Georgia Fiero Club Forum

All Things Fiero => Tech Tips, Tech Questions => Topic started by: pgackerman on August 17, 2020, 09:38:33 am

Title: 2.8L jerking during acceleration
Post by: pgackerman on August 17, 2020, 09:38:33 am
Re-posting in it's thread...

Driving back from Gray my car started chugging during acceleration.  Figured it might be a bad batch of gas.  We've been getting a lot of heavy rain and filled up (6.5 gallons) at a reputable -- but not my usual -- gas station before the drive.  This morning I went to COSTCO and put in 9 gallons of their best 93 octane.  The drive home was improved but not better.  Went for another drive this afternoon and the chugging has definitely not gone away.  Acceleration from a stop is also slower.  Has trouble maintaining 55 in 5th going up a slight hill with cruise on.  Slight smell of coolant, but don't seem to be using any, and the odor has been around for a few months.  No one else seems to detect it.

Work done this year:
Before July, new coolant reservoir from the Fiero store and all that implies.
July, car wouldn't start.  New spark plugs, coolant temp sensor/ignition, spark plug wires.
August, new tires.
BTW, cat, distributor, and heater core replaced in 2014.

Any ideas?
Title: Re: 2.8L jerking during acceleration
Post by: Fierofool on August 17, 2020, 11:50:22 am
A bad plug or wire will cause those symptoms.  I was having it on my 87 and found built up debris around the bases of the 3 front plugs.   Blowing it out with air solved the problem after having replaced the coil and module without results.   Wasn't it raining on you Saturday?
Title: Re: 2.8L jerking during acceleration
Post by: pgackerman on August 17, 2020, 12:58:54 pm

Yup.  It was raining Saturday.
Title: Re: 2.8L jerking during acceleration
Post by: pgackerman on August 18, 2020, 05:01:13 pm

Culprit was a bad spark plug wire.

Title: Re: 2.8L jerking during acceleration
Post by: GTRS Fiero on August 18, 2020, 06:35:18 pm
Glad you found it, and that the fix was only minor.
Title: Re: 2.8L jerking during acceleration
Post by: Fierofool on August 18, 2020, 09:42:22 pm
How did you find it?