Car running slow

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 3:54 pm

Ok, yet another problem. I was doing a little street racing with a friend of mine. I'm pretty sure I have a vacuum leak, but I'd like to get some advice on this. He drives a Geo Primsim with 117 HP and 120 torque, and my car is 135 hp with 185 torque. Well his car is keeping up to mine. I notice sometimes I will start my car and it runs really really rough and you hear a sucking sound almost as if the air intake isn't put on right. (i've checked this numerous times) Now lately sometimes when trying to start the car it has to crank over a heck of alot more to start it. This is only after I drove the car and shut her off, she will do this sometimes.

Somebody have some advice I can use to check out the car. It's going on a scope Monday, but I figured I ask here too.

1988GTU · Post by **1988GTU** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:19 pm

I am going to assume you have teh 3100sfi?

Or atleast the V6 atleast.

So anyway, you try'd the brake cleaner test?
What you do is start the car, have a rag handy, & spray the brake cleaner all around where the intake manifold is while the car is running. If it revs up, then you have a leak. You can do this for finding vacuum leaks for the plastic lines also. Be very careful so you don't start a fire.

Do at own risk.

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 4:44 pm

Yes it's just a v6 3.1, not the 3100. I'm pretty sure already i have intake gaset leak. I'm loosing coolant too. How much would this job cost canadain? Anyone know ? Or for the fact, American too.

Thanks,

1988GTU · Post by **1988GTU** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 6:30 pm

Upper intake gasket should only be about 15.00Us & 20 minutes of your time.

Lower intake gasket should be around 28.00Us & a few hours of your time.

Find a GOOD repair book.

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sat Feb 11, 2006 10:41 pm

I'm going to scan the haynes manual, but I will know for sure on Monday what is going on. Sounds more like a $500 dollar job if a shop did it. $500 can. Let me know what you think.

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:24 am

Well I scanned through the Haynes manual. I'm assuming I will need to remove the intake manifold to change the gaskets. Well what I see is I need to remove the plenium, EGR valve with gasket (new gasket required) discont fuel rail and label everything. Then unblot altantor, and drive belt, and coolant lines marking where they go. Then, the actual intake manifold will come out. Looks like a few hours to do this job. I'd say an easy 4 to 6 hour job. Probably looking around $50 bucks in parts.

Let me know what you guys think this will be for a shop to do it. I don't have a local garage.

1988GTU · Post by **1988GTU** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:30 am

A jo shmoe shop wll probably charge +300USd.
Dealer will be +25% more most likely.

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 1:20 am

Yah, the car seems to run 80% of the time good, but hrm.. .The 90 3.1 are the earlier model motors. Hrm, I wonder if it would be adviseable to just pull the head while I'm there and replace the gasket and check the cam and everything there. This way if it needs to be replaced, I mine as well do it.

Oh, and the price ranges I'm finding for this job using google are coming up with 800$ US. That's nuts!

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 11:57 am

Well I had some guy which is supposly a mechanic listen to the motor and look around. He's suppose to have been a mechanic for 45 years. Well he thinks the gaskets are just fine, but the EGR needs to be cleaned and the rest of the sensors. The fact of the coolant disappearing, he said something about it not being mixed properly. The guy couldn't speak much english, but this is all I understood from him.

1988GTU · Post by **1988GTU** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:34 pm

How much coolant you loosing? If it's more than a pint in a month, you have a leak.

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 12:42 pm

To be honest, i'm not exactly sure. To really think about it, I'd say about 3 months then my coolant light will click on and I will need to fill her back up. IF not 3 months 2 months.

1988GTU · Post by **1988GTU** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 1:12 pm

So you're saying about a gallon in those 2-3 months?

Did you do a compression check? How about a rad. system pressure check?

The Rad. Pressure Tester:
Rad

The Compression Tester:
Comp

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 1:22 pm

Getting the tests done tomorrow. Car goes on the scope.

IsaacHayes · Post by **IsaacHayes** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 5:10 pm

If it's running slow, and you hear a vacuum leak, then yes you have problems!! Hopefully it's just intake gasket and not head gasket..

niter3 · Post by **niter3** » Sun Feb 12, 2006 8:56 pm

Well I will see tomorrow. I tried that one test. Took the rad cap off and fired the car up and let it run for a good solid 5 minutes and watched for bubbles. Didn't see any..

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