HELP: No power when hitting the gas after a long stop

Hi,

I live in Las Vegas so it gets hot here in the summer. I've noticed that when it gets to be about 108 and above and I'm driving in city traffic (lots of stop and go) that when I sit at a stop light for a while and it turns green I hit the gas an nothing happens. Like the engine isn't getting any gas, but the car doesn't stall out either. If I put the car in neutral and hit the gas it seems to start to rev, then I throw it into gear and it goes (it's an automatic). The car runs great when it's moving, no issues there. This only happens when I come to a stop and am there for a bit (i.e. waiting for a red light) and only seems to happen when it's hotter out. Having the A/C compressor on or off doesn't seem to affect the issue. The car is stock and is an '88 2WD.

Some adjustments were made to the timing and transmission but that didn't seem to help.

Just wanted to see if anyone else has run into something similar or if anyone has any ideas of what/where to check? I didn't see anything else like this posted here.

Thanks for any help/ideas.

Mic

Comments

  • Do the rpm's go up when it is in gear and has the no acceleration?
    How many miles are on it?
  • Sounds like the trans pump is going out. When u put it in neutral and hit the gas ur forcing the pump to wake up and start pumping fluid again. Or your trans level is low. lmk.
  • The RPMs do not increase when it's in gear when it's having the problem. The car doesn't stall either. It's like I'm not hitting the gas (even though I am). Eventually it'll kick in and go. It seems to be better if I put it in neutral and hit the gas, then drop it into gear after the engine is revving a bit.

    I had my mechanic look at it and he told me he did some adjustments to the transmission and put an additive in. He also adjusted the timing. The problem has returned once since (but it also hasn't been 110+ here since it was REALLY acting up). I'll check the transmission fluid level. Is the pump hard to replace on this car if it needs that and is there a way to tell if it should be replaced?

    The car has about 149K miles (original engine as far as I know) on it.

    Thanks for your help so far!

    Mic
  • Also check the throttle position sensor. Does your PCM have any codes in it?
Sign In or Register to comment.