2003 Chevy Cavalier Stalling and hesitation

2003 CHEVROLET CAVALIER
130,000 MILES • 4 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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CHRISBISDORF
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  • 1 POST
My car has been stalling out and hesitating while I drive. The hesitation feels like a miss while I'm driving. It can happen at 25mph or 50mph. It starts missing and will continue doing it for long periods of time. Just recently it had begun stalling out. I will come to a stop, give it gas to start up again and it will stall. It is an intermident problem so no one can diagnose it. Any ideas?
Aug 25, 2009 at 11:57 AM
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RASMATAZ
  • ✓ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 75,992 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Oxygen sensor
Catalytic converter
Dirty fuel injectors (cleaning the injectors often fixes this).
Bad MAP (manifold absolute pressure) sensor
Bad TPS (throttle position) sensor
Bad or dirty MAF (mass airflow) sensor
Low fuel pressure (leaky fuel pressure regulator or weak fuel pump)
Vacuum leaks (intake manifold, vacuum hoses, throttle body, EGR valve)
Bad gasoline (fuel contaminated with water or too much alcohol)

Sometimes, what feels like a hesitation is actually ignition misfire rather than lean misfire. The causes of ignition misfire may include:

Dirty or worn spark plugs
Bad plug wires
Weak ignition coil
Wet plug wires
Aug 25, 2009 at 12:00 PM
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