Serious Sputtering, No Guts When Cold.

Well, this forum is extremely quite, but if anyone cares to help me out I'd be REALLY grateful! Engine idles low, ~900 rpm, sputters, and has very limited power in exceleration, especially in rpms <3000. once warm it runs better but still kicks once in a while or seems to miss a beat. still less power than usual. Just had the timing adjusted. Seems to be a carb issue? Any ideas where to start trouble shooting? to clarify: 92 pontiac LeMans 1.6 L 5 speed manual, 190,000KM. Cheers, Leif

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Answer #1: Posted by roadrunnertim on November 25th, 2012 5:13 PM

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roadrunnertim

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Unfortunately, it could be a few things. Start with the ignition coil. A coil that's going bad will give you the symptoms you describe. The best way to check it is to take out a spark plug and reattach the spark plug wire to it. Hold it about one inch or less from metal (radiator support is good) and have a friend crank the engine for you. Be sure to wear heavy gloves while you are holding the spark plug, just to be safe. If you see a strong, blue spark, your coil is okay. If you have a weak, yellow spark, then it's probably your coil going bad. The coil is located at the distributor, where all the spark plug wires meet.

If the coil is good then I would go with a fuel problem. Replace the fuel filter first and if that doesn't work, replace the throttle position sensor (TPS). The fuel filter is under the car, usually along the driver's side frame rail.The TPS is on the top of the engine, near the throttle body (close to firewall).

Your last hope is to replace the fuel pump. You will have to lower the fuel tank down, since the pump is in the tank. A $50 part and a pain to do. Google how to do that if all of the other options fail.

Here's what your TPS and ignition coil look like: