Help!! I think I screwed up my engine!

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Ok, I am officially an idiot. I was heading to Dairy Queen after our softball game tonight and was hot rodding it up heading up the on-ramp and, not paying attention, redlined it in 2nd. It hit the limiter (I hope it was a limiter) and then the SES light started to flash. After that it was running rough like crazy, and when you let the clutch out in neutral there is a fairly loud rattling coming from the tranny. It wasn't running hot at all, then again I didn't want to drive it very far with the light flashing and what-not. Also, the oil pressure was normal, and there was nothing leaking from the engine. There was a slight burnt smell though. Does anyone know what this might be? Please tell me I am not going to be looking at re-building my engine. I am going to try to get the code read tomorrow, if possible. Can anyone just give me a little piece of mind that I am not completely screwed?? Fred? Joe? Ken? Engine gurus, help me out, please! I'm such an idiot....

[TraceZ]

Redlining in a gear and hitting the limiter is no big deal. I've done it myself many times while I was learning my car. That is what the limiter is there for.

A flashing SES indicates a misfire, I believe. That would seem to make sense with how you say it was running rough. Did it smoth back out? See if the light comes back, it could had just been a fluke with hitting the limiter. You can always get it scanned if it reoccurs or the roughness continues. The burnt smell is caused by the misfire. Raw fuel gets inside your cats and causes them to heat up red-hot. The odor is a result of that, do not drive the car like that or it will destroy the cats. It sounds to me like you have a misfire.

As far as the noise from the trans, mine makes a little noise in nuetral, more noticable if you are under the car. I think it is a little slop in the input shaft. You cannot hear it while driving. How loud is yours?

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Redlining in a gear and hitting the limiter is no big deal. I've done it myself many times while I was learning my car. That is what the limiter is there for.

A flashing SES indicates a misfire, I believe. That would seem to make sense with how you say it was running rough. Did it smoth back out? See if the light comes back, it could had just been a fluke with hitting the limiter. You can always get it scanned if it reoccurs or the roughness continues. The burnt smell is caused by the misfire. Raw fuel gets inside your cats and causes them to heat up red-hot. The odor is a result of that, do not drive the car like that or it will destroy the cats. It sounds to me like you have a misfire.

As far as the noise from the trans, mine makes a little noise in nuetral, more noticable if you are under the car. I think it is a little slop in the input shaft. You cannot hear it while driving. How loud is yours?

It is pretty loud. I had never heard it do that until tonight after redlining it. It is still running rough and the SES light stays on after flashing for a while. Could the red-lining have created a mis-fire like that? I wonder if maybe I fouled up a plug or something? Geez....I am freaking worried about this. I am broke right now and am afraid I am going to have to dip into savings or charge up my credit card further to get this fixed. I have a friend who owns a tranny shop and tune-up shop, but this is a holiday weekend here in Canada, so I doubt I will be able to get him to look at it until like, Tuesday. I know I don't want to take it to the dealer here cause the last time I had them read a code for me they charged me $50 to do it. Once I get it read I will try to post the results on here. I am just scared that I really screwed something up.

[Joe 1320]

The fact that it is running rough is not a good sign. Pull the fuse to the PCM to clear the computer, re-install and try the car. If it is still running rough, a scanner would be helpful. Hopefully you didn't bend a pushrod. Any mechanical noise?

[Dave-S]

It almost sounds like the ECM is bad. In my 4th gen Corvettes when the ECMs went out, the cars would barely run and it sounded like my clutch was rattling (just like you described) and that the engine had a rod knock too.........in other words it sounded like the whole car was ruined. Replacing the ECM was all it took to fix it. Right now, if resetting the ECM the way Joe describes doesn't work, you probably need to see the dealer or a competent mechanic who can check for ECM fault codes and see if the EC itself is bad.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Is there anything I need to know about before pulling that fuse for the computer? Will it like, screw with the Anti-theft feature on the stereo? Anything like that? I am at work right now, had to ride my bike, but I will try that when I go home for lunch. If it is a pushrod, that will pretty much call for pulling the engine, won't it? Man.....I need someone to hit me with a bat.....

Ps. Oh and there is no noticeable mechanical noise, other than when the clutch is all the way out in neutral. Then I get that rattling. There doesn't seem to be any knocking coming from the engine though.

[94 formula]

Like TraceZ said hitting the rev limiter isn't that big of a deal about everyone with a manual has. Make sure you have the code to your radio before pulling the fuse. A bent pushrod does not call for a pulled engine you have to remove the valve covers take off the rocker arms and the pushrods lift right out. I'm not sure how similar the 3800's are to an LS1 but my brother has a 99 Z28 and bent two pushrods it made a ticking noise after that, he replaced them himself and I think it was like $16 for two pushrods. If you have an autozone around they will scan your computer for free. Many shops may also do it for much cheaper than $50 in hope of getting your business.

