Hey Everyone,

The car seemed to do ok for awhile today, I noticed in town the car seems to do almost 100% better, but on the freeway tonight at around 50-65mph when going uphill it will miss and kick out of lock-up and down shift a bit and chug, I installed new plugs on the car recently and not knowing that I should have gapped them at 60 I did, I am going to change it down to 45 in the am as that’* what I heard the Magnavox should be gapped at. Does the fact they are gapped wrong give me hope that’* what the issue is at hand now? I still wonder about my Thermostat also as my car tonight never made the first mark when driving home from the airport (Oklahoma 53 outside) live 14 miles from the airport also which is freeway drive also. I seem to recall every GM car I have ever been in that tends to run right at the center or maybe just below it of not right above it by a hair when everything’* right with the auto.

OH btw when the car is first started up at times till it does start to get warmer it likes to idle weird and miss a bit but not always!

Getting tire of opening the hood and waiting for the dang gremlin to pop up, starting to feel like I should be eating pizza when I open the hood (LOL)

Thanks for any help with this matter again,

Donnie H.

You may have a coil to blame with this chug problem.

I'm gapped at 0.045", when things are running good, it'* all amazing. Smooth idle; you cannot hear/feel the car at a stoplight.

On my Magnavox system I was gapped at 0.060", and I converted over to the Delco system and am still at 0.060". Never had a problem, but it is worth a shot to help you out.

a) first notch (1/4) on the temp guage is 190F. With a 180F thermostat it will run just under. If getting warm enough you will have good heat and the TCC will engage.

2)With a good Magnavox I use RapidFire #3s gapped at .045". With a Delco I use RapidFire #14s gapped at .060. If the Magavox is tippy top shape, it will fire .060s but how many are ?

Right at or just under the first tick mark is perfect, that'* where mine runs also. The plugs anywhere from .045 to .060 should be fine, i set mine at .050 and it'* great, .045 was a little too small i felt. But i'd check the coils for sure, or just use it as an excuse to do the delco swap

Well,

I am not for sure the coil is what the issue is, but I did notice the other day at pull-a-part here that a lot of the 3800 and Bonneville'* had the Delco coils on them, so I guess maybe Friday I might wonder back out and pick up one of the Delco ones and see what happens, its a upgrade anyhow so even if its not the issue, its not all a waste at least!


BTW Padgett, I used to be into Fiero’* and had umm 6 all together to date, and always liked the reatta when I had my Fiero’* was like a more practical fiero to me with a better motor from factory, sad on the fwd and front motor however but they was really sweet cars. I could kick myself in the rear for selling my 88GT, but at the time it seemed like the smart thing to do and I always wanted a Trans am :( wish I had the 88 GT back a hundred million times over now! I never got into all the motor swaps and such as everyone else seems to do (the 3800 and the northstar and 350, I just enjoyed mine for what they was.

Thanks guys
Donnie H.

http://www.motorage.com/motorage/art...l.jsp?id=20037

That’* a good write up on the coils in our cars. I really thinking more into this believe its the coil, as the other day she was chugging on the freeway I pulled over and put her in neutral and tapped the pedal the motor of course all was fine and no miss or chugging or anything not normal even at the rpm I was having the chugging at, so I am thinking under load the coils might be breaking down and not working proper, could this be a sign also? I have done that a few times now and every time the car will rev fine and not do anything weird, unless you’re driving the car.


Thanks,

Donnie H.