ANSWERS: 7
  • Hesitation upon acceleration is usually due to problems with the ignition system. The next most likely thing is lack of fuel enrichment. The (relatively) inexpensive thing to try is a 'tune-up' with new spark plugs, wires and distributor cap and rotor. Good luck.
  • This problem could be caused by a number of things. The most common are: 1. Dirty fuel injectors. 2. Dirty fuel filters. 3. Bad Gas.
  • All of T's answers are very possible... but if the car is really struggling, low on acceleration power, and burning gas badly.. you will want to check your Oxegen sensor (aka O2 sensor) as well.
  • A cheap tune up will fix it (spark plugs and wires) I bet when you change your plugs you will find a little oil on one of them.
  • Buy a Toyota.
  • He is probably right concerning the O2 sensor. One other thing you might check is your catalytic converter. It could be plugged.
  • It may also be a fuel pump or fuel pressure regulator going bad. It may simply be a fuel filter, but that problem would probably show up very gradually. A pressure gauge is helpful in diagnosis, but exact (correct) go/no-go tests, procedures, and figures are hard to find on the net for a particular vehicle. Your local library may have a manual that covers your model, perhaps behind the reference desk. A dedicated fuel pressure test gauge is good, but if you're handy with fittings and adapters, you may be able to save a few $$$ and find a gauge better suited to the range of interest by buying a general service pressure gauge at, for example, http://www.mcmaster.com/#water-pressure-gauges/=nd2wp I think I'm having a problem with the fuel pressure, my 89 astro van started losing power slowly. I noticed it had a "ceiling" tied to the accelerator, beyond which power would start to decrease. Sometimes the check engine light would come on, then go off seconds or minutes later. The ceiling gradually got lower and lower, to the point where I can't quite reach 60 on the freeway anymore. My reasoning is the fuel pressure is low: the computer compensates at low loads but as the load increases, eventually it can't deliver enough fuel even though it's opening the injectors, like, constantly. At that point the mixture starts to lean out, more so as you hit the accelerator harder. I believe a lean mixtures leads to 0 volts out of the oxygen sensor, as if it were bad. After enough of that the check engine light comes on, to let you know the sensor is bad: or at least that the computer has lost control. Later as the load goes lower and the computer regains control and starts getting a proper sensor signal again, it reverses its decision about the sensor and the light goes off. On my van it seems the longer the O2 sensor is in the errored state, the longer it takes the computer to be convinced it's OK. -Jeff

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