2001GT - A long run down to see if anyone has had this issue, even the auto shop is baffled so trust me when I say DO NOT jump to a conclusion after reading one or two symptoms as this just gets better and better.
To start the temperature has been low here in IL the last few weeks so nothing new there (-5 to 15 in the morning) but my car is kept in 45 degree garage then each morning down the road 1.25 miles before getting onto the highway. I have had zero issues all winter.
I filled up with gas Tuesday night, almost down to 1/4 tank, I always fill up, then drove 1.5 miles home and into garage for the night. Next morning off to work and about 3 miles into commute a sudden lost of power. Lights on dashboard/instrument panel looks okay, not a dead alt. or battery this time... dang did my trans go out... no wait it's like the engine sucked in a huge bug and is choking on it - seriously. Thank God there's an exit ahead so I bail pushing on gas pedal but no power, I can't hear the engine from the road noise/cars around me.
On the exit ramp I come to stop as the car stalls out. I smell rotten eggs? Look under hood and all seems okay, no chewed wires, etc. I was able to get the car started but really had to work the gas pedal and work it until RPM increased then quickly into gear and work it more to get it moving. At the intersection it would stall and a bugger to get moving again but once moving it was easier to keep it moving.
Pulled into auto shop and figured I'd back it into a spot while it was still running. As I'm in reverse a restore to full power out of nowhere and all seems okay now so I drive it around the lot and it's as if nothing ever happened.
Auto shop can't figure it out, codes indicate Mass Airflow Sensor or MAP sensor, they replace, we test drive and punch it a few times getting up to 70... all seems okay again.
Next morning back on the highway and BAM!!! Right as I'm going up that incline, the same spot the previous day, (it's IL folks.. no big hills here), it does the same crap again and struggle to get it back to the shop with is about 4 miles away.
Auto shop takes it for a spin later that day as it's running fine again but discover I'm right, it goes haywire when going up hill. Mechanic smells something hot, of which I recall too like rubber burning not to mention sulfur once, so he checks under the hood and notices the exhaust pipes behind the engine are glowing red. Said he's never seen that before, only when welding something. He also said he was stalling out and very hard to start... awesome they duplicated the issue but wait, he said it was hard to start so he would clear the check engine light and now the car would start up and run okay until going back up a hill, the hill where the road goes over a train track, about the height of two warehouses.
They are stumped. It could be something in the gas is what I was thinking but that does not quite explain the glowing pipes and clearing the code... does it? And what would be in the gas that only gets sucked up when going up hill? I throw this in too, back this summer I would smell gas in the garage after a fill up, drive to work and next day all was good. That continued until the cold weather came in Dec. or maybe something on tank broke... I freaking don't know anymore but perhaps that comes into play somehow.
