Thanks! Hope I can rent/borrow the ball joint tool.

Anyone have a write-up on replacing the front control arms? It doesn't look like much except for the two bolts which attach the arm to the subframe and then the ball joint. I just wanted to have an idea of what to expect before I dive and and any helpful tips would be appreciated.

My '01 SSEi has ...

I hope it's not a defective rotor. I wire brushed everything before putting the new parts on. I ordered the stuff from Rock Auto and the rotors were Raybestos but, unfortunately, when I got them I saw the dreaded (to me) "Made in China" on the box. I try to avoid Chinese anything except food. There ...

No rotation done. Strangely it wasn't as bad on the way home tonight. Also checked the transmission fluid when I got home and it still needs more, maybe 1.5 quarts. I wonder if low ATF level could cause the symptoms? Going to get more ATF tomorrow and see what happens.

I'm debating on getting new ...

+1 on the CKP sensor. Could also be the ICM on its way out. I've had similar issues with my '01 SSEi and it was the CKP sensor. I've had some other random misfire issues that never set codes but it turned out to be the ICM.

This weekend I replaced the rear brake rotors and pads on my '01 SSEi and what a cluster**** of an experience with stuck bolts! The worst was the driver's side which took a :flame: and a 2' breaker bar to get the caliper bracket bolts loose. While working on these I even saw the control arm moving ...

Check at the EGR inlet both tube and intake for any accumulation. This could cause stumble under light loads.

Will do-thanks!

Also wanted to update that I'm on a work trip with the Firebird which you'll remember now has the Bonneville's ignition module. Now the Firebird has the bad stumble under ...

crash93ssei wrote:Is the car throwing any codes?

Like I said, just P0401, insufficient EGR flow. That one seems odd to me since I just replaced the EGR valve about 4 months ago. Going to have to investigate that one further, too.

UPDATE

Took the car on a longer drive this morning and while the slight miss is still there going up hills on the highway the more severe bucking never happened. It was a noticeable improvement. I pulled a long hill at about 65 in OD around 4-5 PSI and it didn't stumble. Maybe the ignition module ...

Just did an oil change a few hundred miles ago and ran a bottle of FI cleaner through it then. That tank's been used up already, too. The car has almost 175K on it. Still has great oil pressure, too. From my experience with my wife's Firebird it seems like the ignition system is an Achilles' heel of ...

My '01 SSEi started progressively running worse with the main problem being a miss in 4th gear over 55 MPH or so and at about 4 PSI of boost under load, like going up hills on the highway. It got worse to the point of missing on any spirited acceleration. The coils were iffy so I replaced all of ...

Just got done troubleshooting. Swapped plugs--still P0301, then wires--still P0301, then the #1/4 coil--misfire and code gone. Looks like I'll be contacting Summit about a warranty since it's only 6 months old. I put on the best of the 2 old coils I had. We'll see how it does on my 250-mile round ...

Coils are 90% likely culprit. Accel coils are junk. Did you replace them because they were bad, or for the 'performance boost' and the look? If the former, throw the stockers back in and forget about them.

I replaced the coils because I had one bad one and the remaining 2 were at the test limit ...

Took a quick look and listen tonight. The injector is clicking like it should. The spark plug looked fine, too. Guess once I have a little more time I'll move parts around and see what will make the misfire follow.

There is only 1 upstream sensor.

What brand/type of plugs, wires, coils? Age is less important than brand/quality. The cheap coils are cheap for a reason...

I guess I'll have to look more closely. I assumed there would be one per bank, then one post-cat O2 sensor.

Coils and wires are Accel ...

I know, but the plugs, wires, and coil packs aren't even a year old. I'll check the plug anyway, though.

Update: I got the compressor off yesterday and it was getting hot--the electrical connector was partially melted. I put a bypass pulley on it and the burning smell is gone. Unfortunately, it's still running rough. Got a P0301 code--misfire cylinder 1. I guessing it's a bad injector because it's ...

Here's my experience with it: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 35868.html. I did a couple of things a little differently and also found a puller set with the right bolts already in the kit.

It could also be a faulty injector. Move it around, too, and see if the code follows.

I have noticed an intermittent burning-plastic smell from my '01 SSEi lately. Today I checked and saw there was smoke coming from near the A/C compressor. The car didn't have the A/C (which quit working last summer anyway) on and it wasn't in a defrost mode. There has only been a very rare squeaking ...