Try using a light & mirror to check the back of the intake manifold where the EGR is located. I would be willing to bet you have the infamous leak back there if you still have the EGR hooked up.

 

I checked it out again and it's pretty dry compared to the areas I mentioned before, however there is build up right where the elbow for the oil sensor attaches to the block. And the buildup/oil runs down both sides of the intake from that point. So it's hard for me to be sure on exactly what is leaking on the back but I've at least narrowed it down the the intake or oil sensor. But the front looks pretty much like the intake, all around the engine block is pretty built up with oil and residue which all looks to start from the intake.

**addition** I'm also trying to figure out how much of a factor spark gap actually is and what the effects would be of a larger gap compared to a smaller gap. Mine were referenced to be .05 yet when I checked all of my plugs were around .065 or higher.

 

The ignition should still fire a .065 plug gap at idle. It would most likely be a problem at higher RPM.

 

It'll fire at .065" but will idle very poorly. Re-gap the plugs and start diagnosis from there...

 

Were they AC Delco platinum plugs? They used to have a problem (OEM, back in the mid 90's) with one or both of the platinum pucks coming off, leaving an 0.070 - 0.100" gap. It would be odd for all on them to lose the pucks.

Were they even platinum plugs? If not, they should have been gapped to less than 0.050".

 

Probably a lapse in judgement on my part, but I didn't check the actual plug type. This is my first car and basically I'm learning as I go on a lot of things. I'm not quite sure how to tell the difference, sry. I looked up different plug types and from what I saw I'm pretty sure mine were platinum plugs, ac delco.

Before changing gaps it started up fine, yet the idle was very erratic and poor. Rpm's would fluctuate rapidly between 800 all the way up to 1800 at times. Also, when under load and high rpm's it would shutter a lot too. When I was checking them all, like I said, they were at .065 or higher. Some were .065 I even had some at .072 they were all different. I re-gapped the plugs to .05 and made sure I had everything set correctly.

I pulled the car out and it seemed to idle perfectly between 800-900 rpm's yesterday, I haven't taken the car out for a run yet to see how it acts though but will be on that soon. Thanks for all the input guys it's really helping me out.

 

I am having some of the same problems and I have a coolant leak in the same place. How would I know if I have an opti or a coil? Any help would be great. Thank you.

 

You have both an Optisprk (it's a conventional distributor in an unusual location) and a single coil. The Opti also incorporates an optical cam position sensor, that feeds the cam position to the PCM, so it can tell the ICM (ignition control module) when to fire the coil.

Courtesy of Shoebox:

http://shbox.com/1/opti_cyl.jpg

http://shbox.com/1/coil_loc.jpg

 

Is there any method for testing this sensor? Could be something I go ahead and check into as well, if you think this might be a factor toward my problems.

 

The 2 feedback signals are either a 0 volt or 5 volt level. As the distributor spins, they change from 0 to 5 effectively making a square wave. You can test for these two levels (changing from 0 to 5 and back again) with a volt meter as the engine is rotated by hand.

However, one other thing that seems to effect the system is "cleanliness" of the signal. Think of square teeth on a saw. Now think of those square teeth being rounded off. Or even just a spike. So really it is preferable to look at the 2 feedback signals with a scope to actually "view" the wave forms.

 

Alright, so I guess myself testing the sensor is out of the question for now :/ was just something I wanted to cross off the list while I'm checking things anyway.

I still haven't been back out to check things out further, I'm sitting here with a ruptured eardrum and swollen shut ear canal and the whole right side of my face swollen. So I'm not really feeling up to the task of going out to mess with the car for awhile. I'll give more info/feedback on anything else I come across when I get to it.

 

ok, at start the engine idles at normal range 800-900...but once I give it a little gas to rev it up a bit the rpm's don't come back down and it sits anywhere between 1200-1800 idle....? I've cleaned the TB before and made sure the TB valves aren't sticking, but this ridiculous idle has been a problem throughout all of this.

*ADD* The lever on the TB which connects to the throttle cable seems to stick every now and then and I haven't really noticed it until lately. So when outside rev'd up by hand using this throttle arm (? whatever its called) I noticed when I released it wouldn't close back down onto the stop screw all the way leaving a gap and the idle would obviously be off because of this. What can I do to fix that problem? Would I have to replace the spring on it or what?

 

I was told I would just need to get a new TB, I called BS on that. I know there has to be some way of adjusting it or at least replacing the spring somehow. Yet I am unable to find anything I've been looking for quite awhile. It's a Holley TB 58mm (112-509)

 

Idle is controlled by the IAC valve. It opens to allow air past the butterfly's and is controlled by the PCM.

One thing that IACs are know for is sticking in the open position. Or taking long to close to come down to idle like when you are approaching a stop light.

It would be helpful to see what the IAC counts are doing.

FWIW, unless you have a serious hi-po engine, a 58mm TB not only is a waste of time, it usually causes more problems then does good. On a stock engine, it's a HUGE waste.

 

If the throttle blades are sticking then the IAC counts are probably close to zero.

Pull the throttle body off and check to see if its just sticky and in need of cleaning/oiling or if the blades are making contact with the intake manifold anywhere.