[Gotter]

Went to the Virginia Beach Cars and Coffee today (btw, lots of compliments on the SC, Flash), then to Waffle House after. Heading home - literally from one red light to the next - the car begins to sputter under load, even modestly. Say, up to 3000 RPMs (didn't really check for accuracy on that). When sitting, idle seems to want to stall, but a little gas, and it wouldn't.



Never done this before. Ideas for self-check/easy fix before I take it in for the third time this calendar year?



J.C.

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[JTP]

Maybe a vacuum hose got loose

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[wildcat]

Fuel Filter?

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[Gotter]

I know... such a multitude of possibilities.... Just shocked me at the suddenness of it all.

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[JTP]

Someone at C&C is playing a cruel prank on you, they pulled a hose when you weren't looking!

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[wildcat]

[quote name='J.C.' timestamp='1399136498' post='157539']

Just shocked me at the suddenness of it all.

[/quote]

Hmmm, yes... A few months back I took this lovely ride up to Long Beach, there were moments of heavy traffic and clear coastal highways... beautiful weather too. Up and back no problem... but the next morning, I'm getting a bad and I mean bad thumping sound... what could it be? The damper plate, the outer ring was totally separated from the plate. You could see it in the inspection port. "we don't know how you drove it in here" they said. Well its a credit to the Porsche engineers depending on how you look at it.



And then there was the time I took a trip up to the mountains, nice trip, no problems. The next morning the car just wouldn't start.

Took me over a month to determine that it was the ignition coil driver, which supposedly you can order but in fact is built into the computer. No sign whatsoever that anything was wrong until it just wouldn't start.



So I'm guessing its the fuel filter unless you've had it changed recently, gas isn't what it was and if you picked up some bad fuel along the way it wouldn't be unheard of. (there are several other possibilities).

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[flash]

i'm betting on a hose.

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[banditsc]

Or the block of cap on the center port of the throttle body.

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[flash]

yeah - something like that. definitely sounds like an intake air thing.

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[Gotter]

Had my boys with me, and it was a cool teaching moment on how a car works - basics of air, fuel, and spark.... and it seemed like it was air that was losing the battle.... hoping it isn't an O2 sensor. Will check all the hoses tomorrow.



Grrrr.

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[wildcat]

And not the fuel injectors... <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/cool.png" class="smilie" alt="" />

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[Gotter]

Right. <img src="/forum/images/smilies/968/smile.png" class="smilie" alt="" />



So, I checked all the hoses easily accessible from the top. All seem to be fine. There are two up by the battery housing that run from passenger to the center between the engine and the cabin. They run right next to each other, and both ends of both hoses have a loose, but seemingly secure connection. Is this correct? I don't any knowledge of what these two are, but doesn't seem to be the culprit.



Assume the fuel filter isn't a quick look-see? Have to get it in the air for that?



Haven't checked the throttle body yet.



Update of symptoms: Seems almost non-existent cold, but once warmed up, lower gears are worse.



THanks for the continuing advice!

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[wildcat]

Have to pull off that vanity cover to see the fuel injectors and the two lines that feed it. From your description it appears that the the lines you are referring to are the the ones that connect to the fuel rail. A few allen screws and you can see the whole injector setup.

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[Gotter]

should they be loose like that? Not much play, maybe a 1/8", but not rock solid like every other hose

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[flash]

the fuel lines have a heat jacket over them, which has nothing to do with sealing. they are not likely your problem unless you can smell fuel leaking.

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[wildcat]

I wondered what was meant by "loose". Take off the vanity cover and you can check the tightness of the "b" nuts. I agree its probably not the fuel lines to the fuel rail, if they were loose they'd be leaking and that is very unlikely.

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[wildcat]

Rather than play it stage by stage, I'll give you my thinking then you can decide where you want to go with it. If a fuel injector is going bad it may not give you all the fuel you need, but when you apply acceleration you get enough fuel and the computer compensates. But before you go investing in injectors there is another potential problem with a relatively easy fix. The injectors have rubber seals and also a plastic cap which atomizes the fuel. They get brittle with age. The components are easy to replace once you get the injectors out. If the cap has broken or cracked, the injector won't atomize the fuel properly. You can buy a kit from Geek Parts inexpensively and check your injectors and replace those parts if you're inclined to do so. Those rubber seals and the plastic caps do wear out and can cause the kind of problems you're experiencing. The injectors may be fine.

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[flash]

isn't this car supercharged?

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[banditsc]

Yes

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[flash]

then i am even more convinced it is a hose in the intake system.



it's either that or the Hall Sender.



do a blink test

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