hesitates

[atv087]

92 oldsmobile eighty eight royalle

when i hit the gas or go up a hill hitting the gas the car starts sputtering like its going to die out and then it backfires. Now i have a new fuel filter on it what should i check its been doing this for about 2 weeks now

[Alibi]

Your fuel pump might be weak and on the verge of death. Do you let your fuel go below a quarter tank often? Anyway, test your fuel pressure by engaging the little cap (looks like a tire valve cap) on your fuel rail in your engine after you've turned your key over to run (dont start it, just listen for the whine of the fuel pump). If fuel shoots up out of the cap and hits the raised hood, then your fuel pressure is good.

Otherwise you may have a bad coil pack, bad ignition module, or possibly a clogged catalytic.

[atv087]

well i know my cat is bad the material inside is loose it rattles once in a while but when i try and go up hills the car feels like somethings holding it back

[atv087]

it sputters feel like its going in and out of power but it doesnt do it if i rev it up in park or neutural.
does this mean my tannny is going

[Alibi]

I dont think it's your tranny...but if the material in the cat is loose then that might be most of your problem. A clogged catalytic wont allow proper airflow from the engine and proper backpressure against the engine. If the honeycomb in the cat is broken loose and rattling around when you accelerate and go uphill, then your engine is going to have issues since it is having a hard time shoving air though the catalytic, resulting in your power loss.

It's just a theory, but if i were you i'd have the catalytic cut off by a muffler shop and either replaced or cleared of the stopped up or broken loose honeycomb on the inside.

Another good possibility are your coils or your ignition module. Check the coils by pulling the plug wires off each plug (Use a pair of insulated pliers, rubber on the handles IOW) on the coil pack. If you have spark, then that particular coil is bad...but if one doesn't spark then you've got a bad coil pakc and you'll need to replace it. Also, you may have a bad ignition module -- is your car shuddering or losing power around specific speeds? I had a problem w/ one of mine around 55-60 MPH and the car would continue to shudder untill i romped the engine past 60. You can pull the ignition module and have it checked for free at autozone.

Anyway, i'd test the coils first, then Ignition Control Module, then if they check good i'd go after the catalytic.

[atv087]

tried coils tried ignition control moduel has good fuel pressure

[atv087]

same problem still hesitates like crazy

[Alibi]

Are you getting any codes? If not, i'd consider at least asking a muffler shop tech if the stuff rattling in the catalytic could be your problem.

[atv087]

had the car checked out last night it needs a new maf they charged me to run the diagnostics on the car and to clean it and the guy says it ran fine until today and then today when i came to pick up my car it ran like shit again so does this mean i need a new maf

[tri-power]

Replace the cat. first. If you have a restricted exhaust, you will get no response out of the throttle. Actually the more you hit the accellerator, the worse it will run, because the exhaust gas can't escape. Read the post I left on your other topic for more on that. As for the MAF code, doesn't always mean the sensor is bad. Try replacing the relay first, it is much cheaper and often clears the problem. If it doesn't then you still have to replace the MAF and you still have a new relay, they aren't that expensive compared to a new MAF sensor. To avoid being charged for diagnostics results, carry a paper clip in your car to use as a jumper. All you need to do is connect the jumper to the top right two terminals of the diagnostic port. Each code will flash three times, starting with code 12. You can either buy an emissions book from someone like haynes or come here and post the code numbers.

[atv087]

Yea i did the codes on my car first and it showed no codes it just kept saying 12 over and over again so i had to take it to the shop i cleaned the maf very good and it runs almost perfect just sometimes it bogs hesitates and backfires