more problems...

[Kowalski]

so my car is really screwing up right now.
about half of the time when i accelerate from a stop (more likely to do it if i step on it, if i ease into the throttle it almost never does it) it backfires and jerks and falls flat on its face untill i hit 8-10 mph then it pulls hard like nothing happened. only codes its been pulling are canister purge valve (35) and inhibitor switch (51), and neither of those should cause my problems, so i don't have much to work with. it also runs really rich and gets shitty mileage (15mpg) which has been driving me crazy for a while

so yesterday it decided it wasn't gonna drive normally for me for about a half hour and i could barely get it to 40mph at full throttle. it felt just like it does when i try to take off, but it wouldn't stop like it usually does. during this time if i revved it a bit in neutral it would come down, but stop at 2000rpm till i shut the car off or put it in drive. after i let the car sit for a little it ran ok, but for some reason when i took the (5 month old) air filter out to see if it made a difference, the car decided it didn't want to go anywhere again. (also, does anyone else's airbox make a sound like blowing on the top of a bottle if you open it while the car's running? it was pretty cool)


i'm leaning towards electrical problem mainly because mechanical problems don't usually come and go like this. anyone have even an inkling of what it might be? i'm completely stumped here.

[scuzzy]

sounds like the MAF sensor is shot, especially if you pulled the airbox off and the symptoms changed a little.

[Kowalski]

i'm gonna try that today, i have a spare one kicking around in the garage. if its not that i'm kind of thinking either clogged/stuck injector(s) or maybe my timing belt jumped a tooth or something

[ciper]

Did you perform a snorkelectomy?

[Kowalski]

nope. no engine mods yet

[evolutionmovement]

How old are plug wires?

[New92]

I had major accelerator issues with the code 35. It was also intermittent. Sometimes Id accelerate from a stop and everything was a go other times Id hit the gas and shed bog down and run in a "restricted" manner until I shut down and restarted. And yet other times Id gas and bog out. Other symptoms included high and or irregular idle, severely restricted top end (40 - 50 mph), and some other weired stuff. All cleared up after the CPS was replaced. Ive read, on here, time and again of people with odd symptoms that popped up with the code 35 who chased everything under the sun only to find out it was the solenoid. I think it was Vrg3 who said to always start with the first code on your CEL list and work your way up. Its so cheap to get one used from Blackbart that you almost cant go wrong.

[douglas vincent]

Water temp sensor?