Can anyone figure out whats wrong??

[fbird]

I'm going to be a specific as possible, so this maybe be a bit confusing, but bear with me

when i accelerate up to 50mph, let go of the gas pedal, and then quickly try to re-accelerate while still going at least 45mph or so the car gets up to 2k rpms then, it seems like it has a suddon loss of power and doesnt go pass 2k rpm
so basically
-accelerate to 50mph
-let go of gas, but w/out dropping under 45mph or so
-try to re-accelerate
-rpms dont go past 2k, (feels like loss of power)

More specifics
-if i let it go down to about 40-42 I can accelerate once again normally, but if i let go of the accelerator, the same things as listed above occurs

-the only way i can get the car to re-accelerate is when its still hasn't dropped to 40-42, i have to basically slam on the accelerator, then the car kind of pasuses for a litttle, and then quickly accelerates

I know this maybe very confusing because i have never heard of anything like this either, so please bear with, me any suggestions would be great

[CARdiac]

I am assuming that you have an auto tranny? And do have a problem if you are at a lower speed but similar rpms that when you let off the gas and try to accelerate?

[fbird]

no, this only happens when im at around 50mph, and yes its an auto, somebody plz help!!!

[fbird]

anyone out there?? :(

[FbodTrek]

Sounds like a fuel issue. When's the last time you changed your fuel filter?

[fbird]

good question, that maybe it, but more input would be great

[Turbo V6 Camaro]

what about the 40 MPH WOT lag, gm has a update for this but im not sure if it is in your year car or not

[99W68Firebird]

i sorta had problem like that before on my old car was bad spark plug not sure if that would be it or not, but running on 5 cylinders will make you feel loss of power, and also when i was at around those speeds and let off gas my car would like start shaking.

[fbird]

thanks 99w68firebird that is very similar to my problem, i think i may have my spark plugs changed

[intangibleassetmanager]

First thing I would look at is the plugs and wires, then the fuel filter.

[fre]

make sure you're not in OVERDRIVE while under 50mph

[fbird]

the cars not in overdrive, thats for sure, im hoping though its plug and wires, this has been going on though since this summer, everything else is fne other then what i have explained above, so i will get a tune up in the next month or so and see what happens from there

[fbird]

well to update i finally got around to changng the wires and plugs and i finally thought the problem went away, a few days later it came right back, it seems to be to a lesser degree though, ay ideas, still haven't check the fuel filter

[Dan Vincent]

The exact thing is that since you have an A4, you have a torque converter clutch that puts the two halves of the TC together, basically locking your car in gear. This reduces driveline loss with the A4 tranny, reduces heat, and is basically a Good Thing (TM).

This clutch will engage at certain TPS and other values at or above 30 MPH (at least, it does in my 97, YMMV). The clutch will usually drop your engine RPMs by 500 or so. Basically, for an auto this is normal behavior. To unlock the TCC, you need to let go of the gas completely, put more pedal to the floor to engage kickdown, or lightly tap your break pedal (enough to flip on the brake lights but not to apply the brakes).

The "loss of power" is basically the TCC applying when you're pushing the gas down (if it's within a certain TPS range, it'll apply even though you're trying to accelerate). The "kind of pause" is when the car downshifts and the TC unlocks to accelerate.

My suggestion is - Don't worry about it. Like any auto, you need to move it to kickdown on the throttle to disengage the TCC and downshift to accelerate faster. Again, nothing out of the ordinary here.

Since you're a 95, you have the 4L60E, which has a PWM clutch apply, which means that it can be partially applied. What you may be noticing is that your TCC may recently have a sporadic apply - the 95-2000 4l60E has a known issue with a worn TCC apply valve that keeps the clutch from engaging fully or at all. Getting this fixed is about two hours in the tranny shop and $350 out of your pocket.

Using a scan tool is the easiest way to diagnose this, but watching your highway RPMs is easy enough - at 65MPH, most 4th gen V6s (at least, 3.8Ls, not sure about 3.4s) with an auto tranny will be around 2000-2100 RPMs with the converter clutch locked. If it's unlocked, your engine will run at higher RPMs, say around 2500. This is costing you gasoline, but there's a more sinister effect in place.

If your TCC didn't lock up, the slippage in the TC will generate a LOT of heat. Yes, you will have "immediate torque response" (IE slight adjustments in the pedal effect RPM) with the TC unlocked, but the cost will be your transmission's life and your gas mileage, especially on the highway.

Basically, what you're experiencing is par for the course for an A4. Learn how to work with the TCC and you'll love how it'll save you gas and your tranny.

[fbird]

so changing the fuel filter or the coil packs will have no effect on reducing this effect of the tcc on my car