Hesitation

My 91 Cressida (7MGE), the old girl, is hesitating as she tries to accelerate from a full stop. Once under way she thinks she's a teenager again, which technically she is, but not in car years.

The hesitation is the engine momentarily losing power, until I give'er a little more (than normal) juice. In fact, earlier today, had I not 'given'er a little more as we traversed a dangerous intersection best described as Winston Chruchill & Britannia, we'd have met an untimely end with a large MACK emblem embossed in our heads.

I know the transmission is fine in so far as no clunks, grinds, untimely shifting etc. The plugs (iridium) and wires are two years and 30,000 kms old. The problem spans more than one tank of gas from separate stations. The engine runs smoothly at idle and all other RPM's. I do however seem to spewing a fair bit more white(ish) exhaust than usual.

So, if the wise and insightful amongst you might be so kind, what are the possible causes of such hesitation?

Thanks, Mark

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mark
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The white exhaust may be a sign of coolant getting into the combustion chambers. Check you rengine oil for a milky appearance and the coolant for signs of oil floating in the radiator or overflow bottle. This engine has been known to have head gasket leaks.

As for the hesitation, inspect the spark plugs. If one is very clean or fouled, then that may be the cause.

Reply to
Ray O

My corolla did that EXACT same thing!!! if my memory serves me correct, it was a bad rings. And instead of my mechanic hubby trying to replace them , which you risk a chance of messing the pistons up, we went ahead & got a motor from a local junk yard with only 48,000 ($300) miles on it & he put it in. And it does not hesitate anymore! Mine started out as you say, but got to teh point that it wouldn't "go" until you reached 45mph & it was like a different car once it hit that it was full speed ahead! Very nerve racking when you gotta try to get on the interstate...which you gotta do in this town or else ya'll spend

45min's driving from one end to the other!
Reply to
catron05

Follow Ray O.'s advice. By "untimely shifts" I am assuming your car is an automatic? Try running some fuel system cleaner with a tank of gas through the car. Also check your air filter (take it out and look at the sky through it, if you can't see the light of the sky in several places, then get it replaced). My 91 Corolla (4/AFE) had that problem really bad when I got it. I put a Specter conical-filter short-ram CAI on it and run a tank of premium gas with a bottle of fuel system cleaner every month or so and it keep the hesitation away. Brian

Reply to
Brian

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