2.8L exhaust leak, causing sluggish accleration?

[robertisaar]

how convenient...

BTW: my wife's GP has the same color combo.

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Yah, I just hope I can get a new engine soon!

BTW: I did that paintjob myself.

[robertisaar]

Yah, I just hope I can get a new engine soon!

BTW: I did that paintjob myself.

DAMN: 908 miles short of 250K...

[pocket-rocket]

I say drive it for 908 more miles so you have bragging rights that the original engine lasted 250k miles

[2.8 Grand Prix]

I will if I can get it started again!

First I need to get the hood open (hood release cable broke).
Next, I will probably need to spray starter fluid into the intake.
Then, I will need to repair the exhaust leak, because it has the acceleration of an 80 year old lady with a walker. LOL.

That would be cool to have an original engine that lasted 250k.

[robertisaar]

from the way it sounds, your exhaust "leak" may be exhaust attempting to bypass a clogged cat.

i know about the hood release issue... grab a good set of needlenose pliers, wedge yourself under the front bumper, look for the cable that releases the latch and be prepared to pull yourself off of the ground attempting to put enough weight on it to get it to pop...

after going through that, i made a "loop" out of about a foot and a half of solid core 10 guage wire and a wiring connector that you twist on both ends of the wire. held up for over a year and probably a good 200 hood pops since then.

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Actually, the previous owner told me where the leaks are. Someone attempted to cover up the holes with putty. I just need to cut out the bad part and put in a new pipe. The check engine light is already on, so I might as well cut out the cat too.

As for the "missing" cylinder, does anyone have any ideas on how to repair it with only a little money? I only had $150 to spend on a new engine, so if this repair could be done for $150 or less that would be great! Thanks in advance.

[robertisaar]

depends on what is making it miss: in the end it all somes down to three things:

Air/Fuel
Spark
Compression

lack one of those three things is causing a miss.

compression and spark are VERY easy to test for. if you can't find a low cylinder using a compression guage, thats probably not your problem. then move to spark, see if there is a cylinder not firing due to various reasons. if you can't find that, then its time to ohm the injectors and see if they're out of spec.

if those steps can't find a dead cylinder, nothing short of tearing it apart will.

[2.8 Grand Prix]

What do I need to look for when checking for spark?

[pocket-rocket]

A spark.

Pull each plug wire (one by one so you don't mix them up) and put a spark plug in it and stick it on something metal on the engine and have someone crank the engine. Watch for a spark to jump the gap on the spark plug. If you see one, unplug the plug, put the wire back on it's spark plug, unplug the next one, plug the spare plug in it and repeat. Also look to see if your spark plug wires are crossfiring/leaking. Pop the hood when it is dark outside (the darker the better) and run the engine and look for sparks jumping out of the wires. If you see any, that wire is bad and needs to be replaced.

[2.8 Grand Prix]

Thanks! The previous owner told me that the #2 cylinder is the one he thinks is bad. I haven't seen this yet (can't get hood open), but he says #2 doesn't even have a spark plug in it right now. Pretty Dumb huh?
Do you think he is full of sh!+ or is he on to something?

[asylummotorsports]

Unless the body is in extremely nice condition, I really think you need to seriously consider cutting your losses and just start over.

No spark plug, can't open the hood, I'm sorry but I'm laughing my ass off here and my cat thinks I'm crazy at 3:30 in the morning.

If in fact there is no plug in that cylinder (why would ANYONE do that?) it's safe to assume it's screwed now anyway.

If you ever get the friggen hood open you can try what has been suggested, but it may be flogging a dead horse.

Swap it out if the body is salvageable, or just start looking for a replacement.

Have fun!

[1988GTU]

OR if you feel like doing the work. I have 3.1 heads forsale. PM me if this floats your boat.

[pocket-rocket]

he says #2 doesn't even have a spark plug in it right now. Pretty Dumb huh?

O.O

WOW! I can't even imagine doing that to someones car, let alone sell one to someone like that. What was the guy thinking?!?! Was he some crazy hillbilly jerry-rigger? I can't even say backyard mechanic because that would be complimenting him way more then he deserves! Get that hood open and pray that's the worst you find under there. Wow.... just.... WOW!

[2.8 Grand Prix]

I don't need this engine to run good, I just need it to run on all cylinders. I plan on running this $300 car into the ground anyway (its my daily driver).

With that being said, I would like this car to have at least moderate acceleration. As of now, it has the acceleration of a grandma with a walker.

I just need some suggestions on how to make sure it has spark. (I'm going to go get a spark plug soon if needed.) LOL

I already know how to do the compression tests, and how to check the OHMs of the injectors (to check if they are in specs). That leaves the spark.

With that, I thank you. If anyone has any suggestions, that's great!