major problem or not as bad as i think?

[pv2hodge68x]

I recently purchased a 1994 firebird formula with the v8 lt1 5.7, i bought the car with the knowledge that it was throwing a high res. code and that the optispark distributor was in need of being replaced. i drove the car for a little bit to figure out how bad the problem was. after the check engine light would come on then the car would stutter and die on the side of the road if a quick acceleration was attempted. i still needed to get the car home before i had the chance to replace anything the car did this once, then the problem worsened. the car would run flawlessly for 20 miles or so before the check engine light came on, the car stuttered jumping in rpm and dying then refusing to start after, until it had sat for a little over night or so. so i was almost home i got to a friends house where i decided to do some work. i replaced the optispark distributor, the cap and the rotor, i put a brand new water pump in, a new iac valve (i think thats what its called attacthed to the throttle body) a replaced the fuel filter, THE ICM,THE AIR PUMP and a few other things on the car. i realized that there was only one way to mount the distributor because it is the lt1 and it is supposed to automatically retime itself. this is where the potentially bad problem comes into play.

after replacing these parts in my car i am no unable to get the car to start consistantly. the car will start every once in a while but in order to keep the car started the gas has to be pushed in to keep the rpm's up high enough for a proper idle to keep the car running. other then that the car fails to reach an appropriate idle before dying seconds after its started. i recently recharged the battery thinking that maybe i didnt have enough charge to keep the computer running to retime itself but the problem persists and i dont know if there is a way to manually change the timing on this car or if it is the computer on the car that is faulty and if so how much that would be to get fixed or to fix it myself.

if you can help in any way or know someone that can help i am almost desperate with my car now stuck in another state then the one i am living in and need to figure something out soon. im in quite a bind

thanks for taking the time to read this i hope to hear from someone

[sweetbmxrider]

might be the icm
see thread here

[ar0ck]

I've been in the same situation many times as have a few others here.

Before you start swapping parts I personally would re-attempt to install the Opti. I know its a pain in the balls, but the first time I did my heads & cam swap, I had run into a similar situation and had it towed to a local "Speed Shop" that told me I installed it upside down as well (which makes absolutely no sense since the dowel pin on the cam only goes on one way and I know the motor was at TDC when I installed everything). Then I had issues of the car not being able to rev over 3k RPM's, it turned out I had received a faulty complete Opti through summit and promptly returned it and received a replacement (The points on the Opti and Rotor were corroded). When I put the new Opti on with a MSD Cap & Rotor the car fired right up and has ever since ran like a champ.

If this doesn't seem to work, swap your Mass Air sensor with a friends if you can. I've had more Mass Air Issues then I can shake a stick at that will cause similar issues.

[pv2hodge68x]

well to answer the first post i forgot until you mentioned it that the icm (ignition control module) i replaced at the same time as i did the rest of the parts on this car. ill go back and add that in.

as for the other my car is in st louis and i am in kansas city so i will have to have my friend there do the work if possible to reinstall it but i dont know what i could have done wrong about it are there any errors that i should know about to look at or to look for? as well where is the mass air located??

[pv2hodge68x]

im readin a lot about a coil of some sort, and the possibility of that being to blame as well which coil might this be?

[ar0ck]

Originally Posted by pv2hodge68x

im readin a lot about a coil of some sort, and the possibility of that being to blame as well which coil might this be?

Its the "Blaster Coil" that sits to the right of your engine bay (looking down on the engine bay) Its under your intake piping, should be black and has a running ignition wire to the Opti. Sometimes over time they can become weak to heat soak and can cause similar issues, many people use washers to "space" them from the block.

[pv2hodge68x]

i have to call the coworker whos house the car is at and i will have him check it out would that be a sole cause of the problems thatre being exhibited?

[ar0ck]

Originally Posted by pv2hodge68x

i have to call the coworker whos house the car is at and i will have him check it out would that be a sole cause of the problems thatre being exhibited?

Its possible. I've read a lot of success stories online, but don't know anyone personally that had that as an issue. Its just one of those quick things to do "just incase"

[pv2hodge68x]

yeah im not sure i have replaced a lot of things it seems like and its been a lot more work then originally intended but im just trying to see what this could be because after the amount of time we put into it and to have it not run is a shame. ill have my coworker take a look at it since i am not in the area

[sweetbmxrider]

are 94's mass air? its a ring lookin guy in the air intake tubing to answer ur question...

i would check for vacuum leaks and possibly return your Idle Air Control motor for another, could be defective...double check your electrical connections as well

[Tru2Chevy]

Originally Posted by sweetbmxrider

are 94's mass air?

Yes, all 4th gens (besides the '93 LT1) are mass air.

- Justin

[Pampered-Z]

!st, doublke check all the plug wires, make sure oyu have then right and they are snapped in properly. it's real easy to get them crossed.

Try pulling the ECM fuse and resetting it, double check all the connections are good, corrosion on the coil wire is common as well. The coil is mounted to the front of the driver side head and is mounted to the ign. module. make sure those connections are clean also.

next,

Pull the IAC valve, make sure where it seat is clean, you may need to run it in a bit to get it to idle long enough for the ECM to get it set.

The code 36 ( high res ) causes erractic spark, and as a result can overheat the electronics in the opti, causing the car to shutdown, eventually you would get a code 16 as the spark/heat will kill the opti sensors.

The code 36 can be the result of corrision on the opti harness or just age resulting in the connections getting brittle - etc.