Please help guys!

I have a 97, 3.8...pacesetter headers, high flow cat (on for over 2yrs) with EGR removed. Never had any issues...my most recent work involved replacing a few lifters and rods, installing new intake gaskets upper and lower...

This is the first time i really had the car out since the work was done becuase it was being re-painted. I was running about 105mhp on the high way, digging into this ricers azz... when all of a sudden I lost power and the car started popping like crazy...Check engine light was going off...I got it home, scanned it, it came back with codes for MAF, TPS, IAT...

Being that all three of those codes dropped at once, I am thinking there could be a root cause...for instance, when I put the lower intake gasket on, it had two rubber strips that where to go onto the ends, but I really was not sure how to place them, so i did what i thought was right and sat the lower intake down on them. Should I have use them? or should I have just used some RTV? Maybe air is being sucked in??


I also know I tryed to clean the senors while everything was torn apart but they had about a week to dry out...at this point I am trying to start with the cheapest solution and work my way up.

BTW, there is a guy on here who posted a youtube vid with his car doing the samething, someone thought a exhuast valve was sticking....

 

pull your valve covers off and check that all valves are moving freely. If you sucked a valve you will see one that is stuck down or will not move like the others. Popping through the intake is usually caused by an intake valve.

I cant really think of anything off the top of my head right now other than a sucked/burnt valve that will do this with this engine. A distributor engine I can think of a few things but you dont have one of those so I can think of anything else.

Massey

P.S. check your plug wires too. For damage and proper placement

 

Hey Massey, thanks...I will pull them off today and reply with my findings...

 

OH and a compression check and leakdown check is a good way to determine the health of an engine as well.

Massey

 

Popped of the Valve covers, turned out to be a loose rocker arm...some how I must have not torqued it...so I made damn sure i did this time, put everything back together...she started right up and is running strong...

Thanks a lot brother!!

 

Glad I could help. It is always good to hear a nice running engine.

Massey