Need some help please car misses and shudders when accelerating

[Dan366757]

Hi, went for a drive today and went round a corner put my foot down and the car started missing but its only when pushed quickly i can still rev it if i go slowly on the gas, i checked the error codes when i got home and all i got was a 12 which i know means everything is fine, i have read stuff about leads and plugs but im not sure if it is that because i was driving fine yesterday, any suggestions would be greatly appreciated im a little worried about damaging my engine, its a ecotech to btw, sorry for the long story i hope it makes sense thanks in advance daniel

[hako]

Probably leads and/or plugs and either can fail overnight. Easy enough to replace yourself even if you've never done it before. Cost will be under $100.
ps...your story ain't long - short ones always leave things out!

[dynoryder]

yea plugs can fowl up real quik that is if they fowled

[DannyboyDS]

my car did exactly what you said once, ran fine if poddering around, but as soon as you punched it, it would stutter and run real poo, turned out I had a vacume leak.

Just another possibility.

[Dan366757]

thanks for that hako and dynoryder ill check my leads and plugs tomorrow when i get a chance, it might be worth replacing them anyway.



Dannyboyds thanks bud how would i check a vacuum leak?

[holdenrocks]

where could we find the vacuum leaking? i still have this problem for while!!

[Dan366757]

another thing i would like to know to is, is it gonna cause any damage to my engine to drive around because i have to do a bit of local stuff tomorrow and i have to go down to the central coast on wednesday its about a 45min-1hr trip.

[hako]

Take it easy and it "should" be OK but that ain't no guarantee....and it will use more fuel and run a bit hotter although if it runs smooth on a steady throttle then it should be OK. I'd also fill it with premium fuel for no other reason than to give it the best chance.
Plugs and leads would only take an hour to change so keep that in mind....if you're not happy about changing them yourself why not buy the plugs and leads from SuperCheap or Repco etc and see if you can get someone to change them - they will be more happy to do it if you have the parts AND it's a cash job. Have your wallet in front of them with a fresh $50 bill sticking out when you ask them....always helps.
It could also be something else as DannyboyDS has mentioned...maybe a vacuum hose dislodged, blocked fuel filter or even an injector playing up - just a process of elimination with the plugs/leads in my opinion (FWIW) the prime suspect.
Good Luck.

[Dan366757]

cheers hako, im alright with mechanical stuff and i can definatly change a set of leads and plugs, when im at my old fella's tomorrow i will get a multi meter and check the leads and that anyway and ill have a good suss around before i go anywhere in the morning, thanks again mate.

[DannyboyDS]

there are a few ways to find vacume leaks.

First just do a physical inspection of the vacume hoses comming off of the inlet manifold, check them for cracking, especially around the mounting points.

You can use a length of hose like a stephiscope and listen for a hissing noise also.

[spirto]

coil pack, ignition lead (could only be one of them)

[damiandownie]

coil pack, ignition lead (could only be one of them)

Dfi modules are common for ecotecs, changed one last week and fixed the problem, mind you i had changed the plugs, leads, checked vaccum , cas was replaced and all that was left was the dfi and coils, goes like a shower of you know what now. sounds like the same problem i had.

[hako]

cheers hako, im alright with mechanical stuff and i can definatly change a set of leads and plugs, when im at my old fella's tomorrow i will get a multi meter and check the leads and that anyway and ill have a good suss around before i go anywhere in the morning, thanks again mate.

I'm always a but 'sus' about checking the leads with a multimeter - the only sure way is to test the leads with the engine hot and leads in position - if you remove them they will bend to a different angle and cool down. This is nit-picking extremis but they really should be measured at the coal-face. It's not really difficult - just slide the plug end off the plug (pulling on the cap) and stick one lead up the hole and the same at the coil end. That way they are virtually in working position.

[Dan366757]

Dannyboyds: thanks mate ill give that a go when i try everything else.

Spirto, Damiandownie: thanks guys ill have a look at all that aswell

Hako: i was gonna do it on the car anyway after i drove to dads so that would have wroked out alright anyway but thanks for the input



I wont be able to do anything for a couple of days cause im a bit busy so i will have to get around like this till the weekend but thanks again to everyone and if you have any other thoughts on what i should check while im at it please let me know, ill let you's know what i find out anyway cheers