Very frustrated!

[cma8302000]

@DrkKnight614...Just had the alternator and a brand new Interstate battery put in yesterday...I have the oil changed on schedule...and I actually, cleaned the MAF sensor myself ( yay for me)...I will try a carbon cleaner through the fuel tank and engine as you suggested...here's another thing, when the A/c is on, I said while driving slow it will stall or if it's at an idle it will stall but it will run fine with the A/C on in Park...as soon as i put it in drive with a/c on, it will jerk, sputter and stall.....anyway, I will try what you suggested and I do like my zippy little car as I call it but lately, not so much....

[DrkKnight614]

Originally Posted by cma8302000

@DrkKnight614...Just had the alternator and a brand new Interstate battery put in yesterday...I have the oil changed on schedule...and I actually, cleaned the MAF sensor myself ( yay for me)...I will try a carbon cleaner through the fuel tank and engine as you suggested...here's another thing, when the A/c is on, I said while driving slow it will stall or if it's at an idle it will stall but it will run fine with the A/C on in Park...as soon as i put it in drive with a/c on, it will jerk, sputter and stall.....anyway, I will try what you suggested and I do like my zippy little car as I call it but lately, not so much....

Posted via FF Mobile Does the engine act the same way when your driving? Weird that it be fine in park but not while driving. Thats awesome you cleaned it yourself...you must have some mechanical abilities lol. You dont have any codes thrown or anything? Like a check engine light?

[cma8302000]

Nope , no check engine light, no codes....I am not sure what an XCAL is but I put the word out for any fanatic in GA that has one..don't think I will have much luck with that...so , now after I cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF cleaner, the car is now idling rough..it always did idle smooth....boo hooo...wonder if I sprayed to much stuff on it.....guess I will just have to drive it like this till it dies...I can't put another penny in to it...it's draining my bank account dry....

[DrkKnight614]

Originally Posted by cma8302000

Nope , no check engine light, no codes....I am not sure what an XCAL is but I put the word out for any fanatic in GA that has one..don't think I will have much luck with that...so , now after I cleaned the MAF sensor with MAF cleaner, the car is now idling rough..it always did idle smooth....boo hooo...wonder if I sprayed to much stuff on it.....guess I will just have to drive it like this till it dies...I can't put another penny in to it...it's draining my bank account dry....

Posted via FF Mobile You have to let it dry after spraying the cleaner on it. Shake it around and then let it sit for a while. You also need to disconnect the battery when doing this cleaning as well. If you didnt disconnect the battery the car thinks there is a problem that the sensor disconnected. Leave the battery disconnected for at least 15 minutes. The XCAL is a tuner, but it also acts as a code reader to see if you have any thrown codes. You dont need an XCAL to check for codes.

[spiller]

I did not see plug wires listed as a recent replacement. Are they old? Do you know how old?

[DrkKnight614]

Originally Posted by spiller

I did not see plug wires listed as a recent replacement. Are they old? Do you know how old?

Posted via FF Mobile True, I was thinking about that but I assume they were replaced when they did the plugs and ignition coil pack.

[cma8302000]

Originally Posted by spiller

I did not see plug wires listed as a recent replacement. Are they old? Do you know how old?

I believe the wires were changed but I will check all my receipts again...@ DrkKnight614, I will redo the MAF sensor when I get home from work today..didn't know about having to disconnect the battery...What is a datalog..is that a total diagnostic? someone on here said I should get an xcal so I can send him a datalog...

[DrkKnight614]

Originally Posted by cma8302000

I believe the wires were changed but I will check all my receipts again...@ DrkKnight614, I will redo the MAF sensor when I get home from work today..didn't know about having to disconnect the battery...What is a datalog..is that a total diagnostic? someone on here said I should get an xcal so I can send him a datalog...

Posted via FF Mobile The datalog is just going reveal how your car is running and any errors or malfunctions that have come up. Many autopart stores and dealerships can find out what is going on with your car. It wont be worth buying an Xcal just for this purpose. And yes, your ECU thinks there is something wrong because it saw that the MAF was disconnected. Disconnect the battery and leave it disconnected for at least 15 mins. You just have to disconnect the positive terminal (red). Place the wire aside so it doesnt touch the positive terminal or any metal part of the car. You just have to loosen the nut ontop that is closest to the front of the car on the positive cable. Once lossened you just have to wiggle the cable and pull up to seperate it from the terminal on the battery. Disconnecting the battery for that long will reset the ECU back to its learning mode. To see if it reset when you turn the car on so just the accesories work. Your trip meter should be reset to 0 and you should see all your gauges make one full sweep and come back to rest. These steps should be done when making any mods to your car so the ecu can adjust.

[mikebontoft]

Disconnecting the negative (black) cable is safer. When you do the positive first, it lets out quite a bit of sparks and can even ignite fumes if they are present

Tom suggested finding someone in your area to let you borrow it so he can see what's going on.

Have you tried testing the Idle Air Control valve yet? Idle is supposed to raise when the A/C switch is turned on, otherwise it will kill the engine as it sounds like it is doing. If it is in the wrong position (IE letting too much or too little air into the system) it can also cause a sputtering condition from an off-idle acceleration.

[DrkKnight614]

Originally Posted by mikebontoft

Disconnecting the negative (black) cable is safer. When you do the positive first, it lets out quite a bit of sparks and can even ignite fumes if they are present

Tom suggested finding someone in your area to let you borrow it so he can see what's going on.

Have you tried testing the Idle Air Control valve yet? Idle is supposed to raise when the A/C switch is turned on, otherwise it will kill the engine as it sounds like it is doing. If it is in the wrong position (IE letting too much or too little air into the system) it can also cause a sputtering condition from an off-idle acceleration.

Posted via FF Mobile I always thought positive because that is the one that goes to all the electronics. But yes I do realize that if it touches a metal part of the car you can have a short. So yes maybe negative is better.

Btw this might help as well.


Because your vehicle’s engine is electronically controlled by a computer, some control conditions are maintained by power from the battery. When the battery is disconnected or a new battery is installed, the engine must relearn its idle and fuel trim strategy for optimum driveability and performance. To begin this process:

1. With the vehicle at a complete stop, set the parking brake.

2. Put the gearshift in P (Park) (automatic transaxle) or the neutral position (manual transaxle), turn off all accessories and start the engine.

3. Run the engine until it reaches normal operating temperature.

4. Allow the engine to idle for at least one minute.

5. Turn the A/C on and allow the engine to idle for at least one minute.

6. Drive the vehicle to complete the relearning process.

• The vehicle may need to be driven 10 miles (16 km) or more to relearn the idle and fuel trim strategy.

• If you do not allow the engine to relearn its idle trim, the idle quality of your vehicle may be adversely affected until the idle trim is eventually relearned.