# I need some serious help **URL:** \ **Category:** NYSpeed Automotive\ **Created:** [November 18, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286 "2009-11-18T17:45:06Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 19\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f6c823/32.png) [@QuickSilver](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 5:45pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/1 "2009-11-18T17:45:06Z")
OK its been forever since I’ve posted on here but I am out of options. I drive a 2002 grand prix gtp, I have a 2.4" pulley, slp exhaust, k&n intake and DHP pcm. My car is starting to go on me and I have already dropped $1200 with no luck. I need help, I have taken this car to 2 mechanics that have redefined the term “epic fail”. The problems are: 1. car shakes at 40-50mph 2. the car “sputters” or hesitates at WOT 3. ABS light and TCS light come on for no reason, ABS activates randomly at low speeds. Work done to correct issues 1. Was told my front rotors were warped and need replacing which would cause the car to shake. Both front rotors replaced along with pads. 2. front driver side wheel bearing hub was bad (part was under warranty and only had to pay $110 for labor{being sarcastic} ) this was supposed to fix the ABS problem which it did initially for the first day. 3. Both Ball joints were bad and needed replacing ( supposed to fix the shaking) 4. Both control arm bushings were bad and needed replacing. (supposed to fix the shaking) 5. was told my fuel injectors were probably dirty and a cleaner was poured into the gas tank. I don’t think they even bothered to look for the problem. I haven’t given up on this solution completely because I haven’t gone through an entire tank of gas left. The only thing I haven’t done was have my alignment checked, I put 4 new tires on last month so checking for excess wear is not applicable. I do believe I am in need of an alignment but would that cause all my front end problems? I am at a loss about the sputtering at WOT, I have gotten so many probable causes, from clogged cat to EGR valve sticking, that I think it would cost me a small fortune to diagnose, especially considering I have no codes. Any help would be appreciated, thanks ---
**Author:** ![ieatpaint](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ieatpaint/32/7311_2.png) [@ieatpaint](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ieatpaint)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:00pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/2 "2009-11-18T18:00:46Z")
My suby sputtered at wot, turned out crank pulley was coming loose and shifting on the crank throwing the timing off. ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:03pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/3 "2009-11-18T18:03:29Z")
Sounds like it may be electrical to me. ABS and TC are both heavily computer controlled and these modern computers want really consistant voltage. Your sputtering could very well be caused by not enough power for the injectors, plugs, fuel pump etc. So, start with the basics. Battery terminals good and clean? Voltage with car off and voltage with car on? Engine block grounds? Chassis ground, specifically one near the ECU? ---
**Author:** ![02NismoSpecV](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/0/74df32/32.png) [@02NismoSpecV](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/02NismoSpecV)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:04pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/4 "2009-11-18T18:04:33Z")
usually shaking is caused by poor tire balancing. which is an easy fix ---
**Author:** ![ubengineering](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/ubengineering/32/5171_2.png) [@ubengineering](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/ubengineering)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:05pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/5 "2009-11-18T18:05:30Z")
well first off, injector cleaners do not do jack shit, dont blame yourself though, if you want to have your injectors really cleaned take them to new era 2nd, your car is modded nicely, why not take it to a shop that deals with things like that THERE ARE MANY OF THESE REPUTABLE PLACES HERE ON THE BOARDS shaking at certain speeds? tires may not be balanced sensitively enough, i know my neon is super senstive from the factory, the wheel weights that get put on my tires arent close to what it had from day one, i get the famoud 70mph neon shake if you need a reputable shop that wont fuck your ass pm me, or give one the tuner shops a call edit: good point JayS, check the grounds ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:34pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/6 "2009-11-18T18:34:01Z")
I’ve had some REALY unbalanced tires between autocrossing and track days and I’ve never seen them shake enough to make the ABS and TC start acting up. Rough road where the wheels actually lift off the ground sure. ---
**Author:** ![yunvme666](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/yunvme666/32/5065_2.png) [@yunvme666](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/yunvme666)\ **Post date:** [November 18, 2009, 6:52pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/7 "2009-11-18T18:52:05Z")
id check for wheel speed sensors acting irratic, abs and tc always use them as the main reading… also maybe the converter isnt disengaging/engaging when or how it should… ---
**Author:** ![QuickSilver](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/q/f6c823/32.png) [@QuickSilver](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/QuickSilver)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 8:08am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/8 "2009-11-19T08:08:17Z")
> [@JayS](#): > > Sounds like it may be electrical to me. ABS and TC are both heavily computer controlled and these modern computers want really consistant voltage. Your sputtering could very well be caused by not enough power for the injectors, plugs, fuel pump etc. > > So, start with the basics. > > Battery terminals good and clean? > > Voltage with car off and voltage with car on? > > Engine block grounds? > > Chassis ground, specifically one near the ECU? I never thought of that but it makes sense. Problem is I’m not very savy with checking the electronics, my friend has a volt meter but I don’t know what to look for or where to find it. ---
