3800 missfire

[mdliley]

I have a 96 camaro with the 3800 Series II and auto trans. It has had a recent tune up, fuel injection service, fuel filter & pcv changed, etc. The problem is that under hard acceleration the engine misfires. Sort of like having water in the gas. Sometimes it runs fine with no misfire for quite awhile. Lately, I have gotten a service engine light after this happens. The code was read by a dealership tech as a MAF issue. He told me that "they never go bad, I'd just get your fuel injection system cleaned". I did as he said, and it was actually worse. Any ideas as to what may be the problem or suggestions on finding the cause?

[99 Fir3bird Chick]

Well this is odd i just have had this problem over the past few days. I thought it was bad gas or something. well i got fuel cleaner. well it still did it alittle so i was like well imma fill up with 93 octane. well went to get on the interstate an it started to do it worse... so I was like WTF.. Then it hit me maybe just the fuel filter... so I stoped at Autozone an got a new filter for like 6 something and some NOS octane booster. Well i pulled the filter an I could blow through it so that told me that wasnt it. i replaced it anyways an put the NOS octane booster in it an shook the car to mix it up. Well its still missfireing under hard acceleration like mdliley said above. I also have the 3.8 II .... The pump is like $385 bucks... OK so i was like hmmmm wonder how much a Trans Am would be... Cause at this time im thinking of other cars that would have similar pumps.. Well the pump for the 5.7 is only $154!!! I mean whats up with that ya figure a pump for a v8 would be more or atleast the same price... I mean it has two more pistons to give fuel... I also checked on a bonneville,and grand prix thinking they have simular motos... well they are all under $200 PLEASE HELP SOME ONE BTW I also have a check engine light on ....

[Z Ya Later]

mdilley, how many miles does the car have? Did you inspect the MAF at all? While they don't go bad as often as they do on older cars, they still do get clogged and failure can still occur. Also, check the wiring to the MAF.

April, running higher octance will not necessarily solve the problem at all. If anything, depending on the current state of tune, it will make it run worse, as you have seen. Get the SES light scanned and see what it is. When was the tune-up done last? Also, I'm not sure the V8 pump is swappable with the V6, or swappable with other cars for that matter. Two good ways to test your pump would be the pre-start charge and testing the fuel pressure. For the pre-start charge, turn the key to on, do not start the motor and listen for a hum (turn the radio off, windows up and doors closed to hear it better). If you hear a strong, solid hum, then its running fine. Next, get yourself a fuel pressure gauge and test your fuel pressure. A Haynes or Chiltons manual can tell you how to do that.

[97redV6Bird]

At the risk of insulting the IQ of others, and my own. I had the same problem a couple months ago, turned out it was just my plugs and wires had gone bad, just something to think about.

[99 Fir3bird Chick]

well it had a full tune up about 3k ago. new pulgs wire an the 1-3 coil pack... any one ever saw this click here ... it says firebird also... looks like is just goes in the canister....the v8 an v6 both have the same lookin canister i dont see why you can change the pump in the v8 an not the v6

[mdliley]

3800 misfire 2.0

Steve93Z,
My car has 130,000 miles. I pulled the MAF, it was clean and free of debris.
mdliley
MDb c

mdilley, how many miles does the car have? Did you inspect the MAF at all? While they don't go bad as often as they do on older cars, they still do get clogged and failure can still occur. Also, check the wiring to the MAF.

April, running higher octance will not necessarily solve the problem at all. If anything, depending on the current state of tune, it will make it run worse, as you have seen. Get the SES light scanned and see what it is. When was the tune-up done last? Also, I'm not sure the V8 pump is swappable with the V6, or swappable with other cars for that matter. Two good ways to test your pump would be the pre-start charge and testing the fuel pressure. For the pre-start charge, turn the key to on, do not start the motor and listen for a hum (turn the radio off, windows up and doors closed to hear it better). If you hear a strong, solid hum, then its running fine. Next, get yourself a fuel pressure gauge and test your fuel pressure. A Haynes or Chiltons manual can tell you how to do that.

[Dave M]

I don't know why the dealer said "they never go bad" because I've certainly seen a few do just that. It's a mechanical part, and like every mechanical part it will eventually fail. Failure at 130,000 would not be uncommon, IMHO. If that's what the code is reading, that's where'd I'd start my repairs. I suggest swapping the MAF with a known good unit, or just replace it.

[ONLNTM5]

The code was read by a dealership tech as a MAF issue. He told me that "they never go bad, I'd just get your fuel injection system cleaned". I did as he said, and it was actually worse. Any ideas as to what may be the problem or suggestions on finding the cause?

The MAF sensors do go bad, and will definitely cause the problem that you describe, at least from my experience. Call around to all of the different auto parts stores in town, and get the lowest price on a rebuilt one. They are sort of expensive though. We paid over $100.00 at O'Reilly Auto for one of the rebuilt ones. We first called around and got the lowest price, and O'Reilly matched it (they are closer, I can see them out of my front door
Good luck-

[Christopherrr]

double check coils. scan for cylinder misfire and replace that coil pack. if your maf sensor still burns it should be okay. I put 20 on a coil pack.

[N20LT4Bird]

Call me crazy, but if I had a stumbling problem, and it is coding MAF circuit, I would look at the MAF circuit. If it was a coil, wire or plug issue, chances are you would get a cylinder misfire code and a specific cylinder number. 96 is OBDII.......

You gotta get it on the scanner and check the reading at the MAF and check the readings of other sensors which work in conjunction with the MAF to determine the quantity of air entering the engine, such as the ECT, MAP, TPS , etc......

And as far as the tech telling you that the MAFs never go bad.....hes on crack. Ive seen bad MAFs many times. In fact, mine just went bad last summer.

If you dont have access to a scanner, double check that it is indeed a MAF code. Then, check the wiring between the MAF and the PCM. If all checks out, get a MAF sensor.