2002 Malibu Hesitation / Temp issues

[RalphT]

Hello, my 2002 Malibu with the 6cyl engine hesitates three times right in a row every time I am gradually accelerating from 25-45mph. If I gun it I notice no problems with spark, fuel or air. I am leaning towards a stuck thermostat which may be keeping the vehicle in open loop. The dash temp guage never goes higher than 1/3 this winter. I noticed during the summer the temp guage would go to the middle. However I get no ecu codes. Anyone know the cure for this?

[miketra]

The problem you described sounds similar to what I went through with my wife's car. The problem ended up being that the catalytic converter needed to be replaced. After that, the car was completely back to normal.

Hope this helps.