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Car intermittently stalls in first gear

Tiny
EKRUBMEG
  • MEMBER
  • 2007 SATURN ION
  • 2.2L
  • 2WD
  • MANUAL
  • 40,000 MILES
Intermittent loss of power in first gear. I start the car and at some point early on I get an alarm and the problem persists until I shut it off for a while. It has been in the shop five times in an effort to find this. The throttle control has been replaced as was the computer. After the computer was replaced it failed two more times than went approximately 2,000 miles before it started up again.
I started the car and pulled out into the street and it was not until I had gone several hundred feet that the alarm came in. I opted not to pull into the busy street but driving the back streets playing with the problem. It does not fail instantly, the car starts forward like it should for half a second than it stalls. It seems the more the throttle is pressed the worse the hesitation. Giving it lots of throttle like when trying to scoot across a busy intersection means after the initial start, it shuts off to an idle. The engine does not shut off, just zero acceleration. I worked this over and over, tried giving it gas and starting out at a higher engine speed but it still hesitates. Seemingly if the throttle is not pressed very much, it does not hesitate as much. Only happens in first gear. I can shift into second gear in the middle of an hesitation and it takes off like it should in too high a gear.
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Friday, June 15th, 2018 AT 4:49 PM

9 Replies

Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,293 POSTS
For some reason or another, your traction control is kicking in and ruining the throttle response. When it is acting up, you probably see a triangular orange/yellow light with an exclamation mark in it on the dash. That light goes off, and the car goes. When you drop it into a low gear selection, that disables traction control, as does putting it in reverse. Have someone with a nicer tech2 scanner check the ABS/traction control module for trouble codes. It is possible that a bad wheel speed sensor is causing this to happen, in which case you might get a fault code stored. If there is no fault codes in it, then driving the car with the scanner plugged in and live data mode running, they should be able to monitor the individual wheel speed sensor readings, and look for one that is way out of whack.
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Friday, June 15th, 2018 AT 8:15 PM
Tiny
EKRUBMEG
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
I will pass it along, I take it in next week. I get the 'check engine' usually shortly after the car starts, I do not have to move an inch. Code P2138, throttle position. We replaced the throttle. It works better but this problem is still there. I only see the ABS indicator briefly when I turn the ignition on. I do not have traction control and unless the ABS can turn off the engine I do not see how this can be a solution. Thanks though, I think it will be something wild when we do find it, if we ever do.
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Monday, June 18th, 2018 AT 4:16 PM
Tiny
HARRY P
  • MECHANIC
  • 2,293 POSTS
Check out this service bulletin: https://static.nhtsa.gov/odi/tsbs/2015/SB-10028831-8729.pdf
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Monday, June 18th, 2018 AT 7:42 PM
Tiny
EKRUBMEG
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
Thanks, I do not think it is a defective indicator, it stalls when I need it most, believe me, the pucker factor is high in the middle of an intersection when the engine stalls out, it does not shut off, the throttle drops to zero. The indicator is right on, at least it tells me in advance it is going to fail and at least the last number of times, it tells me very shortly after is start the engine. I have driven it a few miles with the alarm on and the problem does not go away. The last time, I tested it on a few local streets than parked it and a short time later the alarm is gone and it works fine.
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Monday, June 25th, 2018 AT 7:41 AM
Tiny
LOU P
  • MECHANIC
  • 118 POSTS
Lou here, can you tell me the “indicator” you see coming on? Or the “alarm”? I was reading over the story and its not clear what you are seeing on the dash. Also will this happen as well in reverse? What about in neutral how does the engine rev?
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Monday, June 25th, 2018 AT 4:14 PM
Tiny
PATENTED_REPAIR_PRO
  • MECHANIC
  • 1,853 POSTS
A tps code doesn't always mean it's the sensor that is bad, it could be a wire. The P2138 trouble code indicates that the Engine Control Module has detected a malfunction within the D and/or E circuits of the throttle position sensor.
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Monday, June 25th, 2018 AT 5:04 PM
Tiny
EKRUBMEG
  • MEMBER
  • 5 POSTS
Thanks, I copied your answer. If they do not find anything at the shop, I will have to research this myself and find exactly what you are talking about and see if I can figure it out myself. At the very least get a little more educated about this aspect.
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Monday, June 25th, 2018 AT 8:29 PM
Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,099 POSTS
Does this car have a accelerator pedal position sensor? Drive by wire system. I just had a problem like this, APP sensor was bad causing all these symptoms.
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Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 AT 9:24 AM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 42,833 POSTS
I have seen a dirty throttle body cause this issue. You said you replace the throttle control. I an assuming it was the pedal position sensor?

Here is a guide that can help:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/throttle-actuator-service

Please let us know what happens.

Cheers, Ken
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Tuesday, June 26th, 2018 AT 11:06 AM

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