Ford - Thunderbird :: 1994 - RPMs Surge While Cruising Down Freeway Intermittently?
Oct 5, 2012
My car (1994 TBird, LX) has an intermittent problem where the rpm's surge while I'm cruising down the freeway. I've noticed that it happens more often on an incline, and it also happens more during rush hour when I have to frequently slow down and the accelerate again.
If I had to guess, I think it's the TCC Solenoid that's the issue. Would replacing this likely solve the problem? Or would I be better served having my mechanic unplug it? My car is giving error codes to replace the camshaft position sensor (related?), and while important, I need to address the rpm issue first as it's getting progressively worse. Tranny fluid is clean, although I've only owned the car for 2 months so I don't know when it was last replaced.
I can't afford a huge repair, but I have a certified mechanic who's always done right by me, but he's not the best at diagnosis. I'd feel better if I could whittle down the issues and then just tell him what to fix.
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I've been getting a surge or revs when getting up to cruising speed before it drops into overdrive or or a constant speed. Happens around 1800-2200 rpm before up shifting to the next gear. More noticeable if under a load or going up a grade when it will hold gear longer before shifting. Only thing I can think of that would be related is the truck does lack some power on a cold start for the first couple miles before getting up to temp. I've cleaned the ebp sensor and it appears to be working correctly, reading within .1-.2 of BAR/MAP key one engine off. VGT solenoid is clean but have no real way to tell if it's working correctly. Other values icp/ipr temps fluid levels appear to be correct. Just changed the oil and it continues, changed the transmission oil and filter about 3000 miles ago. I've had this going on for about 1000. Started about the same time I changed tunes to PHP. They haven't been able to find anything in the tuning yet that could be causing this or if it is just making it show up now.
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I've got a problem with my '96 Tbird that's really stumping me. It started with a little shake when I gave the car gas. I don't know if it's related, but I ran over some debris on the highway at around 70mph. [No chance to avoid, unfortunately] That same day it felt like the car was missing, and throughout the week it got worse and worse. It would shake harder and faster with increased RPM's. By the end of the week, it was so bad I kept the car off the road.
I thought it was a bad misfire, so I changed the plugs, then the wires, then the EGR and EGR solenoid [from JY] and swapped a coilpack from my other car. It ended up being the harmonic balancer, it spun a 180, not a surprise on an 18 year old car. I've never had one go bad, so I didn't even think of that as a possibility with the way the car felt. [I've been working on cars for a long time.] It never threw a code once, so I had nothing to go by to begin with.
So over the weekend I swapped out the balancer, and buttoned everything up. Ran fine! No shake! But then I had gotten a new problem.
The idle started to get bad. Very bad. It would lope, lope then almost try to stall, especially when the fans kicked on or I put it into gear. Since this car is my daily driver, I had it at work while I started to undo the new stuff I put on it. I started with the just unpluging the battery for 3 hours. Didn't work. So I pulled the new plugs, reverted them back to the old ones. It didn't work. Leaving work that day I noticed if I pull the IAC connector, the idle smooths out some, but it doesn't stall. [Suspect, maybe?]
So I figured it was the EGR, or solenoid, so I changed them both out. Nothing worked, still was horrible. Frustrated I changed out the coil pack and wires. It's still horrible.
I don't drive the car now, it stalled out a few times in traffic on the way back before I swapped everything back out.
The icing on the cake is that it has not thrown a single code except for when I unplug the IAC. And the only code it throws is barking at me for doing so.
It really feels like a bad vacuum leak. I've run down every single line and there's nothing leaking or rotten. The IAC is in question, but the car was working perfectly fine for at least a year with no problems whatsoever. So how the IAC went bad right after changing everything and a new harmonic balancer is way beyond me.
I'm thinking too maybe I damaged the Crank Position Sensor when I installed the balancer, since it was a one piece unit with the pick-up gear. But, I was careful with it, used a puller installer, and there is appropriate distance between the sensor and gear. Also, I'm not sure, but I doubt the Crank Sensor going bad would effect idle. Any RPM above 1500 is smooth, and doesn't surge.
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I am new to the Prius and have noticed that when cruising the car seams to surge or pulse while driving. Is this normal?
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I have a 94 t-bird lx with a 3.8 and just started to have the overdrive light flash. I only flashes after I try to drive and then the car also seems to take forever to shift to 2nd. I also have hard shifts after actually getting to 2nd.
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I've got an 03 Passat with 110,000mi on the 2.8L 30v and 01V. I've had this intermittent problem for a while. Occasionally while cruising on the freeway, the car would start to buck, feeling like the trans was slipping in and out of gear, but rpms would stay constant as far as I remember. Also, the ASR light would come on and flash. The car would continue bucking until I pulled over and shut the car off. When I restart, all is fine again.
