# Accelerator Hesitation **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** hesitation, subaru\ **Created:** [March 8, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479 "2009-03-08T19:14:08Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 8\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![SeaSkyShore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@SeaSkyShore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SeaSkyShore)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 7:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/1 "2009-03-08T19:14:08Z")
I have a 1985 Subaru GL that has been having some issues. It sat for a year before I purchased it and made some repairs. I have replaced the carburetor, alternator, spark plugs (the wires are fine) and ignition coil. My car hesitates for a moment or two when a press the accelerator the it chugs a bit before accelerating very slowly. It doesn’t always do this. Sometimes it will drive perfectly as if nothing were wrong with it. I can never predict when it will start acting up. Does anyone have an idea what could be wrong? ---
**Author:** ![SeaSkyShore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@SeaSkyShore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SeaSkyShore)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 7:27pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/2 "2009-03-08T19:27:07Z")
PS - Also forgot to mention the moss problem. I don’t know if this could effect anything, but when I got the car insane amounts of moss were growing in the vents. If I kick on the heat I am bombarded with massive amounts of moss flying out of the vents. Thus, I call my car Mossman 🙂 ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 7:51pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/3 "2009-03-08T19:51:38Z")
The moss is probably not related. Is it carburated or fuel injected? What did the plugs look like when you changed them. To be honest there is quite a selection of issues you could choose from, intermittent issues are the worst. If there is anything you can correlate to the problem, ie engine hot or cold, outside cold or hot, rainy days, got the ac on, heat on, etc., after short drive, after long drive etc.? ---
**Author:** ![SeaSkyShore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@SeaSkyShore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SeaSkyShore)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:42pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/4 "2009-03-08T22:42:46Z")
Carburated, but I just had it replaced. The plugs looked like they had been through hell and back when I took them out. The heat on or off doesn’t seem to make a difference, it happens when the engine is hot or cold, long and short drives as well. It has occurred to me that it acts up more in the cold/wet weather. But cold and wet have been the dominating weather characteristics since I have had the car. So I am not sure if that is influencing the problem or not. ---
**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\ **Post date:** [March 8, 2009, 10:57pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/5 "2009-03-08T22:57:35Z")
You might want to make sure that the choke pull-off is operating properly. If that checks out okay, then you should verify if the EGR is working as it should. ---
**Author:** ![SeaSkyShore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/s/ce73a5/32.png) [@SeaSkyShore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/SeaSkyShore)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 12:26am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/6 "2009-03-09T00:26:51Z")
I feel very silly. I just replaced the air filter (with everything else I did I totally spaced that) and took the car out for a spin. It ran perfectly with no hesitation at all. I hope that was it, but it wouldn’t be the first time that I thought my latest repair fixed the problem. ---
**Author:** ![waterboy](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/waterboy/32/764_2.png) [@waterboy](https://community.cartalk.com/u/waterboy)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 1:01am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/7 "2009-03-09T01:01:11Z")
Glad you are up and running! ---
**Author:** ![circuitsmith](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/circuitsmith/32/40376_2.png) [@circuitsmith](https://community.cartalk.com/u/circuitsmith)\ **Post date:** [March 9, 2009, 3:39pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/accelerator-hesitation/27479/8 "2009-03-09T15:39:23Z")
If you haven’t already, replace the fuel filter, dist cap & rotor (use OEM), trans, coolant & brake fluids.