'00 GP Sputtering while driving, need help

So I am having problems with my car once again. I am driving a 2000 GP GTP Supercharged. On a recent road trip(month and a half ago) it broke down, and I took it to a shop where they said it was a fuel pump and the relay. Once fixed it ran great until recently.

This happens only once in a while. While driving down the road with no warning at all the engine will start to sputter, rpm's jumping from 200 to 1600, and I lose complete control of the car. Foot on the gas does nothing. I have gotten it to go back to normal after continuous accelerating in neutral, but it is hit and miss. At times the car just completely stalls and I go to restart and it sputters again and I go through the same process of giving it gas in order to get it running.

I do not know if this is a fuel injection problem or something with the idle control valve or something of that nature. My gas mileage has also decreased significantly since this started taking place.

Thanks for any insight.

Welcome to AF.

Could be a bad MAF sensor. Unplug it with ignition off and then fire it up to see how driveability is. Easy item to rule out.

thanks, ill try it.. if there is anything else you can think of, please let me know

disconnected the MAF sensor and as of now no symptons as before, just a lack of performance which is expected.

do you suggest cleaning, and if so, how do I go about doing that?

Cleaning may help or if not then most likely you'll have to replace it.

Best way to clean the MAF wire element is to remove it and use MAF spray cleaner such as CRC brand. Held on by two Torx T20 tamper proof screws. Also, it is recommended to remove the throttle body input screen and clean it too. If you go with the latter then you can leave the MAF on and clean it from the opening of the throttle body. One of the best places to get a replacement MAF sensor is ZZPerformance which is for a new GM one.

http://i5.photobucket.com/albums/y186/lizzywiz/maf.jpg

Pen points to part that should be sprayed with MAF cleaner

if it's possible, does it do it between 40-70 mph? and all the time or just part of the time? If the rpm's are jumping up and down, could be the TCC in the Tranny. which the 4T65e trannies evidently are known for a problem with. How many miles do you have on the car ? MY 03 was diagnosed with this same problem and 2 different shop both said Needs a new tranny, IE: I'm putting one in this weekend. Put a scan tool on it and see if a tranny code comes up. Give your car 2 pills and call your car doctor in the morning. (Just joking)

I picked up a can of STP Throttle Body and Air intake cleaner. Okay to use on the sensor??

No, I wouldn't. The chemicals in carb and throttle body cleaner are too strong and may damage the MAF specifically the thermistor like electrical components on the wire element and leaves a residue. TB cleaner contains petroleum based stuff like methanol, acetone, toluene, etc.

MAF spray is specially formulated not to damage a MAF or leave any residue. Contains carbon dioxide, (COzol) which is a special chemical, and hexane.

Also, you can use electrical contact spray cleaner or isopropyl alcohol with cotton swabs.

My lumina does the exact same thing. I've been told that it's the tranny going out, however it doesn't really seem to cause any problems other than an annoyance. I've heard that many people are just dealing with the issue as it is so random and difficult to pinpoint the problem.

My lumina does the exact same thing. I've been told that it's the tranny going out, however it doesn't really seem to cause any problems other than an annoyance. I've heard that many people are just dealing with the issue as it is so random and difficult to pinpoint the problem.

Are you looking for assistance concerning your issue or in the wrong forum?

well basically I'm just pointing out that it seems to be a GM problem...GP, Lumina... I guess it didn't really add to the discussion, but it would be nice to get this problem figured out. It's so widespread. Can we make this topic "THE TOPIC" for GM? haha

hey gw84, hows it going??? Hows the lumina?

going well thanks. lumina good except for the jerking/sputtering isssue. I'm happy you got a new car...a nice color I must say:)

hey GW84.

Who told you the tranny is going out, and what did they use to determine it? If it occasionally hard to start or tires to stall just after starting as well as having the hesitation at speed with a load, it could very well be a MAF sensor issue as suggested earlier in theis thread. If you don't have the other symptoms, or are also experiencing occasional hard shifts, you probably have a pressure control valve issue, which is fairly common in the 4T65-E transaxles. If it is in the trans, you could try the trick that has worked for some forum members. Unhook the battery and leave it overnignt. We're not sure why this sometimes works but it does, although usually only temporarily. It's free, so why not give it a try. Replacing the PCS requires the trans to be removed and disassembled, so it's a major repair.

Its been over a month since I started this thread but I actually just got around to replacing the MAF. But I had no luck with this. I still get a lot of sputtering and hesitation while driving and when I am stopped at a stop light, it begins to sputter and tries to die. I can keep it in neutral and rev it and it stays going. The only difference is that I have control over the car unlike before when it sputtered I seemed to have no control.

Again, it ran fine without the MAF connected, so I replaced it to hopefully fix the problem but no such luck. Any insight would be appreciated.

lil nages, what brand of MAF sensor did you buy? If it's one from A-1 Cardone, it could still be bad, as those are very problematic.

I bought the MAF sensor off ZZperformance. It resembled the one previously on my car.

I also just had the car scanned because the SES light was still on. The MAF sensor code came up as well as the oxygen sensor code. It was reset and hopefully the hesitation and sputtering quits.

get it scanned again and check out that o2 sensor problem.

I read somewhere that its possible to have a vaccuum leak with both the maf sensor and o2 sensor codes popping up? I have an unusually high idle in park, right around 1000rpms, drops to 800 in drive, and with the maf sensor plugged in, I get hesitation on acceleration and when stopping at lights/stop signs, the cars sputters (rpms jumping) and tries to die, gotta kick it in neutral to keep it running. Would a vacuum leak cause this? I don't know much about cars but can get myself around an engine with little guidance. Thanks for the input.

it would help to post the exact codes you are getting. Then we might be able to help

ok well the only code that I got today was P0102. The last time I had it scanned it picked up an o2 sensor code. This was with the MAF connected and had been driven for a while. Today I had the MAF disconnected and it hasn't been connected since the last scan. Thanks

In most cases but not all a DTC of P0102 is typically a bad MAF sensor. It is not a low voltage condition but a low frequency. DTC P0102 indicates the PCM module has detected a MAF output frequency that is too low at the low side threshold. < 1200 Hz. Therefore, you should question whether the MAF you got is any good. However, it is good practice to check other things. Check the voltages at the MAF sensor electrical connector mainly the PCM 5 volt reference. MAF output back to the PCM module is difficult to properly test unless you have an oscilloscope and know how to use one. The MAF input can be checked with a DMM on dc volts. In the resistance mode you can ohm out the output wiring from the MAF connector back to one of the PCM module 80 pin connectors.

MAF color coding and pin configuration left to right. Pin C, B, and A in that order.

C = PCM reference voltage (5 volts)
B = ground
A = MAF signal output

Note: According to my documentation Pin C can be color coded either pink or brown. Pin B is typically black/white (ground). Pin A is either yellow or gray/white.