The dealer pulled codes and only found a EVAP canister purge valve code. They fixed that and said that should take care of the aformentioned problem. I didn't think the code was related to my problem and sure enough, it wasn't. My car still does it, but now there seems to be more related to this problem.
I was driving the other day on the freeway again, this time with my cruise control on. Everything seemed fine until the accelerator pedal dropped to the floor and the car began to accelerate on its own. I quickly switched off the cruise and braked to slow the car down to my original speed, and then the car continued bucking as it always had, now with the ASR light fully on. Pulled over again to restart, problem gone again. What gives? Went to have codes read again and nothing is found.
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Okay, So this has happened to me about five times now over the past year or so. I will be driving and my car will literally shut off. yesterday, I was driving on the freeway and was just cruising at 75mph when all of a sudden out of no where my car makes a big jolt and then the rpm's go from around 3k to 0. I have had this in the shop for this problem many times and no one can really seem to figure out what is wrong. when my car shuts off while im driving, the oil light comes on, traction control light comes on, as well as the battery light. What's even more weird about this problem is once the car stops, if i try to start it right away it wont fire up... It will just roll over. But. if I wait for a while the car starts and drives normal with all the lights off. This is not only annoying but very dangerous.
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I got a funny shifting issues that happens infrequently that I can no figure out. It happens after driving the car for a while on the highway, but not every time, and not just on the highway.
Here is my problem... when cruising down the highway the check engine light will come on stay on for a around a minute, the the check engine light will turn off, then of which my truck will lose power, not accelerate no matter how much I stomp on the gas, until my speed drops to under 55mph.
Once I get down to 55mph the truck will drop 2 gears into 3rd gear and then I can accelerate back up to speed. This will repeat every few miles. The computer will not store the check engine code, so no codes are pulled.
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My 2002 Buick Lesabre has about 160,000 miles on it I keep up with maintenance regular oil changes and what not. Today when I am driving to work and right as I get on the freeway my car starts lurching forward and slowing down repeatedly so I pull over turn the car off look under the hood everything looks normal to me. I wait a bit start the car up and the lights on my panel go from the dimmest they can be to blinding bright and I could not adjust the brightness at all. Any way the car drove fine the rest of the way but the lights were bright as can be the whole way there. What could be causing this? Bad battery?
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I have a 1994 4x2 shortbed standard cab Ranger XLT. It has the 4.0 OHV engine, A4LD Automatic transmission, and 195,000 miles.
Under average driving conditions, it operates fine. It shifts up through the gears much like it always has, although the shifts may not be quite as firm as they used to be.
If I'm at cruising speed and step harder on the accelerator, it downshifts, RPMs increase, and it upshifts rather poorly, & then I feel a thump, (maybe the torque converter locking up when it shouldn't be?), and I'm in the higher gear. This seems to happen when it upshifts from 3rd to 4th gears for sure, maybe from 2nd to 3rd, but I'm not sure. Again, it only seems to happen when I attempt to speed up from cruising speed, not from a stand-still.
The transmission fluid and filter have been changed at regular intervals, and the truck has never been abused. The fluid is red in color, doesn't smell burnt, and the level is correct. I don't want to get rid of this truck if I can avoid it. It has been super-reliable and mostly trouble-free for the 16 years I've owned it.
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I have a 1994 4x2 shortbed standard cab Ranger XLT. It has the 4.0 OHV engine, A4LD Automatic transmission, and 195,000 miles. Under average driving conditions, it operates fine. It shifts up through the gears much like it always has, although the shifts may not be quite as firm as they used to be.
If I'm at cruising speed and step harder on the accelerator, it downshifts, RPMs increase, and it upshifts rather poorly, & then I feel a thump, (maybe the torque converter locking up when it shouldn't be?), and I'm in the higher gear. This seems to happen when it upshifts from 3rd to 4th gears for sure, maybe from 2nd to 3rd, but I'm not sure.
Again, it only seems to happen when I attempt to speed up from cruising speed, not from a stand-still. The transmission fluid and filter have been changed at regular intervals, and the truck has never been abused. The fluid is red in color, doesn't smell burnt, and the level is correct. I don't want to get rid of this truck if I can avoid it. It has been super-reliable and mostly trouble-free for the 16 years I've owned it. What might be wrong with it?
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Ok, I was driving down the interstate in my 2002 Ford Escape XLT 4X4 and I noticed my rpm's reved to about 5000 from my cruising rpm of 2200 and it was as if it went into neutral. I coasted with engine running fine to the right shoulder and called a tow truck to the nearest dealer. No reverse, D, 2 or 1 only Park that worked.
