Pontiac Repair: 88 firebird help needed, strange smell wont stay running, mass air sensor, air intake hose

Question
Smells problem
1988 Pontiac Firebird 6 cyl

this has been giving me a problem on and off, what happens is when im driving the car will run fine for a few weeks if i drive under 60 mph, soon as i go over it starts to jerk, if i let off the gas it returns to normal, if not it looses power and i have to drift off the road. when it does buck there is this smell it kinda smells like lighter fluid, or more so the charcole with lighter fluid already in it.

then theres days light today where it wont start, sometimes i can remove the air intake hose and it will start up strong, but after while die out, im guessing from to much oxygen. but if i put it back on before it dies out it will stay running for a min then die out.

my fuel pump is kinda loud. dont know if that helps or not, but i have change the mass airflow sensor, spark plugs, spark plug wires, fuel filter, battery cables. but i dont know what to try next. please help.

Answer
Hi RJ:

I was thinking this is a mass air folw sensors untill I got to the bottom of your question and see you changed it already. did you buy an origianl equipment one or a aftermarket remanufactured one? Try this the next time it will not start or runs bad just unplug the sensor and see if it indeed starts up and or runs better. It will have a hesitation but it shoudl run better or start If it's a mass air sensor issue. I would also check the fuel pump pressure If the pump is loud that's not a goods thing You could be shy on pressure I belive that engine needed between 35-40 PSI to run.. You could have a distributor problem with this car. With as many miles that are on it and being 21 years old The pick up coil or pole piece on the distributor could be bad. causing you issues. It doesn't expalin why the taking the air cleaner off it will start. that would lead me back to the mass air sensor again. The last step would be to have a scan tool hooked up and start looking for one or more of the engine sensors data that isn't correct to cause this issue..

Good luck :)