I have a 1996 Nissan Altima GXE with 2.4 L engine, 5-speed transmission and 160K miles. I can feel that the car is hesitating slightly during acceleration, especially when it goes uphill.
Anyone has some idea of what’s wrong? Thank you.
How long has it been since your last good tuneup?
the same mb,
Do you mean stuff like spark plugs and wires, air filter, pvc valve, fuel filter, and stuff like that? What do you think, shabxp? Sound like a workable idea?
Yup.
A friend recently was saying that her car of 248,000 miles wasn’t running smoothly and lacked power. People had told her all sorts of scenerios, all of which had her out car shopping. I asked her when the last time she’d had the plugs, wires etc. (in her case she had a rotor and distributor cap also) changed. It had been (if memory serves) over 170,000 miles.
Her son in law changed everything for her (I have a disability). The electrodes on the plugs were so vaporized that he sent them home with her for me to see. The gap must have been .065". The center electrodes were almost gone. It’s a wonder the car was even running.
Her car runs great now. And she gets better mileage.
Always start with the basics. Let us know how you make out.
Thank you all for your reply.
Sorry but I just did a tune up several weeks ago. I changed the spark plugs and wires, air filter, fuel filter, pcv valve. I even had a new IACV and distributer installed.
Have you checked for stored codes?
If you have none, I’d start by checking the fuel pump pressure. Low pressure will cause hesitation and weak power, and unless it’s weak enough to cause misfiring it may not trip a code. Beyond that, a clogged exhaust system can also cause these symptoms without necessarily tripping a code.
Other things that can cause this symptoms are the sensors, MAP, MAF, etc., but these will generally trip codes. The outputs of these can each be checked.
Thank you for the reply. I think I’ve found the problem. I heard that any unmetered air could cause a lean air-gas mixture and the symptom. I looked around the engine area and did find a loose hose. Now the vibration is gone.
Thank you.