Hoping one of you cna help me out here I have a 2000 cavalier 2.2 liter 3 speed auto lately I have been experiencing a kind of sluggishness above 40 mph. If im going around 40 or above and I give the car light gas I can feel the engine begin to rev up then about a second later it kind of drops off and doesnt have any power. If I really stomp down on the gas it will hesitate for a second and then I can hear the engine spin up.
From the way it feels it seems like the rpms go up about 200 rpm and then drop back off. I think it might be the fuel pump but I am not sure. Anyone out there have any idea?
My friend's car did that. One day when he gave it a little extra gas his water pump went and he was left on the side of the highway for like an hour.
Harashi wrote:My friend's car did that. One day when he gave it a little extra gas his water pump went and he was left on the side of the highway for like an hour.
lol wtf??
how much gas does it have when this happends has it done wit with a full tank. it kind of seems like the tranny is slipping if the engine is reving when u give it gas and not moving. how many miles do you have on it? ever changed tranny fluid?
do u have any check engine light?
The car has only 75000 miles on it. Havent changed the tranny fluid recently. The engine doesnt rev without the car moving maybe I described it wrong.
Ok say im driving and im not on the gas goin around 40 I give the car a little bit of gas and I can fee the car start to move faster but then like a second later the power drops off. The best way I can describe it is imagining the rpms going up normally when i step on the gas only to drop back about 200 rpm when the power dies out. The car seems fairly sluggish when this is happening and when I give it full gas it will take a second or two and then the car will get the boost of power it needs.
Try doing a tune-up. Change the plugs, wires, fuel filter, all of that, and see it it helps. It could be the pump, maybe the fuel reg, any number of things but I'd start with a tune-up.
^^^ yea.. sounds like a fuel pump tho or something similar def. start with a tune up plugs and wires.. old plugs or not gapped correctly can do the same thing when u get on the gas.. make sure new ones are ac delco platinums
Is there anything I can do to if it is the pump going rather than changing it. A few posts on here reccomend driving with always more than 1/4 to 1/2 tank of gas.
Also what is included in a tune up and how hard would this be to do myself?
Mine does that too, if i am on the highway or going over 40 it seems to shift into the next gear too soon...
xxdcmast wrote:Is there anything I can do to if it is the pump going rather than changing it. A few posts on here reccomend driving with always more than 1/4 to 1/2 tank of gas.
Also what is included in a tune up and how hard would this be to do myself?
Tune-up is easy. Change your spark plugs, gap them to spec (your owner's manual has the specs or a Chiltons too). Change the plug wires, and the coil packs if they're really old but if you're getting good spark, you can get by without changing them. Change the fuel filter. That part is a pain if you don't have the right tool to expand the plastic fitting. Trust me, I broke mine and had to drop the tank to put on a new line. It's easy to find it's right by the fuel tank under the car. Do an oil change while you're at it and change the air filter if need be.
After that, if it's still funky, run some intake cleaner through the TB to clean out the carbon deposits and put some injector cleaner in the fuel. Seafoam is good if you read the directions and don't go nuts.
If the pump is going, just save the headache and have it replaced. Once it starts to go there's no telling how long it'll last. It might go right then and there or it might slowly die but you never know. But once it dies you've got the fuel in the rail and that's it. Once that's gone you're calling a tow truck.
Im gonna have to give the tune up a shot this wekend hopefully that will take care of it. I just hope that we get some nice weather this week.
Not to thread jack, but can a weak fuel pump make the car hard to start?
i turn the key half way and dont crank it and i hear the pump priming the fuel line but when i start my car from a "cold" start i have to crack it unusually long to get it to start up.
Tune up was done about 20k ago
^^^ ya i think it can mine does that too.. like i said i usually have to drive with 1/4 tank or more and below 1/4 it takes alot to get it started. im thinking its the pump but im not sure yet
