3.8 running rough only at idle

[skulledmonte84]

Not sure if it was said but try using some seafoam.Follow the direction,Put some in the gas tank,some in the oil an the rest run threw the brake vacuum hose,if you run it threw your oil you will have to change it within so many miles .i did the seafoam on my ford ranger an it seems to quite the noisy lifter an i notice that it runs better now

 

[johnson350]

Thanks for the feedback guys,

This dang V6 is like a mexican jumping bean at idle with this miss

I'm almost positive it's not a fuel issue, I just went through all of the fuel system in february of this year. I put on a new carb and adjusted it, put in a new filter, changed the leaking fuel pump, and the tank was clean. Also removed the EFE grid and relay.

Also the plug wires I'm running aren't too old, maybe 3 or 4 years old, and they're marine grade. I tried switching the wires like you guys suggested, #4 still misses. With that, I also did a compression test on #4 just to make sure its alright. It checked out OK.

I never revved the engine above idle while it was on the spark tester. I'll try it tomorrow and see if its missing while above idle. It's possible its missing at speed but I just can't feel it.

I'm not sure about the distributor cap either. Haven't changed it since the engine was rebuilt about 40k ago.

 

[King_V]

For trying out if it's missing at speed, I'd suggest bringing the car up to around 40-45 MPH, and at light throttle try to maintain speed, then lean into it gently.

What I'm trying to get with this is to get the car in 3rd gear and with the lockup converter engaged, but at the minimum speed that this will happen. Trust me, any sort of miss or unevenness becomes EXTREMELY noticeable when the lockup is engaged! Especially when you're at/near the minimum RPM that the lockup remains engaged.

EDIT: I don't know why this particular problem has really grabbed me, since I barely know what I'm doing . . maybe it's because I once had a 4-door 84 Regal V6. Didn't like it at the time, but now am nostalgic for it.

 

[johnson350]

For trying out if it's missing at speed, I'd suggest bringing the car up to around 40-45 MPH, and at light throttle try to maintain speed, then lean into it gently.

What I'm trying to get with this is to get the car in 3rd gear and with the lockup converter engaged, but at the minimum speed that this will happen. Trust me, any sort of miss or unevenness becomes EXTREMELY noticeable when the lockup is engaged! Especially when you're at/near the minimum RPM that the lockup remains engaged.

EDIT: I don't know why this particular problem has really grabbed me, since I barely know what I'm doing . . maybe it's because I once had a 4-door 84 Regal V6. Didn't like it at the time, but now am nostalgic for it.

Yeah they're pretty hard to find now. There was one for sale around here a few years ago on craigslist, I think an 82 limited with the V6. Guy wanted $1000 for it. It was a white-creme color, had tinted windows and wire wheels. Looked pretty decent and I considered going to look at it.

I have a temporary switch in place to lock and unlock the TC due to the fact that the computer quit doing it for whatever reason. That's about the only thing wrong with the drivetrain, besides this miss.

I locked it up as soon as I started off (because the TC only locks in 3rd gear) and when it hit third, the motor bogged down real low like usual except it was sputtering really bad. I usually lock it up around 40-45 mph to avoid the bogging down and loss of power. It shifts into 3rd at around 30-35 mph.

 

[skulledmonte84]

did you try spraying carb cleaner,starting fluid,wd 40 something like that around the base of the carb,vac lines/hoses,intake it idle ,it will rev up if there's a leak then you'll know

 

[johnson350]

did you try spraying carb cleaner,starting fluid,wd 40 something like that around the base of the carb,vac lines/hoses,intake it idle ,it will rev up if there's a leak then you'll know

I did try that, but nothing happened. It was still missing and jumpy. However, I was working under the hood tonight a bit ago and noticed that my plug wires are leaking. They are arcing to something metal, looks like maybe the frame or something down there. Had a lil light show going on. This does make sense because sometimes I can hear occasional interference when I got the radio on in the car.

Looks like maybe all three wires on the passenger side are leaking out.

 

[skulledmonte84]

well at least you know you got fire going threw them wires lol id change them to see what happens.When you did the spark plugs did you look at the porcelain ? was there an hair line cracks in them
had a miss in a celebrity for over 4 months an couldn't figure it out it ended up being when i tighten the plug up it cracked the porcelain

 

[johnson350]

well at least you know you got fire going threw them wires lol id change them to see what happens.When you did the spark plugs did you look at the porcelain ? was there an hair line cracks in them
had a miss in a celebrity for over 4 months an couldn't figure it out it ended up being when i tighten the plug up it cracked the porcelain

Yeup, shes got good spark. I put all new plugs in it. They were getting old, had 45k on em, last replaced during the rebuild. I run regular copper plugs, no special iridiums or platinum plugs.

I can take a look at the ones that came out though.

 

[skulledmonte84]

you didn't crack one while tighten them ? that's what i meant,or was it missing before the spark plug change ?

 

[johnson350]

you didn't crack one while tighten them ? that's what i meant,or was it missing before the spark plug change ?

I see what you mean. Yes, it was missing before the change. It's unlikely, but Its possible the new ones may have a small crack. It definitely could be leaking there. I'll check it out tomorrow.