Couldn't find anything on exactly what I'm looking for, so hopefully you guys can help. My car will practically die half of the time when I let off the throttle and put in in neutral. 6sp. Everytime I have the a/c on it will die every single time. I'm so fricken mad that I can't even drive my car in the summer, wanting to get it back up soon. I had this same problem before 3 summers ago, and took it in to the dealership, (for other reasons) and asked them about it. They fixed it, and said that a wire was getting caught up somewhere and was restricting the idle from it's peak. I remember at the time I asked another dealership if that was the case, and they told me it was bs. Unsure however, any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Josh

 

Could be anything Josh. Might try some of these things...
1. Run a bottle or two of GM Top End Cleaner or SeaFoam thru the intake
2. Change the plugs
3. Clean the MAF
4. Use some gas tank fuel injector cleaner
5. Check for DIC codes
6. Do the rest of a tune up (fuel filter, o2 sensors, air filter, oil & filter
7. Use a good gas cap, preferably factory issue
8. Check for vacuum leaks (spray bottle with water), better yet, replace hoses
9. Clean electrical contacts


Just curious....do you smell gasoline when you're car does idle, like it's running really rich?

> Eugene

 

How many miles on the car? Miles since tuned? Is it still on the original plugs? etc.

 

I now have 104k on the car, pretty sure it has original plugs, and I haven't ever had it tuned. A good tune wouldn't be bad for it, I planned on better plugs and wires anyways. Thanks for the info appreciate it so much, I will change out everything that I need to. Thanks,Josh

 

Eugene, I don't ever smell gas at any times, so hopefully that's not it. 1. How exactly do I do the seafoam through the intake? 2. I will change the plugs and wires. 3. I have recently cleaned the MAF. 4. I also have put injector cleaner a few times recently. 5. I recently don't have any DIC codes listing. 6. I probably really need all those things to be replaced. I will do that also. 7. Should I buy another gas cap? 8. Should I replace all hoses, most of them are pretty dirty. Also, how exactly do I check for vacuum leaks? 9. Where all should I clean the electrical contacts? Sorry for more questions, but honestly I'm just learning. I want to learn as much as possible about my vet, so I can fix everything on my own eventually. Thanks for your info, Josh

 

Josh,

SeaFoam
To do the SeaFoam or GM Top End Cleaner thru the intake, the easiest way is to
1. Get two bottles of the stuff, a buddy, and about 2 feet of 3/8" vacuum/fuel hose
2. Transfer the SeaFoam into a clear (soda?) bottle so you can see how much is left during this procedure
3. Have your buddy start the engine
4. Remove PCV vacuum hose just behind the throttle body on the passenger side and replace it with your 2 foot hose
5. Have your buddy try to maintain the RPMs above 1500 until near the end
6. Stick the other end of your hose into the first bottle of SeaFoam. There will be strong vacuum, so you can keep the end about half an inch away from the solution. If your friend stalls the engine there may be blowback, STRONG blowback, so you may want to use rags to cover the opening of the bottle(s). When you're just about about of solution, your buddy should ease up and allow the engine to stall. If the engine doesn't stall by itself, have your buddy kill the engine very shortly after you run out of solution.
7. Let the car sit for 8+ hours.

Gas cap
A lot of people in other cars replace their gas caps with auto part store variety caps that don't seal right. The gas tank must be able to create a vacuum to operate correctly. Fortunately our gas caps have a tether to prevent us from making this mistake, but if it must be replaced, it's best to run only the Corvette cap on our cars to prevent this problem.

Vacuum hoses
Rubber hoses will crack eventually, so if it's convenient, or you have any concerns about your hoses, I'd recommend replacing them now. A vacuum leak can cause all kinds of headaches, especially if you can't find the leak, so I take the easy way out and replace hoses...they're dirt cheap anyway.

To find a vacuum leak, you use a spray bottle to find the leak. I can't remember what exactly to fill it with, but it's probably concentrated rubbing alcohol. Anyway, you'll spray different parts of the engine, and if there's a leak, the spray will be pulled into the engine and the RPMs will increase, and...vacuum leak found!

Contact cleaning
I can't say which contacts need cleaning, but I try to clean every connector I take apart. You can find contact cleaner spray cans at Lowes, and many other places I'm sure. When you take connectors apart, seal the contact end housing with dielectric grease. This will help keep the wires protected from the elements. This stuff is supposed to be okay to put directly on the contacts too, but I haven't tried it.

BTW....if you replace the fuel filter, make sure you clamp down the fuel line real good, and I mean REAL GOOD....and of course relieve the fuel pressure by taking the gas cap off, and have as little gas in the tank as possible.


Don't sweat the questions. I know what it's like to spend dozens of hours under the hood cussing, bleeding, and spending money like crazy to try to fix some blasted glitch. It's better to ask......helps to cut down on bloody and expensive car repairs. I have a CRX that I've learned my lessons on the hard way.

Right now I'm learning how to tune my car, and have learned the hard way that I shouldn't have descreened my stock MAF, so I'm buying an unaltered stock replacement. :grr: I'd rather lose a little face by sharing my mistakes my mistakes to help you prevent some of your own.

> Eugene

 

With 104k on the clock...I'd start with the Seafoam... then change out your plugs and wires after you blow it out...then look for vaccum leaks..

With the onboard brain nothing to really tune unless you have speed parts..although many with stock LS1s have reported improved HP following a LS1edit dyno tune...