B
Bodi
Hello, I'm new to this forum, so I am hoping to get some help on a car I just purchased. The car is a 3.8L 1999 Ponitiac Firebird. I purchased it a few days ago for my wife's anniversary present. It appears to have been taken care of relatively well vs some of the other cars we looked at...but that's another story. To the problem...
The check engine light came on and while I was driving it the reduced power light came on and I could not go anywhare. Basically, you step on the gas and the engine does not increase in RPM's. I finally got it to go and got over to Advance Auto and had them pull the code- it was a P0102 code - Mass Air Flow (MAF) Circuit Low Input. SO I bought the a new MAF sensor and had the code reset. I drove home about 20 miles and ate dinner while my wife cleaned the car, put mats in it, etc. Went to move the car and there is the check engine light again. Drove over to the local Advanced Auto to ask what gives...and was told that it may be the circuit itself and they would take the part back (at the other store that had my core). I drove home and parked the car for the night. The next moring; the check engine light is still on the car idles real rough and then here comes the reduced poer light again. I took my truckl to work came home and tried starting the car again. The same two lights are on. So this time I let it idle to see if the condition would correct itself. I let the car warm up to about 190 degrees and turned it off. I then restarted it and no more reduced engine light. Still had the serice engine soon light though.
It seems that if I let the car warm up while the reduced engine light is on it will go away when I start it again. Does any one here have any idea as to why this is happening? Someone I met mentioned that they had the reduced engine light come on and it was their catalytic converter.
As far as the p0102 MAF error like I said I replaced the MAF sensor that didn't help. The cable has 5V going to it - the pink and black wire (or to ground itself). The resistance was about 30 ohms on the ground wire. I checked the cables as much as I could but they look fine. I didn't see any vacuum hoses to actually check but di find a loose fuel line. Could this error be a red herring due to a catalytic converter fault causing the reduced engine light to come on?
The car does have a cat back system - the exhaust tips read Ractive; but I'm not sure if it is the bransd for just the tips or the whole cat back system. The air box is stock as well as the filter...I know the K&N filter oil sometimes does not play nice with the MAF sensor. I do not know of any other after market parts as the car is new to me.
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. THX
The check engine light came on and while I was driving it the reduced power light came on and I could not go anywhare. Basically, you step on the gas and the engine does not increase in RPM's. I finally got it to go and got over to Advance Auto and had them pull the code- it was a P0102 code - Mass Air Flow (MAF) Circuit Low Input. SO I bought the a new MAF sensor and had the code reset. I drove home about 20 miles and ate dinner while my wife cleaned the car, put mats in it, etc. Went to move the car and there is the check engine light again. Drove over to the local Advanced Auto to ask what gives...and was told that it may be the circuit itself and they would take the part back (at the other store that had my core). I drove home and parked the car for the night. The next moring; the check engine light is still on the car idles real rough and then here comes the reduced poer light again. I took my truckl to work came home and tried starting the car again. The same two lights are on. So this time I let it idle to see if the condition would correct itself. I let the car warm up to about 190 degrees and turned it off. I then restarted it and no more reduced engine light. Still had the serice engine soon light though.
It seems that if I let the car warm up while the reduced engine light is on it will go away when I start it again. Does any one here have any idea as to why this is happening? Someone I met mentioned that they had the reduced engine light come on and it was their catalytic converter.
As far as the p0102 MAF error like I said I replaced the MAF sensor that didn't help. The cable has 5V going to it - the pink and black wire (or to ground itself). The resistance was about 30 ohms on the ground wire. I checked the cables as much as I could but they look fine. I didn't see any vacuum hoses to actually check but di find a loose fuel line. Could this error be a red herring due to a catalytic converter fault causing the reduced engine light to come on?
The car does have a cat back system - the exhaust tips read Ractive; but I'm not sure if it is the bransd for just the tips or the whole cat back system. The air box is stock as well as the filter...I know the K&N filter oil sometimes does not play nice with the MAF sensor. I do not know of any other after market parts as the car is new to me.
Any help you can give would be greatly appreciated. THX
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