Somethings Wrong with the Cobra...

[strickensix]

Last night after work, I floored it up to 80mph, shifting fast, and everything was fine and usual. Nothing out of the ordinary, no noises or anything. After I slow down, I upshift and start going up a hill and the car starts shaking and has no power...

After a little while, I through it in neutral then put it back into gear, and its was fine. So I drove home and parked it over night.

Today, I drive it to school, and its still shaking and has no power. But its not doing it all the time, on the way to school. After school, it does it the whole way home. When I hit the gas in like 5th gear at 60mph, it will barely go faster even if I hit the gas harder when before it would gain speed fine. The engine shakes violently and is making the O/R H-pipe hit the body.

I go to work then turn the car off and check the dipstick to see if there is any coolant but the oil is clear. So I turn the car back on and I see and smell a dreaded cloud of black smoke of burning oil from the rear...

I drive it home, still shaking and has no power. I listened to the engine and heard a good amount of valve tap on the passenger side. I stood outside the car and revved it and black smoke came out the rear, mainly the passenger side.

Any ideas on whats wrong with it? I'm about to take it to the shop.

 

[Midnight_Cobra]

Black smoke usually means you are running to rich. But it's weird how it would come on and off. ttt for you.

 

[RippinSVT]

If the motor is shaking that violently, there's a good chance the mounts are shot. As far as the actual problem, track down that tapping noise and pull the valvecover and see what's going on with it. Check for a broken valvespring or a rocker arm that has jumped off, I've seen it happen. Before you do that though, make sure it's firing on all 8 cylinders. Pull each wire and use a screwdriver with an insulated handle and see if it'll arc onto it. Also check that you don't have a fouled plug.

 

[strickensix]

I had dropped by my local garage and they told me first it may be condensation in the gas tank and gas lines. They came to the conclusion because I had not driven the gas in 6 days (because of snow and ice) and it had 1/4 tank of gas. So they poured in some isopropyl (sp?) dry gas and fuel injector cleaner. They told me to go fill up and keep driving until its almost empty.

Well I'm down to 1/4 tank and its still doing it. But its not doing it all of the time now. It only happens when I am at a low speed but high gear (like 45mph in 5th gear). But if I drop it into 2nd and speed up to 60mph, with it stutter, it will stop stutter at about 4000rpm then be normal. Then I would put it back into 5th gear and drive and it would be normal. It would start shaking again if I let off the gas until I hit like 45mph again.

Tomorrow, I'll run through a check list of like spark plug wires, fuel injectors, removing valve cover is necessary, etc.

Also I have noticed, my fuel pump isnt whining anymore. It wasnt a terribly loud whining before like it was going to die, but now, I don't hear it at all.

 

[STAMPEDE3]

Check wires first.

 

[98LazerRedCobra]

check wires and spark plugs oil change if u havent then see waht happens mine did the same thing but i had two broken rods and then the block ****e d up thank good 4 warranty i will be getting my beast in a week or so with a new engine from the dealer

 

[1xtremecobra]

check your harmonic balancer....plug wires too.

 

[JasonSnake]

this may sound funky, but a coolant sensor going bad can cause the computer to falsely overcompensate in gas mixture, making the thing run too rich and stumble. This happend to my 95 GT several years ago. Once I replaced CTS, it ran humbly once agayyyne.

 

[Quadcammer]

well rocker arms don't pop off 5.0s cause they are bolted down, but if you are hearing noise from that side, pull the vc and have a look.