Thread: Acceleration Stuttering?

When I accelerate in my 2003 Grand Prix GT I have an issue fairly rarely(maybe once every 3 or 4 times I drive) where it will stutter and not want to give it gas. I'm thinking it may be the intake because I have an open cone filter(and I hate it, waiting til next Thursday to order a ZZP Wizaired CAI) and am wondering if something about this could be causing it. Today I got some more details which pushed me to post about it again. I had the throttle body screen removed because it was filthy, and got a new one. While it was off it seemed to have this issue more than when I put the new OEM one on. However it is still happening every now and then. Today I pulled out of quicktrip onto broadway, it is a left turn up onto a ill, which is where it usually happens(almost always this spot, but left turns up hills in general). It stuttered once, then shifted. After it shifted I noticed a whine from the engine bay that was not there before. It lasted until I turned the car off at home. After I let it sit turned off for a few minutes and turned it back on, I could not hear it. Any ideas of what this could be or what I should check, or any more details you would like?

Only modifications to the engine bay area are the Intake and new spark plugs and wires a couple months ago.

Hour later nobody as replied, but since then a "Service Engine Soon" light as come on for the first time. Maybe spark plugs?

What kind of plugs did you put in it, and did you change out the wires?

Check the trans fluid level and condition. Since when it happens the most is when you are turning and heading up a hill you could be starving the trans. of fluid. Would explain the whine that you hear. That's the pump in the trans. In case you don't know, check the fluid while it is fully hot, on level ground, and engine running with trans. in Park. Also check the color by wiping the stick on a WHITE towel. If it's brown or black, drop the pan and change fluid/filter and throw a bottle of Lucas in it. If it's still red then good to go assuming the level is correct.

Originally Posted by loopy smurf

What kind of plugs did you put in it, and did you change out the wires?

Yes, I said that in my second post.

I hope it's not the transmission fluid. I can check tomorrow but just had the trans checked and fluid replaced less than 8 months ago when I had my car inspected. I will check after work tomorrow.

What type of plugs did you install? Reason for asking is that these cars only run the stock irridiums or copper plugs. Absolutely NO platinum plugs as our ignition systems eat them quite quickly and will give a misfire and other strange driveability issues even after only a few months.

Originally Posted by FordMan77

What type of plugs did you install? Reason for asking is that these cars only run the stock irridiums or copper plugs. Absolutely NO platinum plugs as our ignition systems eat them quite quickly and will give a misfire and other strange driveability issues even after only a few months.

Iridium.

Checked transmission fluid. Wiped with a white paper towel, it is at the first of two dots and is a tanish color, not much red tint. I can post a picture in about an hour but have to drop someone off somewhere.

O'Reilys said they don't check "Service Engine Soon" lights because they don't usually throw codes because they're normally maintenance things. It has been stuck on for a full day now where as before it would turn off after a while.

Should I try autozone?

Oh and again, it happened twice each time going up a hill, and once accelerating at medium-hard pressure. That was today.

P0463(fuel sending unit), P1811(long term shift), P0102(MAF sensor gone bad or need cleaning), and one they couldn't print but I looked it up is my ABS is bad but I've known that since I bought the car. He said since my trans fluid is tan and not pink or red after less than 10k miles my trans clutch packs(I think those are the terms he used) may be going bad and transmission may need replaced before too long.

Thanks for the help. I'll look into those options. I am cleaning the MAF sensor after my car cools down from driving to work tomorrow. So much is going wrong with this car it's insane so time will tell, after all a 16 year old girl owned it before me and took crappy care of it. Thanks for all the help!

Originally Posted by Scottydoggs

my cars last owner was female as well, car was a mess inside and out, and mechanically.

Cleaned the sensor well, got new spark plug wires(two went bad the other day), got the Wizaired intake to replace the open cone, and let the computer re-learn everything and so far over the weekend haven't had any issues and they were coming up every time I drove before. Throttle is more responsive, shifts are more responsive, and I definitely have more power. Don't feel like it's going to fall apart anymore. Thanks for the help. Now that it's running well again time to get started back on mods and maintenance.