my car's been feeling like **** lately. It has no bottom end and sounds kind of funny (almost like a metal-like grinding). I can't even describe how weak the thing is at the bottom end, but it normally starts picking up around 3000-3500 rpm. I thought i might be something with the injectors, but the car's also flooding, so I know the injectors are working. The A/F gauge is showing just a little rich on the throttle and stoich at idle. It idles around 1000 rpm or a little under. Does it sound like the lack of bottom end could be a bad rear rotor, or do you guys think it's just an exhaust leak? Oh yeah, best part is, I'm at school so I can't really get under the car and look, and even if I could, I couldn't fix anything here. So I thought i'd ask for your opinions

 

just some more to add... it's got low vac at idle (~10-12 in Mg) and takes a long time to start, even after disabling the fuel pump and unflooding it

 

I'd guess it's a combonation of problems, the exhaust part is the one I'll address because I really don't know aobut the rest. Since you've lost all of your low-end and you hear a metal on metal sound, I'd check the block-to-manifold gasket, but then you'd also smell it like mad. Also, does it have the aux ports? Are they working? Are they wired open? If not, they may be stuck open in combonation with the manifold.

 

i was thinking the same about a gasket problem. I can kind of smell it under the hood, but not very strong at all. It sounds odd when I'm passing a car or something and I can hear the sound bouncing off, so I'm assuming it's exhaust. At least that part of it, but like you said, I think it's a combination of problems too. It's ran pretty good for the most part of the past year, so it's way overdue to break some things now.

 

I have the same thing going on right now. it kind of sounds like a piece of thin metal is rattling inbetween something else metal. and I hear a hissing sound. I know it is an exhaust leak because it happened right after I put my DP on, and I have been too lazy to fix it.

 

i hear a rattling like you describe when I get to higher boost (~9-10psi). I don't think it's detonation, cause it sounds like it's more of an external engine piece rattling. I thought maybe it was the thin metal on the top of the tranny case , but I can't tell for sure. I don't like the sound too much, but again, I'm at school and can't exactly troubleshoot and fix stuff here