I am in over my head. Brought 86 cutlass with 307 olds to shop yesterday. They changed trans fluid, oil, air filter, pcv valve, breather elbow, plugs and wires, fuel filter, canister filter, radiator fluid, and themostat. . As im driving away from shop i notice car is sputtering like crazy and rpm needle is jumping all over the place. The original trip to shop was because after 15 to 20 min of driving i could feel a slight sputtering. Afterward the car would stall out when idling. Now im afraid to even see what would happen after 15 to 20 min of driving. PLEASE HELP ME. Also forgot to add after visit to shop i noticed a small amount of white smoke coming from tail pipe for the first time.
car is sputtering like crazy
- Thread starter tomk83
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Take it right back to the shop that you had it at.
Did they not even test drive it before saying it was ready to pick up?
If you paid for repairs and the car now runs worse than when you brought it in, make them fix it properly, like they should have in the first place.
Did they not even test drive it before saying it was ready to pick up?
If you paid for repairs and the car now runs worse than when you brought it in, make them fix it properly, like they should have in the first place.
bring it right back!@!!!!
my first guess is that they didn't check the timing. it was probably previously set with old worn parts. now that it has new parts it's probably off. it could also need a carb adjustment.
the only thing that worries me is the white smoke. that usually means water in the cylinders from a bad head gasket. BUT it could just be unburnt fuel, water in the exhaust, or something unimportant.
my first guess is that they didn't check the timing. it was probably previously set with old worn parts. now that it has new parts it's probably off. it could also need a carb adjustment.
the only thing that worries me is the white smoke. that usually means water in the cylinders from a bad head gasket. BUT it could just be unburnt fuel, water in the exhaust, or something unimportant.
Here's a silly suggestion. Make sure the carb is bolted down tight.
A few years ago I was having issues with a car that was sputtering and running like crap. I tried everything I could think of, with no luck. So I took it to a shop for a tune up. I think it cost me something like $200. Picked it up and it seemed to run good... for abut 5 minutes. Then the same thing. The problem ended up being the carb. I had a holley with an adapter on a quadrajet intake. And it ended up being that the carb adapter was loose lol. I tighnened it down and eveything ran great.
Or maybe you have a bad vacuum hose somewhere?
A few years ago I was having issues with a car that was sputtering and running like crap. I tried everything I could think of, with no luck. So I took it to a shop for a tune up. I think it cost me something like $200. Picked it up and it seemed to run good... for abut 5 minutes. Then the same thing. The problem ended up being the carb. I had a holley with an adapter on a quadrajet intake. And it ended up being that the carb adapter was loose lol. I tighnened it down and eveything ran great.
Or maybe you have a bad vacuum hose somewhere?
Thanks for the suggestions guys. I guess im gonna bring it back to the shop and see what happens. Unfortunately they may be just as confused as i am. I drove it yesterday and it ran like a champ for about 10 min or so then sputtering, jerking, chugging. The shop did write something about the exhaust needing service. Maybe that will help the problem. I admit im no mechanical expert. I knew this car was gonna be a challenge but it was so damn sexy. Thanks everyone.
Maybe the module in your distributer? Sounds like the issue has a bit to do with your car warming up. Could also maybe be a choke issue.
Since it was starting to have this problem prior to the shop visit I would lean toward a failing fuel pump. Have them do a pressure and volume test on it, NOT JUST PRESSURE!
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