PontiacBonnevilleClub.com

So just about a week ago I noticed that my car started shaking when I tried to accelerate. It doesn't happen every time but it will shake every once in a while. When the car starts shaking the RPM's don't go up and sometimes the SES light will flash for about 20 seconds or so and then stop. I feel like it's starting to happen more frequently so I'm starting to get kind of worried.

-What is causing this problem?
-How much will it cost to fix it?

It could be a few things, but a flashing SES indicates a catalyst damaging situation, so you need to stop driving the car and figure out what's up immediately. More than likely you have a misfire. You need to get the car scanned and see what codes you have stored in the PCM to help you diagnose. Likely it will be a P0300 or a P030x, with the x being a cylinder number that is misfiring.

A few things to check: Make sure all of the plugs and wires are replaced and in good condition. Even brand new plugs/wires can go bad, so it never hurts to rule that out. You could also have a bad coil, which you can test the coils using the method posted in Techinfo. It's fairly simple to do with a multimeter. Also you can try cleaning the mass air flow sensor.

Try spraying the coil packs with a spray bottle of water. Just lightly mist them and see if the idle changes or the engine stumbles. That can help identify a bad coil pack if one is leaking voltage, and is actually how I diagnosed my bad coil a while back.


Good luck and keep us updated! and Welcome to the club!

Thank you! I'll keep you updated and let you know what the problem is when I get it fixed.

Sounds good, and post for as much help as you need, this is a great forum!

I agree with everything the Jfridge has said. While you are checking things, make sure that you aren't losing coolant. Coolant getting into the cylinders will cause a similar problem. Even if things are fine, read these techinfo articles to familiarize yourself with the intake problems.

http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... c1061.html
http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... c3591.html

Thanks, you guys are very helpful. I'm going to start with the spark plugs/wires and go from there.

Changed the spark plugs and the spark plug wires today and that fixed my problem. Thanks guys.