Thread: HELP!! My GP is Only Running On 5 Cylinders!!

? They said you have a dead cylinder, but that it isn't a necessary fix?

Go back and slap whoever told you that in the face. Unless your check engine light is on and flashing, you're not having that issue.

Originally Posted by y1a3o

check engine light is on, it comes on and flashes everytime a give the car to much gas..

Then you truly do have an issue, and it should be fixed asap. Plugs and wires would be my first thoughts... then maybe a bad injector. It'd be nice if they told you which cylinder.

i bet its a bad plug and/or plug wires causing it to misfire whenever he goes over a specific RPM. happened on my mothers 98 intrigue when it had a misfire on cyl #5 going anything over 3500RPMs

Yeah, I vote for plugs and wires first. They are very easy and can be done by yourself and save some cash. Consider doing them yourself.

Originally Posted by y1a3o

the problem is fixed. the spark plugs werent firing. cost me a few hundred, but now my car is FAST! thanks for all your replies.

Could have only cost you about $50 for the parts if you would have done it yourself. Save some cash next time and consider doing the work yourself. They are not hard to change at all.

will it doesnt sound like the original poster is not mechanically inclined, so having the issue troubleshooted by the shop was prolly under his best interest. good or bad, glad the car's fixed, but that doesnt mean it should be pushed over its limit that its at.

Originally Posted by fst

will it doesnt sound like the original poster is not mechanically inclined, so having the issue troubleshooted by the shop was prolly under his best interest. good or bad, glad the car's fixed, but that doesnt mean it should be pushed over its limit that its at.

While I understand that not all people are mechanically inclined. But I wasn't either when I started working on cars. I learned as I went. First it was simple things like oil changes and spark plugs and wires. Now, pulling engines and trannys is nothing. I would never recommend for a noob to pull an engine. But doing plugs and wires is a nice learning experience that takes very little tools to do.

I personally understand your thinking Zef. And I feel much the way you do and we were ALL noobs at one point either with the GP or with cars in general or both.

My experience has been that most people are:

1. Afraid to do the work because it seems overwhelming
2. Dont have the knowledge, tools, etc.
3. Dont want to do the work or dont have the time (so they perceive)

I cant begin to tell you the number of people that approach me to do work for them telling me that a shop quoted them such and such and want to see how much I can do it for and are pretty consistently shocked to find out just how inexpensively the work can be done for.

Furthermore, if I talk with someone and they seems someone inclined to learn, then I'll cut them a break if they get in there and help me so that they too learn. I encourage people to watch and take notes ask questions take pictures, whatever helps them build confidence and learn how to do the work themselves.

I am of the philosophy that I dont loose something of myself by teaching someone to do the the work. Quite the opposite in fact. But most people are just overwhelmed with most maintenance tasks with regards to cars. Even things as simple as changing the oil or plugs and wires, etc. Heck, when I was growing up it was quite the exception to take your vehicle and have someone change the oil for you. Now, its very much swung the other way and it more the exception to find someone doing it themselves.

But I agree with you in that there is enough knowledge and helpful people on here that one could begin with very simple things and work their way to a point of more complex things. You dont have to know how to pull an engine or tranny or rebuild one to have enough knowledge to keep your vehicle well maintained and around for a long time.

I have thought it would be a good thing, as a community, to have meets solely for the purpose of teaching basic maintenance and such.

One piece of advice I would give to each person that is daunted by such tasks, do them on the weekend. Start after you get off work on Friday. Clear your schedule and so on. During the week, post here and get tips, tricks and so on. Then determine the tools you need and get those during the week if there are any you need. Then when you get home from work on Friday, park the car, pop the hood and let it cool off a bit then get started.

In this way, you have the weekend to correct anything that may go wrong or you can just take your time, snap pics, take notes and so on so that you have personal journal and notes of how you did it. I have been doing this a long time and I STILL take notes or write down new techniques even for ordinary maintenance.

Some people don't really care to do the work themselves, whether they know how or not. I am one that enjoys driving, and will only work on stuff that I deem necessary and that I can get to from the top side, oil changes being the exception.

I do believe that was #3 in my list.

I dove in to opening up my engine to do the gaskets. Hadn't opened it up that far, but I had watched something similar on a 4300 Vortec in a S-10. My brother and I are mechanically inclined and I know how to use a torque wrench (work on air craft all day). I used part of the top-swap how to from 3800se on CGP for the disassembly and assembly is just the reverse.

Had my Haynes nearby for certain tightening orders and for general reference as well. So, yeah, it doesn't take much. Just confidence. Now I find what I did easy and can't wait to tear the heads off.

Originally Posted by SyntheticShield

I do believe that was #3 in my list.

It was a novel. By the time I finish it I had forgotten the list.