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Well I swapped out the 1/4 coil for the 2/5 and the problem still persists. Its always right before it goes to shift into 3rd. Although usually when it throws the SES light it blinks like 6 times then shuts off. This time with the coils flip flopped it started flashing and continued to flash until I pulled over and shut the car off and checked the code. Pulled the same PO301 code. Any suggestions now? Somehow I don't think the coils are the problem anymore.
Duralast/Ignition Control Module (DR158) | 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix 6 Cylinders K 3.8L SFI OHV | AutoZone.com
This thing looks like the piece that the coil packs mount to. Anyone ever have an ignition control module go bad?
sorry guess i was wrong, but now you know it;s not your ign system(besides the icm but that would effect more then just one cyl)...if your light stayed flashing then its getting worse and you could start damaging your cat,...does your scanner have freeze frame pids on it and if so clound you post some of them?
No. I am just using the POS that we have at work. It just gives me the code and tells me what the codes stand for. I wonder if it could be a dirty injector from a bad tank of gas. Just thinking out loud here but if I was to get a bad tank of gas that my fuel filter didn't catch, couldn't that gunk up an injector and cause the problem? Since more air is coming in at WOT then more spark and fuel would be required as well. If there is something causing the injector to not flow enough fuel at high demand times such as WOT could that cause this issue?
yea it could be but if the fuel filteer was clogged you would have poor thorttle respones as well
i don't think that would cause a random misfire would it though?
It's not the injector. Highly doubt the Ign Mod. either. If know someone that has a bore scope, you might want to take a look in #1 cyl and see if you have a cracked piston. Under heavy acceleration your forcing more air in thus raising the pressure in the cylinder forcing the cracked piston to blow by the crack. Hope its not that bad but thats what happened to me.
Oh, BTW. Did you put the metal covers back on the plug wires? I didnt one time when I was in a hurry and kept getting a P0306 code under acceleration. Took me a year to figure out that the wire was jumping spark to O2 sensor under acceleration.
God I hope its nothing internal. I left the metal shrouds back on for sure. I just thought that those were to help protect them from the heat off the manifolds. Well I suppose its going to go to the mechanic. Just curious but what did it cost you to have the cracked piston issue fixed? I am gonna be pissed if I have to have the motor pulled out. If that is the case I will be calling my buddy's dads junk yard in search of a GTP motor.
Well, I bought a replacement engine and done the swap myself(A lift in my shop helped)for about $2300. Could've tore the engine down and replaced the 2 pistons for about $500 if I would've had a little more experience with these engines. But if you do have to get a replacement, dont get from Proformance engines. I've been through 3 of them, finally rebuilt the last one myself for about $1100 with upgraded rods, crank, etc. Good luck, hope its not the engine.
Well its been awhile since I have posted. I finally bucked up the cash to get it checked out. Diagnosis was the cat was so plugged up that it was not only causing the P0301 but a P0305,304, and 300. The shop quoted me $700+ for parts and labor to fix the thing. I was looking at a direct drop in like this:Magnaflow/Catalytic Converter (23405) | 2003 Pontiac Grand Prix 6 Cylinders K 3.8L SFI OHV | AutoZone.com
Does anyone have any suggestions on whether or not this would be a good replacement?
just cut it off u dont need it anyway
I thought about it. My Trans Am doesn't have cats anymore, but I am not really a fan of the way a N/A 3.8 sounds. Maybe if I had a turbo or something. I just wanted to see if the magnaflow direct replacement piece was any good or not. I bought it last night though. I figured it has a 5 year warranty on it. If the car stays running I will probably drive it for another 2 years then sell it. Hopefully I can bolt this thing in and all my problems will be solved.
yea im sure its ok, alot of guys on here run them
but not sure on the bolt-on it may need to be welded on but im sure theres a way to bolt it up
BTW I was reading my receipt and it was notated that at idle there was zero exhaust back pressure but at WOT there was over 15psi of back pressure. The shop said this obviously was a bad cat. Is there any chance a muffler could be part of the cause? I mean I suppose I will find out when I bolt the new converter in but I was just curious.
you ever see the movie Beverly hills cop? when Eddie Murphy stuffing the bananas in the cops tail pipe? car started fine and when given gas it dies.
your car will mostly run and feel like it never has before, after you get the new cat installed.
mufflers really don't have anything in them, unless a wielded part broke off some how and landed in the outlet.(not likely). cats brake apart, if you bang on it with a hammer you'll most likely hear stuff dancing in there. the outlet gets clogged.
aka bananas in the tail pipe lol
Yeah that movie is hilarious! I remember the scene you are talking about. I was a young gun when I saw it but I do remember it. I hope it runs well after replacing this thing. I tried getting the old piece of exhaust off last night and had no luck. The part where it bolts to the catback is so damn rusted on there I couldn't get it to budge. Any suggestions? I was thinking about taking it to an exhaust shop just so I don't have to deal with the headache.
muffler shop would just cut the bolts off, they dont deal with old bolts, sometimes its worth the money to have it done, saws-all torch or grinder with a cut off tool will do the trick if you decide to do it your self.
Any guesses what a muffler shop would want to drop the old pipe and pop the new one in there? I never know if I am getting hosed on the deal when I am taking it into a shop.
chain stores are good, meineke aint to bad, i have a cat go bad in a jeep years ago, in hand the cat cost 200, they installed one for 200, so i just had it done, and knew it was done right, i would of had to clamp the new on in, and they wielded it up, piece of mind ya know.