Car runs terribly after it warms up.

[Mx3Kid16]

Once my car gets to opperating temperature it loses alot of power and beggins to sputter and stall on and off.. for the five or so minutes while its warming up it drives perfectly fine.

i have searched our website, all over google and other tech helpsites and i cant find anything except a guy who said "I have a cracked block and when it heated up it opened the crack" "Hence" "Running fine when cold, crappy when warm"

I do not know what to do i just need a point to the right direction

~Rocky

[PilotSmack89]

You'd be going through oil like crazy if the block was cracked. Does it stall when stopped? Or just randomly lose power? Any CEL codes? Do you have the heater and/or rear defroster on when it sputters?

[Mx3Kid16]

This is why the car has got me soo stumped. No CEL's, idles good, doesnt burn oil, runs good when its cold, and when it warms up.. it can barely go anywhere under a load.

[mzdamx3rsdohc]

ya i had the same problem last summer fine when cold than when it warmed up from the shitty low idle to 3000 ish it would misfire and pop... did you check the codes? im betting you have a egr AND/or o2 inversion error code... i did both of those as i had the codes for them... check our egr tube shake it see i its loose mine broke inside the manifold so it wasnt visible other than some carbon.... getting rid of these two codes made it better
to completey rectify the problem i changed my distributor clip, as i guess with the years of expanding and contracting it didnt seat quite right anymore,

unless you check your codes your guessing, see if you have a o2 code, and egr.
it could be something else though, pull your plugs see their color if their not a nice color than id bet 100$ you need a o2 or if your broke to pull it and clean it although it wont last long if you do this...

right on your drivers side firewall theres a little black box. pop off the lid put a paper clip, piece of solder doesnt matter as long as its a conductor between TEN and GND... turn the car to ON not START, count the CEL flashes, slow flashes are single digit or the first quick flashes are the 2nd or the 4 in 14... without checking the codes your SOL at least if you dont hav codes you can start looking for intake pipe leaks, leakdown test for a intake manifod or something else internal like a cracked or chipped valve although i doubt its this in depth

go over your routine maintenance: have you done plugs(although unlikely they may be becoming fouled)
cap and rotor
your timing belts been done on schedule and hasnt stretched and jumped a tooth
timing is set correctly
have you done any mods recently that may have affected this
cat(is it now clogged) pre cat
injector clogged or dirty
fuel filter

just run the codes and let us know im sure someone can help you out

[jkbreazeale]

+1 on clogged cat. May also want to check your fuel pump. Do you have any white smoke after initial warm up? Could be a head gasket trying to go out. You could also do a compression test to see if any of your piston rings are leaking.

[Mx3Kid16]

figured it out. new cap and rotor did the trick.

[Finch]

lol cant go wrong with a new disty pack! always seems to fix somethin

[Mx3Kid16]

yeahh all good now, still same slow a-- 1.6 now haha

[jkbreazeale]

It can always be slower

[Mx3Kid16]

very true.. my car is pretty quick for how small of an engine it has.. i can put most stock honda's to shame