Hello. I know there are similar threads, but I'd like to rant about my car for a bit, and ask your advice since you all have been very helpful to me and everyone else.
If you've seen my other threads, you'd know I bought several parts to tune up and try to save my 3G that I bought in April. I bought new NGK plugs, wires, an engine mount, timing belt / water pump, and all these gaskets: http://www.club3g.com/forum/new-members-forum/203834-new-forum-need-advice.html#post3882418
Just before the weekend I was going to have all this done, the car stalled out and died. The funny thing is that if you wait about 20 minutes, it starts just fine and holds its own idle. When it stalled on me the 1st time, I made it to a friend's house where I was going to let it sit and possible drive it home the next day. I called my wife for a ride home, but my neighbor showed up instead. And as I stated in my last thread, he threw 2 random spark plugs in there just to see what it would do, and it missed like crazy, but I was able to drive home that night. So he wanted to be the hero and change my plugs and wires for me since I had new ones waiting to go in.
To me, just changing the spark plugs on a car that doesn't want to run is the same as polishing a turd. Who agrees there? ....anyway, being a V6, this was not a task I wanted to tackle on my own, so he did it. It took him 5 days, but it finally had new plugs and it cranked it ran just fine straight away.
We test drove it, and sure enough, after it reached warm temp, it stalled and died. Restarted it and it was a surging idle, nearly dying, then rpm's raised back up and it kept doing this and it was missing really bad. The only difference is that it is now throwing a code. So I took it to the shop as I had already planned to do.
The shop found the code was "bank 1" which happens to be the bitch part of the work in changing the plugs nearest the firewall under the intake. They say there is air seeping in between the plenum / gasket. And said cars do this if not that intake was not properly torqued. They also said it could be my O2 sensor and they'll have to test each sensor on bank 1. This will take them weeks I am sure!
So why I say the shop isn't much help so far is that all they're doing right now is fixing the mistakes of the guy who just wanted to help.
What in the world was my original problem? And a couple more questions, that I keep reading that if the intake was not put back on good enough, the car won't even start, and I've read that if it's the O2 sensor, that it should go in to "limp" mode where it can still run. But seems what's happening is that it's running so rich it can't burn it all which is causing the miss after new plugs / wires.
Any input please? I don't to tell the mechanics at the shop how to do their job, and I've told them everything, but once they're done, we'll be back at square one, with a properly repaired car that still stalls at warm temps. Do I try to relax and let them arrive at a conclusion on their own, or do I keep searching this forum? Remember my original problem before any work was that it stalled out on me one time, and if left alone for about 20 mins it holds its own idle, but it stalls after about another 20 mins of driving.
If you've seen my other threads, you'd know I bought several parts to tune up and try to save my 3G that I bought in April. I bought new NGK plugs, wires, an engine mount, timing belt / water pump, and all these gaskets: http://www.club3g.com/forum/new-members-forum/203834-new-forum-need-advice.html#post3882418
Just before the weekend I was going to have all this done, the car stalled out and died. The funny thing is that if you wait about 20 minutes, it starts just fine and holds its own idle. When it stalled on me the 1st time, I made it to a friend's house where I was going to let it sit and possible drive it home the next day. I called my wife for a ride home, but my neighbor showed up instead. And as I stated in my last thread, he threw 2 random spark plugs in there just to see what it would do, and it missed like crazy, but I was able to drive home that night. So he wanted to be the hero and change my plugs and wires for me since I had new ones waiting to go in.
To me, just changing the spark plugs on a car that doesn't want to run is the same as polishing a turd. Who agrees there? ....anyway, being a V6, this was not a task I wanted to tackle on my own, so he did it. It took him 5 days, but it finally had new plugs and it cranked it ran just fine straight away.
We test drove it, and sure enough, after it reached warm temp, it stalled and died. Restarted it and it was a surging idle, nearly dying, then rpm's raised back up and it kept doing this and it was missing really bad. The only difference is that it is now throwing a code. So I took it to the shop as I had already planned to do.
The shop found the code was "bank 1" which happens to be the bitch part of the work in changing the plugs nearest the firewall under the intake. They say there is air seeping in between the plenum / gasket. And said cars do this if not that intake was not properly torqued. They also said it could be my O2 sensor and they'll have to test each sensor on bank 1. This will take them weeks I am sure!
So why I say the shop isn't much help so far is that all they're doing right now is fixing the mistakes of the guy who just wanted to help.
What in the world was my original problem? And a couple more questions, that I keep reading that if the intake was not put back on good enough, the car won't even start, and I've read that if it's the O2 sensor, that it should go in to "limp" mode where it can still run. But seems what's happening is that it's running so rich it can't burn it all which is causing the miss after new plugs / wires.
Any input please? I don't to tell the mechanics at the shop how to do their job, and I've told them everything, but once they're done, we'll be back at square one, with a properly repaired car that still stalls at warm temps. Do I try to relax and let them arrive at a conclusion on their own, or do I keep searching this forum? Remember my original problem before any work was that it stalled out on me one time, and if left alone for about 20 mins it holds its own idle, but it stalls after about another 20 mins of driving.
