smog pump is on the right side (passenger's side) of the motor behind the air box. it's the only belt driven accessory on that side of the motor. if it is functioning, the IAC could be out causing the air pump to not do any good.

other options are that it is running pig rich or there is a problem with the ignition system. after it has been running for a few minutes, pull a couple of spark plugs and see if they are wet.

 

The smog pump seems to be working just fine. Is there a way I could test it though?
I did pull the spark plugs and they seemed to be good.
I just replaced all the coils so they shouldn't be the problem. I double checked the connections though just to make sure.

With the IAC, how could I test that to make sure it is functioning properly?

 

Well I finally replaced the IAC. Still no luck. I have found now that if I force the car to go into higher RPM's (past 3500) by putting it into 1st gear and only slightly giving it gas the whole time, it is THEN that the car really starts to smoke. It just does NOT want to be revved up for some reason.
Hmmm....

 

hmmm. that sounds like it may be running pig rich when the engine comes into secondary injector duty. this one is a little bit of a head scratcher. back to what was said earlier, there is a small chance that it is the AFM. my bet would be on a fuel regulator, though it doesn't really have a whole lot of symptoms before 3500, correct? at this point, i would have to bet on a fuel regulator. that would be the only thing i could imagine at this point. it could be something as simple as a bad vacuum line to the regulator.

 

I'm still rattling my brain.

 

Any updates OP?

 

thanks for thinkin' of me! i still haven't been able to pinpoint the problem. i took off all of the vacuum hoses to EVERYTHING today. they all seem to be working just fine though. i looked at the fuel regulator. the vacuum to it seemed to be okay-good suction. i was thinking about replacing the injectors, but they're a little expensive.....so i'll have to wait till payday. i still want to take out the O2 sensor and see what happens. maybe there's an exhaust blockage still. i can't seem to get the O2 sensor off though. maybe a little PB Blaster will do the trick?

anyways, that's the quick update. i plan to really work on it next weekend

 

Well....good luck

 

well, i got to work on the car this morning a little bit. i started with the air box and moved my way up. i pulled off the MAF sensor and noticed that i could hear something rattling around inside where the electronics were. i gently pulled out the connector piece and found a piece of metal floating around inside. it looks like it was supposed to be soldered to the connector piece somehow. i'm looking now for a replacement part. i don't know if i can find just the connector piece to buy....or if i need to get the whole thing.
who knows? maybe this will solve my acceleration problems. you think??

 

The MAF reports the amount of air going into the engine to the ECU and adjusts the injector dwell (how long the injector stays open) to maintain proper air/fuel ratio ( 19.7/1 being the target ratio, so yes the MAF is very very important to performance.