1992 Pontiac Sunbird SE 3.1 engine causes it to jerk violently

Tiny
2CP-ARCHIVES
  • MEMBER
  • 1992 PONTIAC SUNBIRD
  • 6 CYL
  • FWD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 135,000 MILES
1992 Pontiac Sunbird SE 3.1 mileage 135,000. 1992 Sunbird, with 3.1 replaced from a '92 Cavalier in 1999. Car starts fine, drives fine for a few minutes in the morning, however after a while any load on the engine causes it to jerk violently (I bit right through my tongue - ouch). Spark plugs changed within the last month. Had it to three shops so far, codes come up 32 and 33 My barometric sensor or whatever for the 32 hasn't been hooked up since 1999. Same with the lockup torque converter solenoid. Replaced MAP, seemed to work, until a few minutes later, same thing started happening. Happens at all speeds, 0-130 km/h depending on load. From stop, stalls frequently, unless I floor it, in which case I waste tire longevity, risk tickets, and when it jerks violently, it's worse than usual. They've checked for vacuum leaks, changed a few vacuum lines, changes nothing. Any help would be greatly appreciated, as I live 102 kms from work, and the drive is made excruciatingly long because of all the hills, and if it always feels like this, I don't want to bite through my tongue again.
Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 AT 11:38 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
2CP-ARCHIVES
  • MEMBER
  • 4,542 POSTS
Whenever we see a question where an engine swap has taken place from one make and model to another, it concerns us because as a general rule, they are not totally interchangeable. We have not done the research here to see if your swap is interchangeable. But we suggest that you check all the ground wires to be sure they are hooked up properly. Check the vacuum to the map sensor and read the data stream to the computer to verify that all sensors are working properly.
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Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 AT 11:41 PM

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