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Engine Surging condition


Ed_Strong
04-29-2005, 11:39 PM
Mine surges and jerks when I hit a bump or rumble strip like the little reflective squares on the pavement in between the white lines in multiple lanes of traffic.
The car won't sputter or backfire, it just surges like if someone where toggling a switch on and off. It will only do it for like a second or so, but if I'm stopping at a light or stop sign for example, it may stall, but it will fire right up at the turn of the key.
Also, they just put some speed bumps where I live and sometimes it dies when I go over them... Sometime it dies when I switch to reverse to pull out of my parking spot. I've noted that usually it does it when I first get on the car like when going to work, but it won't do it when coming back. Could it be moisture forming thru the night on the plenum, so when I hit a bump the water drips down to the intake choking the engine?

AdamOhio
05-02-2005, 10:43 AM
Weird symptoms you have there. Im guessing either (or both) your PCV valve and EGR valves are getting gummed up. Hitting bumps is freeing it momentarily. And the stalling your getting is a classic sign of PCV and/or EGR as well

AdamOhio
05-02-2005, 10:55 AM
Oh, it also could be a sign that a hose connected to either the PCV or EGR may have cracks in them. Hitting bumps might be causing a pressure leak in the EGR system causing surges.

Ed_Strong
05-02-2005, 10:35 PM
Well, thanks for your imput, but I guess I forgot to add that back in November I gave the car a good upper throtle, plenum and EGR clean. Pulled it all appart and cleaned it all really good. Then put a new PCV valve and hose on it and drove the car from central New Jersey all the way down to SouthWest Florida (over 1200 mile non stop) without a single problem!
Also I did a complete tune up on it around a year to a year and a half before that, including new fuel pump/filter and fuel regulator, new plugs and wires, new O2 sensor and high flow cat converter with new exhaust. I had the coils replaced two winters (year and a half) ago. Car runs great, no rough idle or hesitetion everything checks aout good with the exception of the TCC solenoid. At first I thought that was the problem but it feels more like something cuts electricity to the plugs for a brief second while going thru bumps. It's driving me crazy cause I can't figure it out...

AdamOhio
05-03-2005, 11:25 AM
Hum, that is strange, then. One more thing I would do:

Take EGR off and see if it is fouled up with carbon. I know you cleaned it recently, but if its fouled up again, I would then check my spark plugs as well. If the plugs are unusually fouled along with the EGR (and most likely the PCV again), then I would take the O2 sensor off and replace that (this is connected to your exhaust manifold..looks like a spark plug, with a thin wire connector attached)

AdamOhio
05-03-2005, 11:31 AM
heh, guess i should read your post before I replied last. Hum, you got me stumped on your prob. Best thing to do is have a mechanic run a test on your computer to see if there are any hidden codes (ones that wont trigger your dash trouble light) that might clue you in. Im still betting it has to do with some pressure leak in the EGR system somewhere..either that or some electrical fault (make sure O2 wire is connected good). Was thinking maybe dirty air filter, but I dont think you would have passed that up on your tune-up :)

AdamOhio
05-03-2005, 11:37 AM
OOOHH ya, cheapest fix is to just AVOID BUMPS :)

Seriously,though, Im not inclined to think its electrical. You stated it "surges"..I assume you mean speed up. I would think a momentary lack of electricity would cause a slow down for a second then return to normal operation. If it is losing power to the plugs I would gather this would cause them to slightly "flood" out, and when they reignite, Im betting this repeated action is fouling the plugs pretty bad.

Ed_Strong
05-04-2005, 12:29 AM
Sorry for the mislead there AdamOhio!
I guess surging wasn't the right description term to use. What I was trying to say is that the car feels a lot like if I would turn the ignition switch off for a second and back on while running over bumps. The engine won't die or stall but it does feel like it shuts off and then back on and it all happens on a brief moment. I also thought of it to be water in the fuel, but the engine won't sputter and basically most of the time it does it is when the engine is first started. I doesn't happen when at idle either, only while running no matter what speed!

Johnson410
05-19-2005, 12:18 PM
this is a way out guess but I'll ask and see you said the it seems like you lose power to the engine do you notice any other power loses? if it is only the engine I think there is a crank or cam shaft position sensor on it if you have a lose wire or slight breakin the wire(inside the insulation) that could cut you off then connect again to keep the engine going. Maybe?

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