a few maybe related engine problems (long post!)
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a few maybe related engine problems (long post!)



OK, here's what I have. A few relatively minor problems, all relating to the way the engine runs. I don't know if there's a connection between them, but something seems kind of suspicious. I'll list them and hope someone smarter than myself can figure one or more of these problems out. For the record, the car is an April 81 automatic, vin 1217, always garaged.

Problem #1: Cold starting stumbliness. The engine starts up just fine (except for the next problem which I'll address later) regardless of whether or not the engine is hot or cold. After starting up a cold engine, however, the initial acceleration is hesitant. The engine stumbles and sounds like it's choking. After pressing the accelerator for a few seconds it seems to smooth itself out, until the next try from a dead stop where it repeats the hesitating and choking. The problem goes away entirely after 1 to 2 minutes of driving. This has happened since I started driving the car a couple of months ago.

Problem #2: Randomly will not start. Not too often, but often enough to be annoying, the car will not start. I get in, turn the key, and nothing happens. I hear the familiar two-second hum, and all the accessories (radio, lights, etc.) come on, but the car does not turn over at all. Usually I try to start it a few more times, but nothing. I sit and wait for a couple of seconds, then try again and it starts right up like nothing was wrong. This appears to occur when the engine is colder, but it has happened when the engine was hot. This has happened off and on since I started driving the car.

Problem #3: Terrible gas mileage! Ever since I got the car, it has been getting between 13 and 15 MPG. I drive mostly in the suburbs with some light highway driving now and then. I don't drive too fast, or accelerate like a maniac, so I'd expect it to be a little higher. I know the O2 sensor is new and operating correctly, but I don't know what else to check.

Problem #4: Accelerates like a brick. I've lamented about this one before, but I'm listing it here just in case it gives any clues. It is a dog off the line. My car seems to have no jump at all in the lower RPMs, but feels OK once it gets going. It was suggested that I have a faulty fuel enrichment circuit, but I tested it by unplugging the electrical connection for it on the right side of the engine. It made a big difference when I unplugged it. It sounded terrible, so I plugged it back in. I take from the experiment that the fuel enrichment circuit is functioning properly. Grrr. This problem has existed since I started driving the car.

Problem #5: The last one I have. It just started today. I drive my car to the store and back this morning at about 11:00 and everything is fine. I start up my car again at about 4:00 in the afternoon, and the idle sounds terrible! Almost like it's misfiring or something. The idle sounds very uneven and it makes the car shake a lot more than usual. It accelerates normally (slow) and shifts smoothly, but at every stoplight, I hear that deep cranking sound and the car vibrates along with it. (I should add that even though the idle is terrible, it is still at ~750 RPM) I hate new problems!

I'm sorry for posting all of my woes here, but I couldn't think of any other way to get a bunch of people in on this. I don't know if any of the problems are related, but I suspect some of them are. I really hope I can get some of this stuff fixed and once again, sorry for being such a nuisance.

Thanks!

Aaron King
Kirkland, WA
vin#1217
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