Does the limiter cut out fuel or spark? If its spark and he held it there long enough could there have been enough gas get into the cat that it would have melted it and now its clogging up his exhaust system?

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

If it is a pushrod, that will pretty much call for pulling the engine, won't it? Man.....I need someone to hit me with a bat.....

No, not at all. Pull the valve covers and replace them... it's no big deal. If you want to have a shop do it, it will probably cost you like $100-$150 ...

relax man... hitting the limiter is not the end of the world, I am sure most of us have done it.

I have a question though... did you hit the limiter by letting it rev to high in a gear? Or did you hit it because you accidentally downshifted instead of upshiting? (i.e. 3-2 instead of 3-4)

[Injuneer]

Scan is the best way to find the problem. You can buy your own OBD-II code scanner for $40 from Harbor Freight. I've seen Actron OBD-II code scanners for under $80 with rebates at the local parts stores.

If you pull the "PCM BAT" fuse, is will not screw with the radio security, or anything else. Do not disconnect the battery.

In the LT1 PCM, the rev limiter cuts fuel. Not sure about the V6, but I doubt its all that much different.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

No, not at all. Pull the valve covers and replace them... it's no big deal. If you want to have a shop do it, it will probably cost you like $100-$150 ...

relax man... hitting the limiter is not the end of the world, I am sure most of us have done it.

I have a question though... did you hit the limiter by letting it rev to high in a gear? Or did you hit it because you accidentally downshifted instead of upshiting? (i.e. 3-2 instead of 3-4)

That's good, at least that wouldn't bee too terribly bad. I let it rev too high in 2nd. Just wasn't paying enough attention to shift in time. Anyone know where I would find the code for the radio before I pull the PCM fuse? Thanks, by the way, for all the replies, guys. Keep 'em coming. Maybe I won't give myself an ulcer worrying about this.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

I just thought of something else. For over a year now, there has been a metallic rattling at low RPM that sounded like it was coming from the cat. No codes or anything, just the annoying rattle. I remember someone on here saying about it that it could be that the cat was falling apart inside. I wonder if maybe the cat finally coughed up it's guts last night? But would that explain the more wobbly sounding rattle when the clutch is out? I dunno...just a thought.

[Jay 02 TA ws6]

That's good, at least that wouldn't bee too terribly bad. I let it rev too high in 2nd. Just wasn't paying enough attention to shift in time. Anyone know where I would find the code for the radio before I pull the PCM fuse? Thanks, by the way, for all the replies, guys. Keep 'em coming. Maybe I won't give myself an ulcer worrying about this.

There is no reason to over-stress about it, so stop worrying

As Fred said, the rev limiter most likely turned off the fuel delivery which prevented the engine from reving higher than it should. Don't forget how conservative our friends at GM are. They have the rev limiter set at an RPM that is below the true threshold of danger to the motor. This would be a bigger problem had you missed the shift because in that case, the engine would be mechanically over-reved through the drivetrain and it wouldn't matter if it had fuel or not. Just driving to the top of a gear is not normally a problem at all... but obviously it seems as though something is wrong.

Keep us posted

[Kevin - Blown 95 TA]

That's good, at least that wouldn't bee too terribly bad. I let it rev too high in 2nd. Just wasn't paying enough attention to shift in time. Anyone know where I would find the code for the radio before I pull the PCM fuse? Thanks, by the way, for all the replies, guys. Keep 'em coming. Maybe I won't give myself an ulcer worrying about this.

It could be the cat todd. My cat came apart inside and made a real annoying and hard to find rattle at idle as the brick flopped around in there. I fixed it by smashing it out of there with a pipe. I've had 2 Random cats and they are JUNK.

[TODD 2000 V6 CAMARO]

Ok, update: I am home on lunch. I pulled the PCM fuse and re-installed, no change. I banged on the cat a few times and it doesn't sound like it is rattling too much. However, when I started it, it smelledlike it was running rich. I could smell fuel with it running and the door open. Not sure what this might mean....could the timing be off for some reason? Anyway, I talked to the friend with the shop and he said he will scan it for me. I just need to try to catch him when he is at the shop today as he will be "in and out this afternoon." I may have to get my wife to run it up there if he is there while I am still at work. Luckily the shop is only a few blocks away, so she won't have to drive it far. I will post the codes if and when I get them today. Thanks again for the input, guys.

[Joe 1320]

. I could smell fuel with it running and the door open. Not sure what this might mean.

That is usually a purge canister gone south or possibly an ignition related failure, causing unburned fuel to end up in the exhaust.