Hesitation on the Road

SpiderNYC · Post by **SpiderNYC** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 9:06 pm

Hi, for almost three years I am the happy owner of a 1982 Spider and it usually runs great. Lately there is a hesitation while I am driving and sometimes it shots itself off while I am waiting on a redlight. The hesitation happens at all time (warm and cold engine, driving fast or slow) maybe about 3 times a minute. The complete shot-off happens only when the engine is warm and slows down (1000rpm then sudden drop to zero). Restarting is no problem, except that I have to pull the cold start plug sometimes. Maybe these things are unrelated but it seams they are both electrical problems. I changed pretty much everything (fuel pump, fuel line, fuel filter, spark plugs, coild wire, distributer cap, distributor rotor, ignition module, water pump, alternator, battery) and checked all the wires, fuses and the computer.
Does anybody have and idea what it could be? Thank you for your help!

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Tue Dec 19, 2006 10:50 pm

by hesitation, do you mean misfire? If it's really hesitating, I'd take a look at the air flow meter for a sticking flap or any air leaks around the intake boot.

SpiderNYC · Post by **SpiderNYC** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 1:06 am

It could be a missfire although I associate a misfire with a loud explosion which only happened twice in the last weeks (once on a rainy highway when the engine was hot and the other time when I started the engine in the morning). This hesitation is more like a quick interuption, like a hiccup. The car shakes, similar to running out of gas but just for a fraction of a second, whitch made me think it is an electronic problem.

So Cal Mark · Post by **So Cal Mark** » Wed Dec 20, 2006 10:25 am

misfires aren't explosions. An explosion in the exhaust could be caused by a misfire since you get unburned fuel in the exhaust system. A backfire through the intake is usually caused by a lean condition.