2003 Pontiac Grand Am Hesitation upon acceleration

12,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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BOLTNUT1
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
Hesitation and lack of power upon acceleration,
recently changed transmission fluid and had injectors cleaned.
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:09 AM
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RASMATAZ
  • ✓Experienced Mechanic
  • 75,988 POSTS
Hesitation/poor acceleration:

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
Oct 17, 2008 at 8:17 AM
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