Savage99

Strange problem here. No CEL. But, when trying to accelerate from a stop, engine won't rev, until I give it ALOT of throttle, then it goes like hell. When experiencing this problem, I get static in the radio at about the same frequency as a spark plug firing. HERE'S WHAT I DID WRONG..yesterday I was attempting to jump start a Big Block Ford with a dead battery. When he hit the starter, my interior lights dimmed, radio went to static and engine bogged hard. After three attempts, I realized I was making a mistake. Then I took my battery out and let him use it to crank his truck, which worked well, but after re-installing my battery and heading down the road, I am experiencing problems. I thought it might be related to removing/installing the battery, so I replaced the negative terminal, which was a little corroded, and cleaned/checked the positive side. No results. It really seems like a fuel problem, but it will rev hard at higher rpms, which does not indicate a fuel delivery problem. So...if you are still reading this lengthy post and have any ideas...I'm open to suggestion. Thanks!

edit: It's a '99 V6 Sonata

DTN

check your plugs and wires and consider replacing the battery.

krazytib

Does your engine rev normally when you are in park or neutral and only seems to hesitate when its in gear and flooring it seems to be the only way to get the car to take off? I recently helped a friend out who had those symptoms and swapping out the spark plug wires fixed his issues.

majik

I agree, sounds like spark plugs... and check the battery. Really weird mixture of symptoms tho... possibly multiple problems?

Savage99

Yes it will rev in neutral. Only dies out under load at lower rpms.

iheartmyrd

so the alternator powers your car after start up,while charging the battery.
so if your lights dimmed when he started his truck that means it was drawing more power than your battery could supply while the alternator couldn't keep up with charging the battery.
That's why some people rev the engine of the car that its the "jumper" because the alternator is spinning faster.
Which leads me to believe that the only way your car is getting sufficient power is when its under high load hence spinning the alternator faster.

i had a strange no power to the pedal problem in my 240sx and it ended up being the alternator.
and yet it wasn't quite bad enough to run a battery dead, it caused problems with driving.

Limp it to auto zone of advances and have them check the alternator by going out to the parking lot and hooking up their little "thingy" you don't have to take it out to test it however some may argue that to get it tested right you should take it out.

Steps to take if the following is okay then move to next step

-Check battery
-Check Spark Plug Wires /Replace
-Check Spark Plugs / Replace
-Check Alternator

Even tho I am almost positive its the alternator you should check the other things.

majik

^ good point. Alt makes sense.

Hook up a voltmeter to your battery terminals.

Look for:
12.4V when car is turned off
13.5-14.5 when car is on... should remain constant when a load is placed on it, so try turning on all accessories and see how bad it drains

DTN

I've had the voltage drop because of a bad battery. Replaced the alternator, same problems. Batteries are cheaper. If you have a capacitor on your system, then it will make identifying the battery much harder.

Stocker

haha.gif one more reason to not have a cap in your system

batteries are cheaper <u>if </u>you don't have an alternator repair shop in your town

Savage99

Thanks guys. I'll try your ideas this evening. Another clue is that the wire that comes up to the battery from the alternator looks like it got very hot. And I was revving the engine to 2000 when he was cranking the big ford. SO that alternator must have taken a big beating while it was bogging the engine down.

I disconnected the alternator wire that attaches to the battery post before I left work, thinking this might give me a little time to run without the alternator and see the difference. Right away it seemed that was the problem, as it ran right for about 4 miles on the battery alone, then it got terrible, probably as the battery voltage dropped. But, when I reconnected the alt. I went another ten miles or so home without much trouble at all. I'm definitely 'beating around the bush' here. I did the voltmeter check...12.7 with engine off, 13.9 with engine running. Had a helper sit in the car and 'power brake' it in gear at 2000 rpm while I watched the meter and it held steady at 14 volts, though the engine was surging up and down the slightest bit.....still not sure.