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I have a 2002 F150 5.4 2 valve. only when the engine is cold, everyone once in a while the engine will surge up and down about 2-300 RPMs for about 10 seconds. also right when I put it in drive it will surge. I was thinking about pulling off the trottle body and cleaning it.
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I've got a 99 f250 5.4 that runs like a top. In the last 6 months I've been chasing a little problem. It doesn't happen all the time but seem to be happen more and more. While driving any speed If I let off the gas the RPM's hold at around 1500 then surges down to 1000 then back up again to 1500.
Does that 2 to 4 times then all good. Give it gas again it does it again. It kind of does it when it wants. Could be fine for a trip around then next trip it acts up again. Checked a lot of the vacuum lines, PVC valve and replaced the idle control next to the EGR valve. EGR is next.
Idles and runs fine except the surge thing..
P0401 code as well.
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I get what I can only describe as a "missing" when Im on the interstate just cruising along with rpms below say around 1900. That seems to be when I have noticed it. It is not very frequent but often enough to not let me forget about it. Happens when I'm towing it seems more than when not. Seems the rpms have to be below 18-1900 and in 5th speed. You can just feel the truck ever so slightly missing like in the old days of points and distributor caps. No tunes
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Recently I have noticed that when on a tune other than stock I am getting a surge at idle - my RPMs drop to around 621-630 then shoot back up to 660-675. On my stock tune my RPMs stay around 640-667 and don't cause the surge (felt as a shimmy so to speak). Is there anything else that causes a similar symptom? I attribute it to tuning due to it only happening when running anything but stock but could be wrong.
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So my 20th AE has been wrecked. But here is the issue, the car will idle for a about 30 seconds to a minute but surge from 1500 rpms to around 750. But after that, it won't idle. If I let it sit for a couple of days, then it will idle for a little bit then die again.
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I've been dealing with this for some time now because it hasn't seemed to affect my performance when I am getting on it, but when I am at idle the rpms will surge ever so slightly and i can watch the needle on my boost gauge bouncing up and down. i have a WINtake on the car and it started ever since i installed that. I am wondering what this could be. I've already taken the whole intake out and reinstalled thinking i had a leak somewhere. even tried swapping my maf with a known good one off the lot on a brand new R.
I read somewhere that someone had their maf in backwards. could this be the issue? I don't have any power loss that I am aware of. in fact, if its down on power now, i would have a hard time believing that it could be much faster with what i have done to it. this idle surge will get worse when i have my ac on also. someone make me realize that I am missing something stupid and simple here so i can have a normal idle again. I am half tempted to put my stock intake back on to see but i no longer have the turbo inlet plastic pipe to test it with.
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I have a 2008 Hyundai Santa Fe. Has about 65k miles on it and has regular maintenance and tune ups when needed. It is cared for. The last tune up was about 2k miles ago. Spark plug change, oil change, filters, etc.
I have noticed lately that when the car is moving at idle speeds, it will surge about 200 rpms. It does not happen when the breaks are on or stopped or in park, or moving at higher speeds. It only does it while moving and with no acceleration. It happens in Drive and Reverse.
I live in the city of Lima Peru so a 4x4 is useful but it also requires some tight parking but when it starts to surge, it is a huge pain.
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I have a 1991 Mitsubishi Mighty Max 3.0, and it is giving me some trouble. If the MAF sensor is plugged in the RPM's surge up and down, anywhere from 600-2000. If you unplug the MAF sensor it runs smoothly around 1600 RPM. I put in a brand new MAF sensor and that didn't change anything at all. Everybody I talk to says it must have a vacuum leak?
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Occasionally I can feel light jerking when cruising steadily at around 2200 rpm. for a second the rpms increase by ~50, not enough even to notice any change in speed, and then goes back where it was. it is as if the clutch was slipping.
My first thought was MAF so took one from a working car but problem did not go away.
A minor thing that may be unrelated: the transmission also sometimes doesn't set shiftpoints properly, i.e., when accelerating uphill, it would go from 1st to 2nd ok, then when it reaches the point to shift to 3rd, the 3rd gear stays only for a second or so, and then shifts to 4th.
So I disconnected the MAF sensor altogether and the problem went away! My conclusion was then that it must be the wiring between ECU and MAF, so checked the cables between ECU and MAF, found all resistances within spec (below 2.5 Ohm). Since the problem is intermittent, the resistance of the cables doesn't tell much.
Checked with vag-com and there are no codes. Where to go from there? 2003 AVH (auto)...
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