99 Galant hesitates

I have a 99 galant and whenever i hit the gas hard it putters and then feels like it kicks into gear and takes off. I am thinking that this is either a tranny problem or a fuel issue. If any one can spread some light on this i would appreciate it.

what engine?

also.. how many miles are on the car?

several things could explain away your issues.. Likely all of them maintainence.

It is a 2.4L (4 cylinder) with about 115k

I was gonna ask you if you recall whether it was a SOHC or a DOHC..

likely the latter.



when was the last time you did a Tune up?


your belts squeal like crazy?

I noticed the last time i took my GF's car in the cold it did this alot..

And them i threw it into first gear and FLoored it.. The belt was WHINNING LIKE CRAZY causing the lights to dim and the fans would die. all these symptoms are noticed when it stutters like that too. just not to the extreme like the 1st gear thing ;)
once the belts warm up it goes away.

im working on a fix for this.. i'll let you know

I believe that it is dohc. I did a tune up not to long ago. My belt doesnt make any noises at all infact my car doesnt make any funny noises or any have any other symptoms except stuttering when you floor it from a dead stop.

Good to hear the belts not slipping :)

UNfortuneately with that out of the way(this eliminates most charging/ignition issues) In my mind this leaves ignition timing, Sparkplugs/ignition system not getting Warm enough to burn off all Fuel(this causes a similar condition) an unlikely Torque Converter issue.

what kind of plugs were used?(not allways irrelevant) and what heat range were they?

It could be your MASS AIR FLOW SENSOR.

If your galant sputters when you hit the gas, but then eventually takes off, there is a good chance it is just a spark plug misfiring. I would recommend getting a tune up, which should include spark plugs. I just got the bosch platinum 2 spark plugs for my galant. But those aren't necessary.

Is it truly sputtering, or does it feel like the tranny isn't engaging? If it feels like the car is hesitating to find the right gear, it could be one of the clutches in the transmission, or it could be your torque converter.

Since you said this only happens from a dead stop, and only when you floor it, I'm leaning more toward the torque converter. If this happens in any other gear when you floor it, then I'd say it's more fire/fuel related.

Hope this helps!

if your ignition timing was advanced it will make a pinking noise