To begin, my car is actually a LW2, but there.

Tiny
ANONYMOUS
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 SATURN L300
  • 172,000 MILES
To begin, my car is actually a LW2, but there was not a choice for that. It is the 3.0 V6 model. Over the last several months, the car has stuttered some while driving at low speeds and low rpms. For example, while driving in a parking lot. It is not bad, but definitely noticeable. It seems like the problem is gradually getting worse. The stutter does not happen during gear shifts in the automatic transmission. It happens when I am barely pressing the gas to accelerate slowly. It feels as if I am pressing the gas pedal inconsistently, even though my foot is pressing it steady. The RPMs will also go down a little bit, then go back to where it should be. If I want to go fast, I just press the gas and it speeds up no problem. But when I am driving slow, such as 5-15 miles per hour is when I notice it the most. It also happens if I try to maintain this slow speed. The check engine light has not come on, so I do not think an ODBII reader would help. This has happened fairly regularly, so I doubt it is bad gas. I have also tried using fuel injector cleaners, gas treatment, and even changing the spark plugs. The air filter was also changed not too long ago. Do you have any suggestions on how to identify this problem? Thank you!
Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 4:21 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
First have it scanned for codes an let me know the exact code numbers you have?If there is no codes I have something for you to try but it will set codes. So let's see if there are codes first.
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 5:57 PM
Tiny
JEREMYB777
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  • 37 POSTS
Ok. I will go up to the auto parts store to get a scan done. I was under the impression it would not give a code if the "service engine soon" light was not on. I'll give it a shot. If it's okay with you, I will respond to the other post, because this one is not linked to my email and will not let me know when there is a response. Thank you!
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 7:48 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
Alright even if the lights on there can still bee stored codes.
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 8:03 PM
Tiny
JEREMYB777
  • MEMBER
  • 37 POSTS
Actually, this post is now saved in "My Replies" so I can easily find it again. I just went up to the auto parts store and got a free ODB2 scan. There were no codes. I don't really know whether I ought to be concerned with this issue or not. It does seem like it's been getting a little worse, so it would seem I need to figure what out what is causing it. I don't know whether it could be fuel related, spark related, air-flow, or even a sensor acting up. Got any ideas?
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 8:38 PM
Tiny
JEREMYB777
  • MEMBER
  • 37 POSTS
I think I may have it fixed. As I was mulling over it, I got to thinking, "What if it is the fuel filter?" I have never had fuel filter problems before, but I hardly ever change them. I went down to the auto parts store and bought a $10.99 fuel filter. It took about 15 minutes to get it changed. There was alot more gas that leaked than I expected. Probably because the filter is located much lower on the car than the last one I changed. After replacing the fuel filter, I took it for a test drive through the neighborhood. After accelerating from a stop to about 25 mph about 10 times, I have not noticed the stutter/hesitation at all. So, I will be on the look out to see if it happens again, but I think I very well may have solved the problem. I will let you know if the problem continues. Thanks for all the help!
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 9:59 PM
Tiny
SATURNTECH9
  • MECHANIC
  • 30,870 POSTS
Let's try this unplug your egr valve and see if the problem goes away?
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Thursday, January 24th, 2013 AT 10:01 PM

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