Hey everybody. I just found this forum and signed up cause I need help!
Let me start off by saying that I am by no means an expert on automotive repairs. Mostly I want to know what the general realm of the problem might be so I can go into the dealership armed with at least some information. If not they will surely rip me off as they have been known to do.
Anyway.....the problem started a few days ago. I went out to start my car in the morning (I should note here that it is usually -10 Celsius or so (-14 Fahrenheit) in the mornings these days. So the car starts normally, I let it warm up for a while, and then take off down the road on my way to work. As soon as the car hit 2500 RPM in first gear the engine power just cut out. Pressing the accelerator did nothing, until the car slowed down and the tach moved below 2500 RPM. So I accelerated up to about 2000 RPM and shifted into second, and again once the tach reached 2500 RPM it seemed as though the power cut out. So what this tells me is that the problem is not relative to the speed of the vehicle, but rather to the engine speed….hmmmm.
This is obviously a very annoying and difficult way to have to drive: never exceeding 2500 RPM. So I am panicking because my drive to work involves a stretch of 110 KM/hr highway that I knew would be dangerous / impossible the way the car was acting. Thankfully, just before I got to the highway the car just stopped acting up. I could rev the thing right up to redline now! I thought it was weird but wrote it off to “one of those things”.
The car sat at work for 8 hours, started fine, drove fine on the way home, and not a sign of the problem. Until………the next morning. It is doing the same #^%$ing thing! Again the problem goes away after about 10 minutes of very annoying slow driving and early shifting.
Then comes today. It exhibited the same problem as it did the two previous mornings, and again it went away. Only this time once I got on the highway, the power would sporadically cut out for no apparent reason. Now it doesn’t seem linked to RPM. It would cut out when I was coasting along, yet not cut out when I was flooring it to pass someone. Weird! I am at work now and god knows what will happen on the way home.
So, given my very limited car knowledge, I have come up two theories:
1. Something to do with the fuel delivery system. The engine is not getting fuel at certain times for certain reasons and cuts out as a result. This doesn’t explain the link to engine RPM very well though.
2. Something to do with the computer. This explains how it is linked to RPM, although it doesn’t explain the fact that the problem goes away after a while and then returns.
I should say that I am assuming that these symptoms are two variations on the same problem. The cutting off of power at 2500 RPM as well as randomly losing engine power at highway speeds that is. I could be, and very likely am, wrong though.
Any help anyone can provide would be much appreciated.
Let me start off by saying that I am by no means an expert on automotive repairs. Mostly I want to know what the general realm of the problem might be so I can go into the dealership armed with at least some information. If not they will surely rip me off as they have been known to do.
Anyway.....the problem started a few days ago. I went out to start my car in the morning (I should note here that it is usually -10 Celsius or so (-14 Fahrenheit) in the mornings these days. So the car starts normally, I let it warm up for a while, and then take off down the road on my way to work. As soon as the car hit 2500 RPM in first gear the engine power just cut out. Pressing the accelerator did nothing, until the car slowed down and the tach moved below 2500 RPM. So I accelerated up to about 2000 RPM and shifted into second, and again once the tach reached 2500 RPM it seemed as though the power cut out. So what this tells me is that the problem is not relative to the speed of the vehicle, but rather to the engine speed….hmmmm.
This is obviously a very annoying and difficult way to have to drive: never exceeding 2500 RPM. So I am panicking because my drive to work involves a stretch of 110 KM/hr highway that I knew would be dangerous / impossible the way the car was acting. Thankfully, just before I got to the highway the car just stopped acting up. I could rev the thing right up to redline now! I thought it was weird but wrote it off to “one of those things”.
The car sat at work for 8 hours, started fine, drove fine on the way home, and not a sign of the problem. Until………the next morning. It is doing the same #^%$ing thing! Again the problem goes away after about 10 minutes of very annoying slow driving and early shifting.
Then comes today. It exhibited the same problem as it did the two previous mornings, and again it went away. Only this time once I got on the highway, the power would sporadically cut out for no apparent reason. Now it doesn’t seem linked to RPM. It would cut out when I was coasting along, yet not cut out when I was flooring it to pass someone. Weird! I am at work now and god knows what will happen on the way home.
So, given my very limited car knowledge, I have come up two theories:
1. Something to do with the fuel delivery system. The engine is not getting fuel at certain times for certain reasons and cuts out as a result. This doesn’t explain the link to engine RPM very well though.
2. Something to do with the computer. This explains how it is linked to RPM, although it doesn’t explain the fact that the problem goes away after a while and then returns.
I should say that I am assuming that these symptoms are two variations on the same problem. The cutting off of power at 2500 RPM as well as randomly losing engine power at highway speeds that is. I could be, and very likely am, wrong though.
Any help anyone can provide would be much appreciated.
