slllloooowww start

when i step on the gas from a stop my car doesn't go right away. it seems like i lose power and then get it back. even if i'm going from a rolling start (5mph) and i step on the gas it seems to lag. why does my car have no power in the low rpms, and 1st gear. btw i have an auto (boo, i know). i put my stillen intake in a couple of weeks ago, and didn't reset the ecu, but my engine was lagging like this before i put the intake in. seems like this wasen't a problem when i first got my car (48,000 miles) and now i have around 71,000 miles. is my car just getting old or what? please help me with this problem as i am having a hard time accelerating. thanks.

You may want to try and tighten up your throttle cable...they can sometimes get loose. Try reving the engine where the cable meets the throttle...does it still lag?

i was asking my friend tonight about this, after we kinda raced. he has a 300zx w/ lots of goodies, so needless to say, i didn't win. he asked me about my spark plugs, and i said i have bosche quad-plats.i then remembered reading threads about how the bosche don't go too well with our engine. do you think this could be the problem? i'll try your idea about the throttle cable, thanks for the input.

Bad, worn, or simply incorect spark plugs can cause hesitation and all sorts of other problems. Try replacing the plugs you have with a set of stock plugs (NGK) and see if that cures you problem.

You could also try resetting the ECU and checking that the timing is within spec (15 +/- 2 degrees).

That so looks like what happens with my father's Nissan Maxima. AT is... well AT (and m being nice here ^_^).

Get rid of the POS Bosch plugs and get the NGK platinums. It may or may not be your problem, but it's entirely possible. It's hard to diagnose since you are in Denver. The altitude is a factor.

Here are some good tuning tips:

http://www.se-r.net/engine/troubleshooting_guide/index.html

If you have aftermarket plug wires, they could be part of the problem as well.

If you want great plugs, skip the NGK Platinums and go for the Denso Iridium plugs. They are quite a bit better than the NGK's. I know because I have tried them both. Denso now makes the best plugs for the SR20 motor.

thanks for the input guys. i think i'll change my plugs. where do i get the NGK platinums or the denso iridium plugs from, just a local pep boys/checker/napa?

i changed my spark plugs for some ngks ($12.50 each). i was still lagging when i started so i adjusted my throttle cable. i adjusted it too much the first time and was idleing at 3000rpms. a little high. i took it back down, to around a 800 idle in park. still lagging off the line. my other friend said maybe it's my intake (stillen) that i put in. he said that it's taking in too much air when i gun it off the line and that is why i'm lagging. makes sense, but is he right?

Originally posted by greekman
my other friend said maybe it's my intake (stillen) that i put in. he said that it's taking in too much air when i gun it off the line and that is why i'm lagging. makes sense, but is he right?

No. He's a monkey.

Originally posted by greekman
still lagging off the line. my other friend said maybe it's my intake (stillen) that i put in. he said that it's taking in too much air when i gun it off the line and that is why i'm lagging. makes sense, but is he right? Did this problem start when you installed the intake?? If so maybe the MAF harness is loose if you messed about with it??

Originally posted by T4 Primera
Did this problem start when you installed the intake?? If so maybe the MAF harness is loose if you messed about with it??

i can't remember now if it started when i put my intake in or not. i think that it was happening before i put my intake in, but i've noticed it more lately after my intake has been in. i didn't reset my ecu after i installed the intake. could that be a factor?

btw i'm watching "inside drag racing" on espn 2 and they have this civic that's running consistent 8s. crazy fast.

I think if you go through the stuff on the link that P10DET posted you'll have it covered. When you say "step on it", do you mean ease the gas pedal to the floor, or bang the pedal to the floor in one sudden hit? Does the engine hesitate if you give it gas pedal taking say 3 seconds to the floor/WOT ?

Originally posted by T4 Primera
do you mean ease the gas pedal to the floor, or bang the pedal to the floor in one sudden hit? Does the engine hesitate if you give it gas pedal taking say 3 seconds to the floor/WOT ?

if i bang the pedal to the floor, then it lags. if i ease into the gas, but still with a little force, it doesn't lag, but it doesn't give a lot of power. this also happens if i'm going slow (5-10mph) and slam the gas pedal down. it will lag, then go.
i'm going to the link now and do some real looking around, not just paruzing (sp?).

This is deep in amongst the link that P10DET gave but I thought I'd point you at it since there is a simple no cost test you can do to see if it's your problem http://www.se-r.net/car_info/problems/index.html click on Surge and hesitation:)

i was just reading there. good stuff. i think tomorrow i'll try some of the things they say to see if i can figure this problem out. i appreciate your help and i'll get back to you after i figure out what is wrong.

problem fixed!!!!!!! i had the "infamous egr problem." i followed the steps on the site (very, very good site for problems), and fixed my problem. thanks to george for pointing me in the right direction.

still slow start, but that's b/c i only have intake and don't have a turbo, yet... (yeah right, i wish).

Try changing the battery. Somehow this got rid of that initial hesitation. Could have been a bad ground too. But anyway, not enough power going to the plugs. worth a try.

has anyone not driven thier car for 3 or 4 days and had a problem turning thier car over???I have not driven my car for the weekend and tried starting the car today and It would crank and fire twice then the engine would just keep spinning. When I held the pedal down after about 15 sec.s of cranking it starts but it runs on 3 cylinders and puffs black smoke like crazy.
Everytime I drive it from a cold start the card struggles to move off a dead stop. I press the pedal and Its like the sr20de is in a "Navigator"(goes so slow). the at 2000 rpms it pulls away.
NOT DONE YET
When I change gears between 2500-3500 rpms the car starts jerking back and forth like its coughing then its fine!
Ok Im done now!
Anyone else have these problems???
:mad:

Have a read of this stuff (including links): http://www.se-r.net/engine/troubleshooting_guide/index.html