1995 Saturn SL1 '95 Saturn SL1 stutters while accelerating

Tiny
BLAZE831
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 SATURN SL1
  • 4 CYL
  • FWD
  • MANUAL
  • 130,000 MILES
This problem happened suddenly, while driving up a hill. Very jerky acceleration. Jerky accelerating through all gears. No jerking while idling. No check engine light. Saturn replaced the engine control module and wiring. Didn't fix it. Saturn suggests it's something deep in the engine, perhaps related to a leaky gasket (which we know we do have). But in my opinion, the suddeness of this problem cannot relate to the slow leak we have. Saturn "says" they checked the EGR valve and the coolant temperature sensor, and they were ok. However, we've had the EGR valve go before, and the symptoms seem pretty similar. They claim all the injection system is fine. On a trip from Denver to Taos in January we had stretches where we got 48 mpg, so we'd hate to lose the car. Any ideas?
Thanks!
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009 AT 4:07 PM

1 Reply

Tiny
RASMATAZ
  • MECHANIC
  • 75,992 POSTS
Hesitation/Stumbling:

Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
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Thursday, April 30th, 2009 AT 4:43 AM

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