1998 Pontiac Transport Intermittent hesitation or cutout of

1998 PONTIAC TRANSPORT
168,000 MILES • 6 CYL • 2WD • AUTOMATIC
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HERBEN
  • MEMBER
  • 1 POST
I experience intermittent jerky type hesitation usually while driving. Sometimes its several minutes between occurrences. "Service engine soon" light is ON.
Mar 17, 2009 at 11:23 PM
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RASMATAZ
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
  • 75,992 POSTS
  • ASE Certified Mechanic
Possible Causes of Engine Hesitation or Stumble:

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
Mar 17, 2009 at 11:40 PM
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