50Trippin

I have a '93 GT Hatch. Car was completely stock until last weekend. Ran perfectly fine when I parked it on Friday to install the new exhaust. It has 85,000 miles. I installed new 1 5/8 BBK unequals, BBK h-pipe w/cats, Flowmaster American Thunder cat-back & a BBK cold air. My problem is that when I went to fire her up after putting the parts on she is running horribly! backfiring out of the drivers side only, really really shakey. Car is completely gutless and under any load it sounds like a machine gun unloading out of driver side pipe. The battery was disconnected before anything was touched. On initial start up i let it idle for 40 minutes without touching the throttle and after that I drove it for 20 minutes on the freeway. Only backfires under load or on a rare occasion during idle. Checked all vaccuum lines and they all check out fine. Double triple checked for exhaust leaks at the headers, h-pipe & tail pipes and found none. Did an auto x-ray scan and it comes up with code 44, Thermactor air system failure. I was hoping someone here could give me some insight on what i might be able to check out before I start dumping money into smog parts. And I did make sure to hook the metal line back up to the h-pipe at the cats. Any help or ideas will be greatly appreciated.

Sorry for the long post.....

cammedlx

Check the plugs you probaly craked one while putting the new headers in.Or you just gor the wires on wrong causing the misfire or one is not all the way on the plug.

brutal_gt

i dont think with the install of and exhaust system you would inherit those issues unless something else was wrong. so that code 44 is probably what the problem is, if your plugs, wires and firing order if good to go. i just installed the same cat-back with a bbk o/r h-pipe and not only does it sound awesome but its definitely pulling harder now too.

Black Snake

Yeah check your plugs, I am almost positive that you crossed a wire during install. I know you have of taken some wires off when u installed them it would be a paint in the *** if u didnt. Also what stangpower said u might of broke a plug of cut one causing it to ark.

50Trippin

I did have to pull the wires but reinstalling them was simple since they are numbered clearly. I am however going to check the plugs, again, this weekend. There was no visible cracks in any of the plugs that i could find and i can't here any arching. I did some research on code 44 and i've found alot of postings on other sites that say code 44 is also "oxygen sensor detecting excessive fuel" (bad/broken plug maybe) or restricted airflow (confirmed twice now that's not the case, took CAI off and reinstalled stock and then took that off and reinstalled CAI and same exact symptoms) I really hope it's a plug cause smog parts are EXPENSIVE! $40 for the pump, $80 for the bypass valve, $70 for the diverter valve & $ 30 each for the check valves. F***. Thanks for your responses guys. hopefully it turns out to be something simple. I will post again with resolution as soon as I figure it out.

Black Snake

Try cleaning the O2 Sensor with some brake cleaner and see what heppens.

silver91gt

check the firing order
13726548 going counterclockwise.

Tims 88GT

i had a problem with my smog stuff talk about a pain in the butt. if you need some of thoes vlaves let me know i have some that i can cut you a good deal on. they are not new but their is nothing wrong with them. now in my book it says Problems in Thermactor air control system, and exhaust gas EGO sensor indicates RICH. are you shure you have all the vac lines on? and the pulg wires right?

86gt5.0HO

I'd fix that thermactor air system code after checking the plugs and wires. If the diverter valve is not working, or not recieving a signal, it could be blowing air through the headers when the o2's wake up, and making the engine think it's lean. It's most likely the solinoid operated vacuum switches on the pass side stut tower. Check both of them for continuity, if there is none on them replace them. Then run test again.

Tims 88GT

yeah they are about $20 a pice