Just my input, many members have "seafoamed" their engines, I have yet to ever do that.
My experience with "injector" or "fuel system" cleaner is that it does not do anything (or at least at the point you think you need it). But I've heard rumor from a mechanic, when you think you need it, give the car about 3 bottles at once with a full tank of gas. It will not harm the engine (as it's mostly alcohol based which burns cleaner then gasoline, so I am told).

I still recommend following the items I outlined earlier. All easy to do and even if they don't fix the problem, they are low cost and worth while maintenance.

 

Among what everyone else mentioned about cleaning sensors, etc. and the possibility of needing new spark plugs or wires, you may have a bad ignition coil pack too. It's a relatively common issue on the 3800.

 

I've worked with those ignition coils for years (they are the same from the '94 3100 up to end of production 3800 Series III and 3400 engines). My experience, they rarely fail (I have worked with some that have failed, but it's VERY uncommon). And if the coil has an issue, most the time it's a "dirty" connection (take the plug wire off and the tip on the tower for the coil is rusty, try cleaning with a scotchbrite pad first before replacing).

I know cars running the factory original coils and pushing 200,000 miles or more. My Grand Am is excluded, I upgraded it a while ago to junk yard salvaged L67 coils. Prior to the L67 coil swap, it did have one factory original coil fail prior, replaced with a AutoZone what-ever-brand coil that failed about a year or so later (replaced with a spare factory coil and about a year later the L67s). I'm guessing the car was in the 130-150,000 mile range when it had a coil first fail.

 

All excellent advice. Thank you so much for all your input. I believe I need to remove the grey engine cover for me to be able to get to the MAF as I believe I have located it. Is that difficult? Also if there is rust on the top side of a spark plug, do you think that plugs could definitely be an issue? I am worried about having to try and get to the rear plugs they seem like a pain. Do you guys have any advice on how I should get to them and remove the grey engine cover that has like the 3800 v6 writing on it? Sorry if I seem a bit uneducated, I have not worked on a car since my 1992 nissan and this engine is quite a bit more advanced than that one and its been a while. Its a really nice car and I do not want to mess anything up, but I am pretty comfortable working on cars/boats and such. I just want to make sure I know any tricks/hints before i dig down into it.

 

- Remove the cover by twisting the oil cap, once it's loose and you can lift up, keep twisting to now twist the filler neck from the valve cover (might be a bit tight and take some wiggling).
- After that, gently lift the front of the cover and slide it back, should come off EASY!

As for the plugs and the "rust". If it bothers you, get a can of PB Blaster, with the engine cold spray them all and let the car SIT. If it helps build confidence, my wife got a '05 Impala (3400 v6) in December of 2010 with 150,000 on it and ORIGINAL plugs. All of them had a little rust on the nut. I don't even think I PB-ed them, I just went at it and I got lucky, they all broke free.

- When putting new plugs in, get a little Anti-Seize/Never-Seize (whatever they call it). Just a dab at the start of the threads. Helps ensure future plug changes go EASY.
- Make sure the new plug boots have some die electric grease, helps ensure the plug boots come off easier in the future AND helps protect connections from moisture.

- Back plugs. If you don't have a California emissions pump, and you can work by "touch", you should have NO reason to rock the engine forward (as some do). I've done it, no big deal.
- Worse part about ANY of the plugs is the metal heat shields on the boots. You can't get a good grip to twist and wiggle the boot itself. If you have trouble, get small vice grips or channel locks, grab what IS exposed of the boot and twist it good and pull back and it should come free.

 

Oh that is verrry helpful! thank you! I think I may have a fuel pump very close to going out. I did find a weird symptom today. When I parked facing down a hill for about 4 or 5 hours I went out and started my car and it was making a really funny noise kind of like a fan going bad or something like that. Then, when I started driving and leveled out, the noise quit. Can you hear your fuel pump like that? or would a bad fuel pump make a noticeable noise?

 

Fuel pumps by nature make a slight "hum". You might notice it slightly when you first start the car. BUT, if it's a loud hum, it can be a sign of it failing. OR, I had an instance where a disconnected vacuum line caused my fuel pump to run REAL loud (found the line quickly, so that was a plus).
If the fuel pump fails, GM does provide an access hatch on the 2000+ Monte in the trunk (between the seat and spare tire well).

Also remember, the way the pump is designed, it uses the fuel in the tank to "keep it cool"!! That's right, the fuel is the cooling agent for the pump. I've heard on older GMs with this design concept, people found pumps failing MORE when they tend to run the car until it's bone dry ALL the time. Now, I've never heard of that in a 90+ GM (heck, my '94 spent a couple of years with the fuel being at half a tank at most, no pre-mature fuel pump issues).

 

Actually, I started the car and noticed the noise. So, I lifted the hood and found out that when I tapped the radiator it quit. So, my radiator fans may be going bad and it is a completely separate issue from the one I have been asking about, I am going to get it diagnosed tomorrow because I dont have the tools to check the fuel pump and other issues.