PLEASE HELP. Car dies when in gear/shows codes when in gear???????

[superballs5337]

OK here are all the parts i have new. coil pack, ignition module, spark plugs, msd plug wires, o2 titanium sensor postons,IAC sensor, fuel pump, fuel sending unit, fuel pressure regulator, vacuum brake conversion, 9in k&n with MAF pipe, new exhaust with no cat and dual from y pipe back with 2 turbo mufflers 2 and 1/4 in pipe.

i think that is it. now this is what my car is doing

When scan tool is hooked up everything seems fine, put the car in any gear R OD D 1 2 and 5-6 codes show up and and all the sensors go wacky, like it says my RPMS are ne where between 4000 and 200 as its jumping up and down. Put the car back in N or Park and the sensors read right and the car seems fine. Now the call will just die in any gear when i come up to a stop. it wont give me warning, it will just be running then die the next sec no warning. ive been chasing this problem for about a year now. so please help me my next thing im doing is replacing the ECM. so if u have any help please help this is pi$$ing me off.

[Dan Thompson]

Does the car start okay when its cold or do you have to give it some gas?

Will the car die at a stop without giving it gas?

If yes to these it might be the MAF. The car will start without the MAF connected, so you might try disconnecting the MAF and see if it will idle when cold.

What chip are is installed?

[superballs5337]

ok car starts fine cold, and starts right back up after quitting on me. id did the MAF tap test, where u tap on it and the idle doesnt change. yes car just dies when at stop i have to put in neutral to keep car from just dying with no warning. when i unplug MAF and try to run the car i have to keep giving it gas or it dies, but after car gets hot the car will idle with out maf plugged in but i have to give it gas still.

no computer chip stock one.

who ever fixes my problem ill give them one free grand national emblem. the main ones that go on truck and 2 front fenders. those ones.

[Dan Thompson]

I am guessing that there is multiple problems. The engine dying is what happens when the MAF is bad.

When my MAF went out it was hard to keep running when it was cold, I had to keep giving it a little gas. When I placed the in gear it would try to die even when it was warm.

I would die at the stop signs or traffic lights.

I am guessing that when the car is in gear there maybe a vaccum leak

Do you have a boost gauge. Mine shows about 17 or 18 pounds vaccum at cold idle in PARK, in gear it drops to about 14 pounds.

[GN ERGY]

When you are talking about a scan tool what do you mean, the one that gives you codes or a scanmaster. Did you reset the TPS and IAC to give you a good idle?
Tarey D.

[19gn87]

Originally posted by GN ERGY
Did you reset the TPS and IAC to give you a good idle?
Tarey D.

I would have to second that. Symptoms sound like what I went through. Double/triple check those settings and make sure throttle body is clean, etc.

[superballs5337]

the scan tool was not the expensive snapon one, it was the one u have to buy cartridges for. it was gray. and it only gives me codes when the car is in gear but not in park.

throttle body is clean, i sprayed TB cleaner through there. i was gonna buy a new TPS. and when the car dies it jsut quits. no chugging then dying just running fine then stops. like someone pulled the plug on it. ill try what u guys said and keep you posted. im gonna end up with a new car soon.


none of you think its the ECM??

[superballs5337]

bump

[dyermullet]

What codes. List them.

When did the problems start? After you made a change or have you put all the new parts on since the problem?

Scott

[superballs5337]

as i stated before it only puts out codes when the engine is in gear, take it out of gear the codes disappear. so im not gonna trust the codes its showing because it only wants to show them when the car is in drive or reverse. i dont remember when teh problem started. i think its just a bad ECM. iv had it hooked up to 50,000 dollar machines taken it to 3 diff places they cant find ne thing wrong. but there is a problem. ill just keep replacing parts. o well

[superballs5337]

plus the car is only making about 10lbs of boost.

[QuickWrench]

Looking at your signature, I'll propose an alternate theory, and say that it's likely that your car doesn't like the RapidFire plugs.

Unfortunately, it's been proven time-and-again that our engines balk at anything other than a standard-electrode Resistor plug. SplitFires [and the like] all seem to run for sh!t when under load. Also, RapidFires can't be re-gapped, per AC Delco, so if they're not dead on out of the box, you're in deeper trouble.

I'm not sure that this is the ROOT cause of your problems, but it could definitely aggravate things. It's possible that you just don't have enough flame to light things up when the engine comes under load, which would explain your problems.

...or I could be wrong, but for the $9 it will cost you, I'd get a set of R43TS plugs.

Do you know of anyone you can borrow a known-good ECM/MAF from? I'm not sure where in Michigan you're at, but if you could make it to Buick Raceday at Norwalk [OH] this Sunday, you'd get fixed FOR SURE.

Good luck.

[superballs5337]

Thanks quickwrench, im in perry michigan 25min east of lansing off of 69. i will try the plugs, and i also heard that even tho i have a new ignition module not gettting ac delco could also be the problem. ill find the probelm one day. but i still think the ecm is bad. becaus when it shows codes in gear but take it out of gear and the codes dissappear. who knows. life sucks. lol

[cathan]

I agree with quickwrench.......rapidfire=rapid MISFIRE. Those plugs suck on these cars.....forget the funny plugs.

I feel your pain....nobody seems to know s*** about these cars when they are acting up.....most of the problems I have had with mine I had to figure out myself. With time and patience...well, sort of...

Don't rely on the MAF "tap test". Mine didn't respond to it and had similar symptoms to yours....I was sure it was going to leave me on the side of the road.

And you are always better off with GM parts, ie ignition modules, sensors etc. I'll bet it's ignition, MAF or ECM

[superballs5337]

thanks for the tips guys.