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Teenage girl needs help!

M

meganbum

New member
Hi, I have a 1998 Gand Prix GT with a 3.8L engine. I need help diagnosing my problem, I need to get it fixed.

The problems I'm encountering is irratic idling. It will jump from 0-1000, and then down to 600, etc. It occasionlly stall out, and my dad told me to ask if it has a rev limiter? At 3500-4000 RPM it tends to be "starving for fuel."

The check engine light is on and the code is Mass Air FLow Bank 1 too lean.

Dad checked fuel filters, and cleaned Mass Air flow and nothing yet.


Please help!!
 


it has a rev limiter of 4000 when in park. the problem youre experiencing is a vacuum leak. take a can of carb cleaner and spray it around the engine bay. when you hit a spot that the idle changes from the spray being ingested in the engine then youve found your leak. youll more than likely have to change a gasket.
 
MAF could be dead. Unplug it and see if it helps. If it does, then you know the MAF is bad.

Welcome, BTW. Where in MI do you live?
 
Near the Detroit area.

With MAF un-plugged, the car didn't do any better.

Will try to see if there is a vacuum leak and let you all know!

Thanks
 
Hell yeah Detroit! Same here.

Good Luck with your issue. Really dont know what else it could be. Theres more people here with more knowledge than me.
 


If it idles high and the throttle is slow to come down to idle and it runs like crap its likely to be the maf. The way you spot a bad maf is if the quality of running does not change when you unplug it, meaning it was giving false signals to begin with.
 
also MAF is pretty sensitive, so what did your dad use to clean it? Also sounds more like TPS to me...varying idle like that normally goes to TPS from what i've seen. As long as its just at idle and not a driveabilty problem thats my vote!
 
I would lean towards the vacuum leak as well which would explain both the crappy idle and the lean code you are experiencing. If you were having problems just with the idle, I would also check the IAC(idle air control) on your throttle body. Take it out, clean it, and put it back in. But I would say it is far more likely a vacuum leak than anything else. Was any other work done under the hood just before this started happening?
 


if not a MAF sounds like an upper intake manifold gasket leak and its sucking in air like others said spray some cleaner around the maifold and see if the idle goes up, if so its sucking in the cleaner.
 


i agree sounds like upper intake manifold gasket. one of the few things i really would be able to diagnose lol
 
I have a 2000 grand prix gt and my idle was all over the place. Had all kinds of stuff checked and couldn't figure out what it was. A couple of weeks later my battery was totally dead and had to replace it. Problem was gone and hasn't come back in over 3 years.
 
haha the next time i have a problem im gona put something about women in the title cause u guys jumped all over this problem
 
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