2.3 liter hesitates on acceleration

Oct 09, 2003 3 Replies

I have an unusual problem with a '96 900S:



When I depress the fuel pedal to pass a car on the autobahn, the 2.3 liter engine (no turbo) in my '96 900S hesitates for about one second before the lower gear is engaged and the car begins to accelerate. I think this hesitation is very dangerous if split decisions need to be made ASAP. Anyone else has this dilemma?



I assume the problem may be with the timing of the engine coupled with the fuel delivery. Since the car is not carbureted, I think the fuel injection is not synchronized properly with the downshift cycle, and the engine timing. How do I fix this? Thanks.


Could be an auto box thing but .....

I have a very similar engine in my manual 9000 CS 2.3-16, and had hesitation with overall loss of power for a whole 20 months!! Checked all sorts under the bonnet to no avail.

Then ......

Front section of the exhaust blew at the flexible coupling and was replaced. PROBLEM CURED. Back to normal 2.3 grunt.

I assume the exhaust had had a minor leak the whole time, and the lambda sensor wasn't seeing transitions. Acquired wisdom suggested a) vacuum leaks or b) ignition cassette but these proved OK.

Cost of exhaust section was 117 GBP for immediate fitting, a bit less (90ish) from another garage if had been able to wait. This is probably a bit too high a price to consider on a diagnostic basis, but worth checking.

Best of luck

Yes, I did notice a leak in the exhaust and I also had a leaking vacuum hose which I already replaced. At this point I am suspecting retarded timing. Thanks for the response. :)

xtreme wrote: :: Yes, I did notice a leak in the exhaust and I also had a leaking :: vacuum hose which I already replaced. At this point I am suspecting :: retarded timing. Thanks for the response. :)

Forget about the timing. With Saab's Trionic engine-management, you'd get an error readout, if there was something wrong.

I also tend to the thing about gearbox-issue.

Cheers!

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