a few weeks ago i started to experience this problem with my car. i was pulling out into traffic and accelerated hard in first gear. my rpm's got to about 4k and all of a sudden my engine felt like it just stopped for a second. there are a couple of different ways to describe this feeling. first it feels almost like a hic-cup in the engine. i think it feels like the fuel gets cut off for a half of second. my dad thinks it might be something wrong with my transmission. at first it was only doing this at higher rmps. then during everyday driving it started to happen, as low as 2.5K rpm mostly in first and second gear. here is what it feels like though. you know when you are driving your car at a very high rpm or when you are down shifting to slow down? well imagine while you are doing that u tap the gas hard and then let off. the car jerks foward and then backwards right? that is what it feels like. its embarassing when this happens everytime i drive through an intersection. since i didnt have my car with me(college student), my dad took it in to the dealer. they said they couldn't get the problem to repeat. so the car was parked in the garage untill today. so i took it out to drive it up to chico for school. i was having this problem AGAIN!!! its very annoying. i am going to take it to the closest chevy dealer soon.

i am wondering what is wrong with my car? and will it be under warranty?

thanks for the help

anyone?

 

might be a maf problem. try getting some MAF cleaner and seeing if that helps.

 

stick? auto?

 

stick...where would i get that and how do i go about the cleaning?

 

kragen or autozone, just remove the MAf from your intake and i believe its a spray. just read the directions on the can.

also you may need to clean or replace your filter, i'd look into that.

 

aite for sure. so should i bother taking my car to the dealership? is it just a MAF spray?

 

well try that first. if it doesnt work take it to the dealer. either that or try swapping back to your stock airbox and see if that changes anything. to me it sounds like your MAF isnt recognizing the proper airflow so when you're opening the throttle up, the engine is hesitating because the sensor isnt reading what its supposed to.

 

cool. ill proally clean the filter tonight. when you had the weapon R did you just clean it with water? last time i just rinsed it out and gave it a day to dry.

 

its a foamy type filter, you can probably remove it from its cone and just soak it like a sponge and ring it out. or just try to spray the dirt out of it.

 

alright, thanks bro


any other reccomendations???

 

just make sure that flters clean. if it looks disgusting you might just buy a new one. not sure what the life span is on those weapon-r filters.

 

Sounds like you got a batch of bad gas, possibly water in the tank and now the fuel filter is clogging up.
I'd get the gas tank drained and get a new fuel filter on it pronto.

If that doesn't solve it, then it might be the plug wires or spark plugs.



Both options have happened to me and my old cars before with the SAME symptoms as what you are having.

Good luck!

 

i was thinking fuel filter too. im going to try cleaning the intake first and see if that doesnt fix it. im a newb when it comes to maintance on the balt, should i just take it to the dealership to have them change the filter?

 

wow, one of the most logical statements ive heard in a long time. not really, but kudos. I dont know whats wrong with his car but my bet would be with your suggestion.

 

i was also thinking of the possibility of a bad batch of gas, however i've never had one in my cobalt so i dont know how it would react.

 

well i know its not the gas. ive filled up twice this weekend. i also cleaned the filter on my intake. they problem is even worse now. it does it in all the gears. could it be the fuel injectors? im going to try and take my car to the dealer tomorrow

 

if it was injectors i would think youd get a cel because it would cause a misfire.

I still agree with the first assessment, get some CRC maf cleaner/electrical cleaner/ hell even brake clean will work if you have to.

give that maf a good clean.

 

so you don't think it would be the fuel injectors or the transmission?? i just dont understand why this is happening. i stopped at kragen today and they said they don't have MAF cleaner

the problem always seems to happen within 2.5k-4k rpm

 

ive had this once or twice.
ive even had it happen while logging on HPT.
the timing didnt change, there was no misfire, no knock, just a "hiccup"
if it was injectors im pretty sure youd throw a code.

electrical cleaner or brake clean will work.
maf cleaner is better, but give it a try just to see if it clears up your problem.

 

ok ill try that tomorrow. but today the problem was really bad. i had to drive 80miles to school and i wanted to turn around n go home.

should i be cleaning my MAF regularlly? (sp?)

 

doesnt hurt to keep it clean, since its the primary sensor for how much air/fuel your engine is injesting.

 

cool. thanks bro. ill let you know how it works out