[Candlejack]

I need help with this bad-to-worse problem!

I just put on new drilled and slotted rotors along with new break pads. It was simple and worked great! Now I get in the car and the check engine light came on. I had a Ion non-RL before and its done that before so it was no HUGE shock. I took the red lead off the battery to see if that could "reset" the problem. It worked for about 30 minutes and there was no problem with braking or grinding of the brakes.

Well I just got an oil change on it and it felt great after that too! A little quicker response with no problems, except for the check engine light. This was 2 days ago.

After working out and driving my car to the gym, and it had been sitting outside the gym for no more than an hour and a half, I start it up and its fine. I pull around the parking lot and all of a sudden a "small engine light with a down arrow" pops up on the far right side of the display, AND the engine starts chugging with an even worse sound coming from the exhaust. I tried to see if it was an idling problem so I revved it up a tad to see if that would help/fix it and it immediately wanted to die as soon as it came down from 2000 rpm (lights fading and it wouldnt go higher thand 3500 rpm).

It has to be the:
A. Oil change
B. Fairly large puddle I went through, perhaps sucking water into the intake?
or
C. The brakes (which I highly doubt)

Please I need help ASAP!

I'm no idiot and any help is welcome!

 

[Candlejack]

As an add-on:

I opened up the hood to see if there was anything visually wrong with wiring, belts, anything at all and the engine and car itself were physically shaking very slightly. It was also a pain to get it rolling. So bad as to almost have to call a freind to help me out with pushing, but instead decided to limp it back home a ways with an EXTREMELY touchy accelerator. I had to keep it at a constant rpm or it would buck and lose speed much more rapidly than if it were normal.

Also seems to start being a "lil' bitch" once the engine gets warm. Its like the engine is actually struggling. Shit.

AGAIN PLEASE HELP! I BEG OF YOU!!!!

 

[The Black Stig]

miles? Pull and check spark plugs

 

[golden chicken]

get the code read before we start guessing. it's free at autozone

the little engine light with the down arrow is "limp-home" mode where the car limits how much power it makes to prevent other damage.

you could not have caused a check engine light by doing a brake job and most likely didn't cause it by doing an oil change.

 

[Candlejack]

It has about 36k miles and I was wondering if I should throw some Sea Foam in it to see if that helps?

But AutoZone you say? Its a 10 mile drive into the town haha, guess i better get driving Well at least its not the brake job, there is however a GM Performance Center in town that I could go to to cut all the corners.....but I don't think I'd like the price of that.

 

[golden chicken]

well there's always the local shop. they may charge you, though.

 

[Candlejack]

Ok, well (from looking at other peoples posts on many other sites, and a fairly large aray of vehicles) I deduced that it was from water somewhere in the mix. I recently rerouted a cold air located lower on the body of the car (behind the driver side fog light). So I am fairly sure this is the problem.

Once I "limp" this car over to some type of diagnostic center, I will be able to tell what exactly is wrong? From an O2 sensor fried, to something (hopefully) less serious? Hopefully I can figure all this out soon.

Where would the best place to re-re-route the cold air to?

 

[golden chicken]

put it back into the fender. get a hydroshield pre-filter.

once you have the code, it will be easier to tell you what's possibly wrong. it might not tell us exactly, but it will give a direction for you or your mechanic to go with further diagnostics.

 

[The Black Stig]

Ok, well (from looking at other peoples posts on many other sites, and a fairly large aray of vehicles) I deduced that it was from water somewhere in the mix. I recently rerouted a cold air located lower on the body of the car (behind the driver side fog light). So I am fairly sure this is the problem.

Once I "limp" this car over to some type of diagnostic center, I will be able to tell what exactly is wrong? From an O2 sensor fried, to something (hopefully) less serious? Hopefully I can figure all this out soon.

Where would the best place to re-re-route the cold air to?

put it back into the fender. get a hydroshield pre-filter.

once you have the code, it will be easier to tell you what's possibly wrong. it might not tell us exactly, but it will give a direction for you or your mechanic to go with further diagnostics.

I also suggest a Bypass filter too, Also Pull you maf out if it's wet it could also suggest water ingestion.

But Deff get the codes. Otherwise we are just shooting in the dark here.

Bypass filter

 

[Candlejack]

I love you.

 

[The Black Stig]

Wow Wow little soon to be saying that we baerly even know you LOL

 

[pooper409]

read the code, sounds to me like a throttle body, if that dont work then an engine harness. ive done em in non-rl ions.

 

[RedlineNoob]

I would say clean the throttle body and the MAF.. 2ndly put the CAI back where its suppose to go!

 

[Candlejack]

ok as an add-on to this topic from before, i checked the code and its P0171 which could be a lot of things. the engine has stopped chugging but the check engine light goes on intermittently. i guess i can live with that annoying yellow light in my face all the time..... anyways. i have to check the o2 and MAF sensor to see if any damage occured or water damage. thanks to all who want to help.

 

[bluesat]

i have been having this code come on and off for a while. i cleaned my tb with carb cleaner, and i cleaned the maf and the o2 senser with maf cleaner. and it still came on. then i changed my fuel filter and it went away. have you done any of these on the car yet?

 

[bluesat]

I also suggest a Bypass filter too, Also Pull you maf out if it's wet it could also suggest water ingestion.

But Deff get the codes. Otherwise we are just shooting in the dark here.

Bypass filter

where do you place this in the system?

 

[laser_racer]

Your car went in to limp mode thats why it wouldn't go any wheres. Check the sensor above your oil filter housing make sure its plugged in. p0171 is a lean fuel trim code.

 

[4g63]

I also suggest a Bypass filter too, Also Pull you maf out if it's wet it could also suggest water ingestion.

But Deff get the codes. Otherwise we are just shooting in the dark here.

Bypass filter

Do you run one of these personally? I came from the school of thought that they only worked on a n/a. It seems to me that once you start making boost, most of the air you are pulling in is going to be coming from the bypass filter rather than the intended filter. I always though the bypass filters were more for a "just in case" situation. If the op routes his cai where it is intended to go, and manages to submerge it, he is going to have worse problems than a wet maf.

 

[laser_racer]

ok as an add-on to this topic from before, i checked the code and its P0171 which could be a lot of things. the engine has stopped chugging but the check engine light goes on intermittently. i guess i can live with that annoying yellow light in my face all the time..... anyways. i have to check the o2 and MAF sensor to see if any damage occured or water damage. thanks to all who want to help.

So wait your check engine light flashes at you? If so that is not good at all. If I remember correctly that is a really bad missfire.