Hey guys, lately my car has been running weird. The idle is all over the place, and occasionally when I rev it, it'll sit at 1500rpm, drop to 1200, than to 600 and than back up to 800 and than it looks like its cammed. I've already cleaned the MAF out, and while I was doing that I realized my air filter was bolted in by 1 of the 4 bolts supposed to be holding it in place. So unfiltered air is getting in, could this be the cause of my problems? I'm ordering a summit by K&N intake tonight to replace the crappy rubber elbow and mac filter I currently have. I might as well change the plugs as the car's got 44k on it and I doubt they've been changed yet.

Also, rolling out in first I sometimes get this horrible death wobble, I was told an aluminum drive shaft would fix this?

 

Check for vacuum leaks.

 

^^^^sounds like a vacuum leak.

 

Where should I look first? This only happens from time to time. I also used to get about 300 miles to the tank, and now I'm only seeing about 200 since this problem has arrived.

- Sean

 

for sure vacuum leak.. get it running and spray starting fluid all over all of the hoses.. if there is a leak, the rpm's will jump up because more fuel is being sucked into the motor

 

Word I'm gonna give it a try tomorrow, I was also told it could be my IAC going bad?

 

I had this problem on my 6cyl. '97 Malibu after Seafoaming it. When I pulled the vaccuum line away from the PCV valve to feed the petroleum into it, an old rubber grommet in the inlet that T's from the line to the intake had cracked and released. After plugging everything back in and starting her up to let her idle for a bit, I started getting the exact behavior you're describing - not the "normal" post-Seafoam treatment behavior. It was losing vaccuum like a biznatch. It was a crappy drive from my apartment to the local Chevy dealer. Luckily, pieces of the eroded grommet didn't make its way down into the inlet, and I was able to chunk it out with my pinky finger. They didn't have just the grommet I needed, so I ended up having to buy the entire line for like...seven bucks. After taking 30 seconds in the parking lot to swap the line, the 'Bu ran just as well as before the whole ordeal.

So, I'd have to agree with all these guys - It's most likely a vaccuum leak, especially if the hoses, couplings and clamps are original to the motor. If it's still under warranty, I'd totally take it in to see if it's covered.

You're right, though, about it sounding like you've had cam work done. It would sound pretty sweet if it weren't for the fact you KNOW something's bad-wrong. lol

Note: I'm not a professional mechanic, nor have I ever had any formal training. These are my speculations derived from my personal experiences. Not valid in all areas. Void where prohibited. No purchase necesarry. See back of label for complete details.