and didn't even pay attention to the missing "C" in the part number. Oh well...anyone need some NGK spark plugs..."NO C"? I have no idea how long it will take to get the right ones from "Ninja", I haven't even received a confirmation email from the yet...I may call them later this morning.

I am home now, I have a few things to tidy up and re-torque then I'll take it out and get a log of the problem. It's still got me baffled but I feel confident that this group can help me solve the issue...sit tight, I'll be back soon with a log. Thanks again!!!

 

[Rafs-T-Type]

Maybe you can take them back to a parts store that doesn't require a receipt for some store credit.

 

[bpman1234]

Well i ordered them too.i got extra sockets gonna grind one down on the sides see what happens before i send them back .

 

[Nero328]

Ok guys, I think I may have found my problem...at least I have narrowed it down. I knew I was hearing some sort of ticking sound like an exhaust leak and I went out to get a data log of the problem and all of the sudden the exhaust leak got so bad that I turned around and came back to the house. The only problem now is I cant find where it is leaking! I looked at all of the usual suspects and re-torqued the manifold on both sides but it is still amazingly loud! I don't see any black areas around the headers or head where it is leaking but it is loud! I cant find it anywhere!

Also, I am still learning the PowerLogger software and I don't think this file is telling you anything but tell me what I did wrong because I can't figure that out righht now either. I am even more frustrated at this point. I have also been trying to upload a video of the exhaust leak sound but I can't manage to do that either...what kind of video files are acceptable to this site?