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Old Sep 2, 2010 | 05:06 PM
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Default car not running right

so my car is not running right, here lately....a lot of times upon startup, when i start to accelerate, it will lose a lot of power, then pick up again, sometimes multiple times consecutively during a single acceleration. sometimes it misses so hard it feels like the brakes are engaging.

the wheels/tires are all the same size, so i don't think it's an ABS problem, like that commonly caused with mismatched-sized wheels.

i've already changed the fuel filter, and changed the oil recently, any other thoughts?
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Old Sep 2, 2010 | 05:36 PM
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Fouled Plugs, broken or loose plug wires, air filter, MAF Sensor dirty, plugged cat, fuel pressure, is she popping any codes??
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Old Sep 2, 2010 | 05:46 PM
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Originally Posted by Rychen
Fouled Plugs, broken or loose plug wires, air filter, MAF Sensor dirty, plugged cat, fuel pressure, is she popping any codes??
Rychen is spot on with all of the above...

for me it was a white floaty dandelion seed got caught on one of my MAF resistors. These lids just don't seal really well.
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Old Sep 2, 2010 | 06:44 PM
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haven't checked the plugs yet, but i have replacements ready to go...been needing to replace them anyway, so i may give that a shot this weekend when i have the time.

i will probably go ahead and get new plug wires as well while i'm replacing the plugs.

air filter is a K&N that has recently been cleaned/oiled.

i'll check the MAF when i get off work tonight....what's the best thing to use for cleaning those wires without gunking them up or having to physically touch them?

not getting any codes.

how can i get the fuel pressure checked?
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Old Sep 2, 2010 | 07:45 PM
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Most auto part stores have MAF cleaner, The brand I have is from a company called CRC and label reads mass air flow sensor cleaner and in a silver can with instructions on the can.
Do NOT TOUCH the wire filaments with your fingers, the oil in your skin will produce hot spots and burn them out.
If you have something stuck on them you can use a q-tip VERY lightly to try and remove it along with the cleaner, if you do not have anything stuck on them you can spray it down and just let it air dry, as I said instructions are on the can.

Plugs and wires are a good start to narrowing down the problem, I would suggest doing one thing at a time and see where that leads you instead of throwing a bunch of stuff at it all at once, that way if it ever happens again you can narrow down diagnosing similar problems in the future.

To check the fuel pressure you will need to attatch a gage onto the fuel rail where the little black cap is on the end, I believe you can rent one from some parts stores or purchase one they shouldn't be too expensive and a good tool to have in your collection.
I think our fuel pressure should be around 55 PSI (someone please correct me if I'm wrong)

If you over oil the K & N that can cause problems with the MAF and give the computer false air readings which will throw odd fuel mixtures in the system.
lots of variables and things that can cause and or add to problems when trying to diagnose things which is why I suggest doing things one at a time.

Good luck in finding the problem and keep us posted on how things are going.

Last edited by Rychen; Sep 2, 2010 at 07:57 PM.
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Old Sep 9, 2010 | 08:05 PM
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Did you find your problem??
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Old Sep 16, 2010 | 11:54 AM
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no, not yet.....i've been broke for a couple weeks and too busy to do much of anything, not to mention it's been hot as HELL here, which makes you not even wanna worry about it sometimes.....but i'll be looking into it soon....i have money again now so i can buy some cleaner and plug wires, etc., i just need to find the time to do it.

it did stop acting up on me for about a week, then today the problem came back again. i'll post up with my results when/if i find out what it was.
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Old Sep 16, 2010 | 10:58 PM
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Yes it is HOT as hell in Tx, I'm near San Antonio now.
glad to be going home Friday to even hotter Floriduh.
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Old Sep 17, 2010 | 02:28 AM
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well, i THINK i may have the problem solved.....i got some new plug wires and installed them, and that seemed to have helped a little....but the problem was still there.....oh well, they were only $30 at autozone, so whatever...probably needed to be done anyway....

so then i go to spray down the MAF with some MAF cleaner, and as soon as i take the lid off of the MAF bellows, what do i see? grass, leaves, and some pieces of cellophane plastic stuck to the screen on the MAF!!

so i clean all that crap off of there, then pull the MAF out and spray it down, put it all back together, and it seems to be running a LOT better now....but i'm not gonna call it "fixed" yet, not until i've driven it for about a week or two to make sure the problem is gone.....but with any luck, that will be the end of it, at least until something else gets up in there.....
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Old Sep 17, 2010 | 06:38 AM
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sweet, glad you may have found the problem.
alot of times it's something simple and the new wires don't hurt, they are a good preventative maintenance item.
hope you fixed the problem and happy driving
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