Car "lags" when I accelerate, or "holds back"

[digitalasylum7]

Been driving lately and I've noticed that when I accelerate going at already highway speeds, 55, 60, and want to jump up to say 65 ish- the car will "lag, drag, almost push back against me", Not quite sure how to specifically describe the problem.

If i somewhat floor the car, or give it more gas then it really should need to accelerate its fine. For you GS-T owners, the normal wooshing you hear as you accelerate sounds kind of "muffled", or "choked" - these are the best descriptions i can think of about this other than strapping my friend to the hood with a tape recorder to play for everyone- hehe- and although it would be fun to watch happen- its not possible-

I thought it was my air filter at first because it was pretty dirty and clogged (k& N Cone filter) so i lost it and bought a brand new one. Still have the same problem. I dont have any leaks that I know of, and I dont abuse the car draging or racing people so the car is in fairly good shape. Has anyone experienced this problem or have an idea what it could be?

 

[Dream On]

Check for boost leaks.

http://www.vfaq.com/mods/ICtester.html

 

[chisox7858]

im not an expert by all means, but r u doing this in 5th gear? or even 4th?

 

[shortydtp]

boost leak x2!! also you could be knocking, and retarding your ingnition timing. but that would also bring the boost leak problem.

 

[digitalasylum7]

Not too sure what gear im in. Its an automatic. Generally, it happens from an already constant acceleration (say approx 55mph) to a higher acc (say 65mph). Before the car will really hop up in speed, it will almost feel as if its "fighting back" -- Thats the best term ive thought of for it. I will definitely try the boost leak link, see if thats the problem, but I highly doubt it, - I dunno- It just doesnt make sense. If it is leaking boost, it should lag most of the time,
-However-

Once that "fighting back" is felt, and i just push a little harder on the gas, the car kind of pops above the threshhold of whatever is pushing back on me, so to speak. Then the engine just Revs up like it should, gets nice and loud and powerful, and all is well.
-Does this add on to my description narrow out a boost leak / open up further diagnosis?

Thanks for all your input. hope to get more soon

 

[MrBoxx]

Do a boost leak test, as prescribed by dream on and shortydtp. Just saying you don't think there are any leaks doesn't hold much sway here.

Also, what spark plugs/wires are you using, what are they gapped at, and how long ago were they changed? Has your O2 sensor ever been changed?

 

[Dream On]

Over time, you'll get leaks. My car was a disaster when I first starting looking for leaks. My BISS screw o-ring was shot, so much that the screw actually came out and disappeared, my intercooler had tons of holes in it from corrosion, and my BOV and J-pipe gaskets were shot. There are still more leaks in my system, and my car is almost completely stock with 135k miles.

 

[cobb]

I got the same problem!! But i still havent done the boost leak test. So.... i think thats not my problem bc my check engine light was on after i put on my Cat-less exhuast which i thought was just my back o2 and that it wouldnt cause this type of problem am i wrong?? Well i unhooked the back one and it ran fine for alittle while and its doing it again so i just plugged it back up and erased the code on my ECU to see if it will come back one and tell me something diffrent. So if its a boost leak i am not sure still.... WTF

 

[skinnykenny84]

Yep, boost leak or bad turbo.

 

[digitalasylum7]

Also, what spark plugs/wires are you using, what are they gapped at, and how long ago were they changed? Has your O2 sensor ever been changed?

The wires, plugs & 02 sensor were changed about a year ago ide say. Everything was fine with the plugs and wires. Actually, the moron that owned the car b4 me had the wrong plugs and wires so the car would missfire. But that was taken care of. My 02 sensor was burned out according to a scan because my check engine light kept coming on. I since, bought a new sensor, and long behold the light came back on, reading the same error. I left the 02 sensor alone, and just took out the bulb behind the check engine light. (hehe).

Does that help at all? Im DEF gonna do a boost check on it though.
-Oh, and I also have about 130k on it, I bought it 2.5 years ago, with 84k. I cant saymuch about the previous owner, except that he was a Fu*&^in Jack@#$. Ill put a small list at the bottom of this post with what they did, or didnt do. All I CAN say is that ive babied the car since ive owned it. Never late on oil changes, maintnence, dont go rough on it, (except to hear the bov hiss of course) - the works.

-I thought it was a woman who owned the car since I found lots of head bands and long hair strans but I was wrong since:

-I found a VERY worn down donut in the trunk
-I found, stuffed in a little ball, under the passanger side dashboard- 3 tickets for driving with a suspended liscence, speeding in excess, you name it. So the moron that owned my car was needless to say a mornon!
-wrong plugs/wires in the car
-entire front suspension from every tie rod to controll arm to fron axel needed changing

As of now, except for the engine and tranny- the car is pretty much brand new. I really gota put some pics up. Never did get around to it.

 

[cobb]

Yep, boost leak or bad turbo.

