I just cleaned the connectors under the coil packs, but still no change. I'm still planning to change the plug wires again, and if that doesn't help I'll probably remove the cat.

Cheers,

Boog

Well, I am a newbie here, but I think I may be able to help. I had a very similar sounding problem on my 93. Did lots of standard stuff, but it turned out to be the coils. Only one was "bad" but I went ahead and replaced all three. Immediate improvement - has not shown the previous symptoms since. Didn't make "sense" to me, but I found a thread on it over at the Edmunds forum and since it sounded so much like my problem that I would try it. Glad I did. Hope this helps.

Now that'* what I'm talking about....

One of my coworkers is a former GM mechanic. He'* going to help me test the coils Tuesday morning after work.

Is it safe to buy a replacement coil from a salvage yard? I hate to pay the price my local dealer quoted me.

Just returned from testing. The coils and plug wires all tested OK. However, we noticed some carbon scoring inside one of the plug wire boots. I'm planning to call Carquest to negotiate an exchange. Will post the results; hopefully this is it!

sorry the MAF tip didn't help, it definitely seemed to be the problem with my car. however i DID change fuel filter, plugs, and wires previous to cleaning the sensor, so i had already eliminated those things as being the culprit. maybe several different problems manifest themselves as one similar symptom. that would explain why we can never track down the source, because maybe it'* a different problem every time. who knows? good luck with new wires, i hope it cures what ails ya.

Replaced the bad wire, but still no change. I'm still open to any suggestions.

Cheers,

Boog

I can’t open my mouth without telling a story, so if you want to get right to the meat, scroll on down to the bottom of this post!

My 93 was having some problems with stumbling and dying a while back. The symptoms were a bit different than yours, but since you’re running out of options…

Mine would die, like it ran out of gas, when the fuel gauge still read 1/8 to ¼ tank. It would sputter if I took a corner fast or if I applied the brakes hard. Going up or down a hill it would also sputter or die. This generally happened when the fuel gauge read below ½ tank. Also I was experiencing pretty crappy mileage. Other than the poor fuel economy, I figured I had a problem with my fuel gauge – most likely the sending unit in the tank (groan).

Turns out there is a plastic baffle in the fuel tank that is supposed to keep the fuel from sloshing away from the fuel pump pickup under hard acceleration. The baffle was cracked and broken, and there were pieces of it laying in the tank. You can’t remove the stupid thing from the tank to fix it – you have to buy a new fuel tank ($ka-ching$). I just cleaned the pieces out and left it at that.

I found one thing in there, however, that I hadn’t expected. There’* a sock filter over the fuel pickup tube that was coated with black spooge (technical term). The screen wasn’t completely clogged, and it seemed to flow OK when I blew through it (yeah, I put my lips on that nasty thing – and I haven’t had a cold sore since). I replaced this little jewel with a new one and re-installed the tank.

I haven’t had any problems with sputtering or dying under low fuel conditions since, and my gas mileage as returned to normal. While the tank baffle was (and still is) hosed, I believe the sock filter was the major contributor to my problem.

If you’re out of ideas, and as a last resort, you might check into changing the filter on your fuel tank pickup. The filter is inexpensive, but you have to drop the tank to get to it.

I probably shouldn't rule anything out at this point, and I'm sure that filter could use changing. However, my problem only occurs in overdrive, and it doesn't matter how much fuel is in the tank. If I downshift manually, there'* no sputter.

I'm wondering if my cat is plugged (I should have kicked it last week when I changed the oil), or if there'* a problem with the TCC.

Thanks for the input everyone. I'm grateful for any advice.

I feel your pain on your mystery problem. I have a 97 40th anniversary doing the same thing. I started with the usual tune up, plugs, wires, coils(all three, ouch) intake filter, and PVC. This did not work. I than read about the cracking upper intake, and the failing lower intake gaskets. I replaced the upper intake, and the lower intake gackets. (the lowers were leaking anyway) This did not work either. The frustration is increasing with every item. Question. Does your A/C switch vents when doing this? Mine will change from the vent mode to the floor. This I assume would indicate a vacum problem. In searching this I have replaced most of the hoses but not all.