**Author:** ![JayS](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jays/32/15375_2.png) [@JayS](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/JayS)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 8:40am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/9 "2009-11-19T08:40:20Z")
> [@yunvme666](#): > > id check for wheel speed sensors acting irratic, abs and tc always use them as the main reading… also maybe the converter isnt disengaging/engaging when or how it should… This too. Of course that doesn’t explain the sputtering at WOT, but that sputtering could be completely unrelated. ---
**Author:** ![jay\_g](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jay_g/32/111288_2.png) [@jay\_g](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jay_g)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 10:49am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/10 "2009-11-19T10:49:18Z")
First I hope you mean 3.4" pulley. How many miles are on this pig and how long since last plug change? What plus are you running? ABS and TCS issues are usually caused by a bad bearing. Shacking can be caused by a number of things. Is your car lowered? WOT sputtering I would first change plugs and wires. Gm wires are fine and you need to run copper plugs. ---
**Author:** ![jsac442](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jsac442/32/5176_2.png) [@jsac442](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jsac442)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/11 "2009-11-19T11:14:17Z")
bring in in we can check the alignment, and balance your tires and start looking into your sputtering problem. [www.walczaksautoservice.com](http://www.walczaksautoservice.com) ---
**Author:** ![psychopjv](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/psychopjv/32/7251_2.png) [@psychopjv](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/psychopjv)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:14am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/12 "2009-11-19T11:14:23Z")
trying to internet diagnose a sputter is not an easy thing to do. Best bet would be to hook it to a live scan tool and monitor all the sensors and see if any are taking a dump. ABS/TCS light is most likely a speed sensor (aka the whole bearing) as stated. Shaking can be a variety of things. Could be a bad axle, balance issue , bent wheel, torque convertor issue, strut issue. Do the SC 3.8’s have the issue with the flexplate cracking like the N/A versions? Studderin would actually be a good guy to contact about this stuff. ---
**Author:** ![jay\_g](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/jay_g/32/111288_2.png) [@jay\_g](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/jay_g)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 11:23am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/13 "2009-11-19T11:23:27Z")
Before you take it somewhere and spend tons more do plugs and wires first. Do you have any type of scanner to that you can use? ---
**Author:** ![Pauly](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/pauly/32/7493_2.png) [@Pauly](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Pauly)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 12:08pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/14 "2009-11-19T12:08:50Z")
alignment will almost never cause a shake, as it will equal itself out going down the road. I suppose it could buty it would have to be so far out it would be difficult to drive. ---
**Author:** ![nitroinsane](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/n/d26b3c/32.png) [@nitroinsane](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/nitroinsane)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 12:10pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/15 "2009-11-19T12:10:33Z")
alignments do not cause a shake however poor tire wear from a improper alignment will. which was done first.Control arm bushings and ball joints. Or new tires? ---
**Author:** ![LeetWoah](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/leetwoah/32/5013_2.png) [@LeetWoah](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/LeetWoah)\ **Post date:** [November 19, 2009, 1:15pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/16 "2009-11-19T13:15:33Z")
as far as you sputtering at wot. how are the plugs? are they fouling out? also have you pulled the fuel filter? if not pull the filter and blow through it to make sure your getting proper flow! if it has not been replaced to your knowledge why not spend the 15 bucks to change it out. chances are if the fuel filter is a hot mess then ur pump has been over working to provide fuel and you more than likely have damaged the pump. ---
**Author:** ![Boomin99GT](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/boomin99gt/32/7306_2.png) [@Boomin99GT](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/Boomin99GT)\ **Post date:** [November 24, 2009, 10:01pm UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/17 "2009-11-24T22:01:54Z")
Are you having any other issues you failed to mention? I had a GTP in my shop a few weeks ago with similar sputtering concerns. It turned out to be a blown gasket under the supercharger. ---
**Author:** ![deebo](https://yyz2.discourse-cdn.com/flex034/user_avatar/forums.speedlife.net/deebo/32/5218_2.png) [@deebo](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/deebo)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 8:44am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/18 "2009-11-26T08:44:37Z")
in my GT the car would sputter at WOT, sputter, and buck, and run like shit… i unplugged one of the sensors, and it ran fine, as soon as i plugged it back in it started running like shit again So, it was one of the sensors that u unplug, and the car can still run. I cant remember what it was tho, this was over 3years ago And you should probably do your plugs n wires if you havent done those in a while ---
**Author:** ![vq30de](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/v/9dc877/32.png) [@vq30de](https://forums.speedlife.net/u/vq30de)\ **Post date:** [November 26, 2009, 8:47am UTC](https://forums.speedlife.net/t/i-need-some-serious-help/76286/19 "2009-11-26T08:47:15Z")
Plugs. Mine had same mods and liked to eat plugs for some reason. Get the Autolite ones (forgot which ones) and gap correctly. Get new wires too.