Well thank you for the help i was told that a while back its just i am to darn stuburn to pressure test it.... i work only like 75-80 hours a week during the summer. So i will test it this weeked! And try to fix

 

[MrBoxx]

I left the 02 sensor alone, and just took out the bulb behind the check engine light.

So you're saying that, rather than diagnose and solve the problem, you merely took out the CEL bulb, whose only job in the car is to tell you that there's something wrong with the car? Put the bulb back in and get the code cleared. If it comes back, fix the problem, not the side effect.

Besides the usual diagnostics, which everyone else has already suggested, I would recommend getting a logger of some type to check for knock/timing retard.

 

[digitalasylum7]

So you're saying that, rather than diagnose and solve the problem, you merely took out the CEL bulb, whose only job in the car is to tell you that there's something wrong with the car?.

I did try and diagnose the problem. THe first code read back 02 sensor issue, changed it. With a new $180 sensor, the code came back, read 02 sensor again, bought another one, except this time a universal from autozone, rather than the dealer sensor. Light came back again, same code... So..After $200 on parts and labor with 5 different mechanics telling me 7 different things ranging from:

These cars just burn 02 sensors out- Try using lower octane gas- maybe the 02 sensor was defective-blah blah blah- i decided to just leave it alone.

Thats been like that since day 1 with the car- But this problem with the lagging is only recent. So im guessing its not realated but who knows. I love my car, but its an on going process with it- as I can see for a lot of ppl since this page has such large diagnostic forums- hehe.

I will try the boost leak as I said, but, even if that is the problem, and I have as many leaks as the person does above, how much could it cost / what to do/ to fix that?

 

[MrBoxx]

I will try the boost leak as I said, but, even if that is the problem, and I have as many leaks as the person does above, how much could it cost / what to do/ to fix that?

It depends on where the leaks are. If couplers are merely loose, it's free to tighten them. If they have tears in them that only occur when the system is pressurized, you'll have to replace them. If your intercooler has holes in it, which is actually more common than people think, you'll need to replace or patch it. Throttle body shaft seals are also another common place to find leaks, as well as the BISS screw. Then there are the throttle body gaskets and BOV gasket, the intake manifold gasket, and the injector seals. There are probably a few more that I can't remember because I just woke up. Some are cheap and easy to fix, like the BOV gasket and BISS screw, while some are extremely complicated to replace, like the throttle body shaft seals.

 

[Raph]

I did try and diagnose the problem. THe first code read back 02 sensor issue, changed it. With a new $180 sensor, the code came back, read 02 sensor again, bought another one, except this time a universal from autozone, rather than the dealer sensor. Light came back again, same code... So..After $200 on parts and labor with 5 different mechanics telling me 7 different things ranging from:

These cars just burn 02 sensors out- Try using lower octane gas- maybe the 02 sensor was defective-blah blah blah- i decided to just leave it alone.

Thats been like that since day 1 with the car- But this problem with the lagging is only recent. So im guessing its not realated but who knows. I love my car, but its an on going process with it- as I can see for a lot of ppl since this page has such large diagnostic forums- hehe.

I will try the boost leak as I said, but, even if that is the problem, and I have as many leaks as the person does above, how much could it cost / what to do/ to fix that?

maybe the connector on the o2 sensor harness is bad..a wire rubbing,grounding out..check the harness side to the ecu.. ... or whoevver installs em lets the wire get too close to the exhaust...

 

[dyno_detour]

Replace your spark plugs and wires!

My car was "lagging" also. I replaced the plugs and wires and PRESTO, no more studdering!

 

[ixsaves13]

i agree with a pressure test. It could also be from a boost leak that these problems have occured. When your car runs rich, your plugs will go bad more quickly along with your plug wires. So really if you let it be, more problems in the long run will come into play. You may want to check your MAS, see if the previous owner hacked it causing you to run rich. Far fetched maybe, but do the boost leak test first.

Good luck!

 

[Mike0507]

Been driving lately and I've noticed that when I accelerate going at already highway speeds, 55, 60, and want to jump up to say 65 ish- the car will "lag, drag, almost push back against me", Not quite sure how to specifically describe the problem.

If i somewhat floor the car, or give it more gas then it really should need to accelerate its fine. For you GS-T owners, the normal wooshing you hear as you accelerate sounds kind of "muffled", or "choked" - these are the best descriptions i can think of about this other than strapping my friend to the hood with a tape recorder to play for everyone- hehe- and although it would be fun to watch happen- its not possible-

I thought it was my air filter at first because it was pretty dirty and clogged (k& N Cone filter) so i lost it and bought a brand new one. Still have the same problem. I dont have any leaks that I know of, and I dont abuse the car draging or racing people so the car is in fairly good shape. Has anyone experienced this problem or have an idea what it could be?

what was wrong with your car?