why do my car cut in and out or Hiccup when im driving

[miketurbojinx]

I bought the car about 8 years ago in Seattle and brought it back to Calgary Ab where I found out I had blow by 3 pistons so I had the engine rebuilt from the block up at dale adams automotive, The car came with a trunk full of parts ,Ta -49 turbo,50lb injectors,gn alky kit,thdp ,gn w/cutout,hardened rocker shafts w/retainers,polished aluminum maf pipe,k&n 8" filter,crome intet pipe,boost gauge,upper rad hose,walbro 340 fuel pump,fuel pressure regulator,timing cover,high volume oil pump,pro gear rollare timing chain set,cam button,,knock sensor,t stat housing,s/s includes o-ring,160 degree thermostat,angle boss housing,gn breather kit,by-pass v/c filter,100lb valve springs,fan delay relay,by-pass hose,intercooler hose kit from johns performance. so I put most of the parts on except for turbo,injectors,chip,alky kitfuel pump and regulator when the engine was being rebuilt and the car ran fine so I drove the car across Canada to St john's NL where I live now with out any troubles. About 3 years ago the car started to act up , it would start but idle rough and shut off so I parked it for a year then I decided to have it looked at and the mechanic said the head gaskets where gone so I put arp head studs and new gaskets in the car whiched helped big time but still has a miss or hiccup while driving it so then I changed tpc sensor,plugs/wires/coil pack,temperature sensor,fuel pump/filter,,turbo which is set at 13psi of boost and changed to 50 lb injectors . it ran completely worst, so then I tried the new chip and it cleared up but yet it still has the hiccup while your driving down the road just putting along she will hiccup but when I shoves the pettle to the floor the car takes off and dosent miss a beat. I still do not have the alky kit hooked up cause id like to get the car running right first. ,please guys help me figure out whats going on with my car , I have about $45000 into this car and its driving me insane

 

[EVIL]

Possibly the m.a.f.

Tap it with a screwdriver while car is idling. If it rpm starts to fluctuate odds are you found your problem.

D

 

[Pronto]

Ok, let's recap. You bought the car and found out it had bad head gaskets. The engine was rebuilt using new parts that you had gotten with the car. A TA49, alky kit, chip and 50lb injectors were not installed at that time. The engine ran good for several years. It began to run bad after several years. Someone told you the head gaskets were leaking (again). You replaced them. At that time you added new parts and the TA49 and 50lb injectors and eventually the alky chip. You are saying the issue is it will hiccup which I take miss fire while not under load but if you give it boost to 13psi it will pull smooth with no misfire. Is that what you mean?

 

[Pronto]

Do you have a Scanmaster?

 

[miketurbojinx]

I DO NOT HAVE A SCANMASTER, WHEN I HAD THE ENGINE LEAK DOWN TEST DONE THE MACHANIC TOLD ME SHE HAD BLOW BY 3 PISTONS .

 

[Pronto]

I saw some of your other posts. There are some good suggestions. I loose wire could be very well be your issue. Since the heads have been off several times I will ask are ALL the ground wires that go to the back of the head on and tight? Is the big connection going to the module under the coil pack tight? Is the ground wire going to the engine (goes on low on the J bracket that holds the turbo tight. The orange wire that goes to the positive side of the battery is the power for the ecm. It must be plugged in solid too. Don't forget all the areas that they ground to need to free from paint. There are plenty of other possible issues but all these only take time, not money.

 

[miketurbojinx]

and yes it runs fine when you boost it ,sorry about the last post in capital letters

 

[Pronto]

Go right to the for sale area and find a used Scanmaster! It is a very useful tool. It's very easy to hook up and shows several of the engine signals without using a scan tool including one of the most important- knock counts. Knock counts show you if there is detonation which is probably why the head gaskets have blown (twice!). There should 0 knock especially in boost. That is why we use alky. Its a great way to stop detonation. But that's for another day. Don't go into boost for now until you find the issue. The alky chip actually will start to pull fuel out because the alky is spraying so you don't want to any higher than what you are now for boost until the issue is solved and the alky is hooked up.

 

[miketurbojinx]

Im going to start with that thanks

 

[Pronto]

Also you need to educate yourself some on how the systems on the car operate. www.vortexbuicks.com has some tremendous information there. Really what you need to do is take a few hours and read all the info on the site, then read it again. You will be so much better informed and ready to solve your problem. There are not many "professional" mechanics that understand this finicky beast. You have spent quite a bit of money on it and looks like there are plenty of good part for it be a nice quick street car. The more you know the more you will be able to do for yourself. Also there may be some experienced fellow Turbo Buick members in your area that might lend a hand.

 

[GNRick]

My car had a misfire or something at about 35 mph. If I accelerated it picked right up. I replaced the crank sensor and that fixed it.

 

[miketurbojinx]

thanks guys

 

[Fast4Ward]

Did you mean 4500?

 

[Pronto]

No need to be like that. Lets see if we can help him find the issue.

 

[TurboBuRick]

A lot of times these little drivability issues are the result of excess play in the cam sensor. To check it, pull the cap off. Grab the wheel and turn it right to left. It should be key'd tight to the shaft with no play. Sometimes the screw can come loose. Sometimes the pin in the timing gear can be messed up. I've seen where half the pin was missing. Worst case the tab on the wheel can break. Doubt thats your problem though..
Also pull the wheel up and down. If there is excessive run out, it may be time for a rebuild or a cam sensor all together.

The other Rick also brings up a good point with the crank sensor. If it's ever been contacted by the wheel it will act up. Take a close look at it. Also running the sensor tighter to the outside of the wheel can improve drivability IMO. I use a .014 feeler to set it.

Rick