HGZ

hey everyone, my 94 RS seems to be hesitating or 'cutting out' for a split-second sometimes when i begin accelerating from a stop or when i am just cruising regularly. i'll say i am noticing it happening 3 out of every 5 times i start going from a stop when i have a green light, and if i am just driving normally and give it a little gas, i could sometimes feel a little hiccup or something happen.. but when i am under harder-than-normal acceleration, it doesn't seem to be happening at all.

my whole car is stock except for a neuspeed sport clutch and a newly installed (last week) borla muffler. the motor has about 249,500 miles on it. i have replaced the plugs and wires about 2 months ago.

i want to say that i have noticed my car doing this tiny hiccup thing a rare 'once in awhile' a month or so after i replaced my spark plugs/wires, but only a week after i had my muffler installed, i am noticing it happening more and more.

i should also say that i am sure the timing belt needs replacing, like NOW. i bought the car in '04 with 178,xxx miles and since then have not had any kind of belt service done to the car since i've owned it.

anyhow, what could be causing this split-second stutter/hiccup? timing belt? plugs? also, what causes a spark plug to foul out? once that happens, is the plug no longer working? could it be my 02 sensor causing it since there is less restriction now in the exhaust system? would resetting the ECU make any difference? could it be my distributor or possibly fuel injectors?

sorry for all the uber no0by questions. i am at work now so i can't really pull the plugs to check them or anything at the moment, but i was hoping i might be able to get some quick ideas after giving some info and history on the car and its recent behavior..

thank you for reading! have an e-beer on me

lmike6453

what causes the spark plugs to foul mainly is running rich...too much fuel and not enough air...mainly caused by o2 sensor not working properly even if no cel is on...

i suggest you check fuel pressure and fuel injectors/fuel rail for leaks and run seafoam through a vacuum line very slowly and beating the crap out of the car for 30 mins
then change spark plugs and oil
other things you can check are endless for cars choking....iacv, intake filter, cat...

HGZ

ok i have an update..

i replaced the o2 sensor and put brand new spark plugs in. the stuttering/hiccuping seems to have been remedied a tiny bit, but it is definitely still there.

i replaced the fuel filter about a year ago, so i am thinking it is about time for replacement, BUT.. this morning i noticed my autometer shift light is acting weird now! i have it wired to my distributor and i am currently using the 6.3 pill, but when i was getting on the freeway this morning, it was going off at about 4k rpms with quick split-second flashes. like this: ....blip blip..... blip...... weird!!

tonight i will go ahead and switch the shift light pill to see if the old one is going bad, but could it possibly mean something is going on in the distributor such as a failing coil or something? would a failing coil cause hesitation? or would it just go out completely without warning? i had the ignitor replaced about 2.5 years ago.

i am also reading it could be a failing fuel pump, but the shift light behavior this morning is making me think otherwise..

anyone have any ideas?

thank god its friday

HGZ

WOW. ok so turns out that the retaining screw for the distributor rotor was LOOSE. on the mechanic who replaced my ignitor. [freak]er didnt tighten **** up right or something..

anyways i tightened it back up and now she drives like new! i did notice that some of the plastic of the dist. rotor was broken off, but it was off of the side where no metal is, so i think i am good for the time being.

woo hoo!

lmike6453

cool...i just added in energy suspension inserts in my torque mounts and it reduced studdering at 1st gear alot