yet another problem...

[fellowtraveler87]

Okay so I replaced my fuel filter last night (i don't think its related, but maybe). Now my car seems to hesitate during acceleration...it feels jerky and vibrates (sometimes) and overall seems slower.

If I am really smooth on the gas its okay but if i try to accelerate quickly it hesitates. I checked the fuel filter to make sure nothing was leaking back there and it seems to be fine. The car seems normal at idle speed. First gear seems about the same but when i put it in 2nd the hesitation is worst, 3rd it still does but not as bad, and a little bit in 4th (haven't been going fast enough to put in 5th).

The hesitation isn't always consistant, it seems to come and go. I put in some fuel system cleaner when I filled up today and after thats when I realy started to notice the hesitation (although it was there before, but only in 2nd gear and not very strongly).

any ideas what to do/how to fix this? or is it possible that it'll eventualy subside? i'm thinking maybe its the spark plugs or something but I'm really not sure...but it does very much disturb me when my car isn't running properly!

[96greenmachine]

Re: yet another problem...

hesitation or missing? my car did bout the same thing but was missing, i replaced the maf to fix my problem...try this, take the maf sensor off and see how it runs w/out it...b4 i replaced mine it ran better w/out the sensor then with so try that and see what it does...good way to check b4 u spend alot of money on a maf sensor

[fellowtraveler87]

Re: yet another problem...

I don't know if its missing or what. Just really jerky and slow when accelerating, esp in 2nd. dumb question but where is the maf?

[96greenmachine]

Re: yet another problem...

what year model? it should be in front of the throttle body on top of the motor its hard to miss it, its a square black peice with a wire connector to it

[fellowtraveler87]

Re: yet another problem...

'96 camaro. i should be able to find it....will go take a look. i was just outside having a look about my car. turned it on and reved it in nuetral...sounds perfectly fine...maybe even better than before. so its probably not a misfire then right? and it only does it in certain gears at some times...does sound like the maf sensor. if that is the case...how much do those doohickeys cost?

[96greenmachine]

Re: yet another problem...

well at autozone with core charge mine was 147$ yeah redicilous but hey its better then 250$ that gm wanted... my car did the same thing bud, it would idle fine run good till i got on it and then it missed/hesitated real bad try taking the maf off and drive it like u would any other time and see how it runs now...if it runs better replace the sensor

[blackRS]

Re: yet another problem...

im having a similar situation right now

[cybercide]

try cleaning the MAF Sensor

Dude MAF sensors are expensive and it could just be dirty

scroll down to Throttle Body & MAF Sensor
http://forum.camarov6.com/showthread.php?t=80203

edit: just don't break the wire or you will be buying one!

[fellowtraveler87]

Re: try cleaning the MAF Sensor

thanks. you guys are pretty good at figuring stuff out lol. so i disconnected my MAF on the way to class today...it did run smoother i believe but it stalled out on me, so I pulled off and reconnected it. Oh and it did set of my SES light finally, and its still on even after reconnection. I'm gonna try to clean it now and if that doesn't work I'll probably have to buy a new one. So its pretty much a garuntee now that the MAF is whats giving me troubles?

[96greenmachine]

Re: try cleaning the MAF Sensor

my car stalled too, but it started back up despite the maf was still off the car then never bothered me again...so yeah most likely the maf is bad or dirty

[98redcamaroV6]

Re: yet another problem...

my car started to stutter a little bit a few days ago, and hesitated under acceleration. If i accelerated slowly it was better, and on the way home from school yesterday the SES light came on.

Advanced Auto Parts said it was p0305 code. After replacing my coil packs (cheapest ones $25 bucks each) the problem went away. No more hesitation and no more SES light.

If you feel like your losing power (like my car felt like) maybe its a misfire problem.

At first i thought my clutch was going out, felt like it was slipping, i'm soooooooooo glad it wasn't.

[fellowtraveler87]

Re: yet another problem...

Update: I decided to see about cleaning the sensor as suggested above. Did that with some alcohol and cotton swab. Some dirt seemed to come off but not a whole lot. Dried it out and put back in. Then went out and I was getting the same old same old hesitating engine. So after my final I took it to Pep Boys, I usually have a pretty good experience there. But the dude was just short of being rude. After finally persuading him that yes, in fact, my 96 camaro does have OBD II he scanned it. said the code was low voltage to the MAF or something, and that it could also be my O2 sensor or a couple of other sensors (can't remeber what they were). He wasn't real clear and then basically told me I'd have to take it to a dealer. The local dealer here wants to charge $90 JUST TO LOOK AT THE CAR (I know this from when my engine was overheating...fixed that one myself too) So i'm like, screw that and went over to my girlfriends. On the way home from her house, the strangest thing happend... my car worked perfectly normal! Yes. I floored it in 1st, 2nd, 3rd, and 4th.... and no hesitation/misfiring at all. So here's to hoping it stays that way. Maybe my cleaning helped and it just needed to get completely dried out? Well I'm not sure what changed but I'm not complaining as long as it continues to work properly. And best of all, no more annoying SES light!

[cybercide]

Re: yet another problem...

With cars problems can come and go, I'd give it a couple days before celebrating

As far as drying out completely, the rubbing alcohol dries up pretty quickly. I know I wrote to dry it with the other end of the qtip, but thats prob not really necessary even it'll be dry before you get it installed. I think it may help pick up the last of the dirt off the wet wire however.

If I had to guess there was
1) a clump of crap on there that blew off, or
2) you didn't unplug the battery before doing work on the cars electronics and the computer didn't reset
3) something completely unrelated and it'll be back. I dunno, I just didn't want you to drop $150 on a MAF sensor if you don't know for sure you need one.

[fellowtraveler87]

Re: yet another problem...

I can't rule out any of those 3 options. i didnt disconnect the battery before I unplugged the MAF....so maybe the effects of cleaning it didnt kick in until the dude at pepboys scanned the code (and then he said he cancelled/reset them or something?) and maybe cancelling the code reset the computer. Or maybe who knows wtf is going on.

I used to think I had a good general knowledge of cars, until things start going wrong with mine then I realize I know very, very little. Before this I didn't even know what a MAF was or what it did (pretty nifty little piece when you think about it, although pricey). The newer cars get the more confusing they get with all the electronic gizmos and gadgetry...and dang mines 11+ years old.

[cybercide]

Re: yet another problem...

also you had experimented with the MAF unplugged earlier, so there will be a code in there from then.

just be sure to write down the code #s next time so you know exactly what they are and can search for them ;)