Dare I speak too soon?
Its going on a week and a half...All previous attempts at fixing the tranny failed after a few days of re-learning my driving patterns. <KNOCKING ON REAL WOOD RIGHT NOW>
Thus begins my long post (apologies in advance for my wordiness):
Three weeks ago, I was driving on the interstate doing between 65-70MPH when the car started to shudder, almost as if on an old tar-and-chipped back road here in PA. But then it went away, only to rear its ugly head again a few more miles down the road. At this point, i'm heading into Downtown Pittsburgh with the car shaking like mad and my foot on the floor desperately trying to keep the car going faster than 45MPH. Oh, and did I mention the check engine light had winked at me the night before (this has become so common place I now think nothing of it and promise to check it out in the coming week). So I pulled onto the birm and popped the hood. Something smelled extremely hot and a bit sulfurous but didn't feel any warmer than it normally does and the temperature gauge confirmed that the engine was normal temperature wise. It was also in the teens and twenties on this early february morning. So I shut the car off and we sat for a few minutes. Then I started it back up, ignored the irregular, unsteady idle, and pulled it back onto the interstate and forced it to our destination a few miles away poking along at speeds between 30 and 50MPH with my foot on the floor. I was MAD. A friend said to check the plug wires and to get the fuel filter checked/changed ASAP. But there was little I could do on a Saturday in the middle of Pittsburgh and 40 some miles from home. Later in the day when I went to go home, the car started, idled, and drove like normal, as if nothing had happend. So I made it back home...with the SES light glaring at me the whole time, and with only one hiccup as I got off the interstate a mile or so from home.
I took it back to the dealer I bought it from and had them read the code (they grab the code reader when they see me pull in now). This time it was Mass Air Flow Sensor and the Upstream O2 Sensor. I'd had the Upstream Oxygen Code before, but it went away after I replaced the thermostat. But the dealer indicated he suspected the MAF sensor was more at fault than the O2 sensor. So I left. I do my own work on this car, and they understand (this isn't a GM dealer, its a local mechanic/dealer by the way). I tried once more to wish the problem away, as it hadn't done it since that day, but then it did it again the next time I took the interstate so I knew I had a problem on my hands. Thus, I took a friends advice to try "cleaning it".
Yes, clean the MAF sensor - First: Remove it from the intake between the throttle body and the airbox. Next, spray it with "Throttle Body Cleaner" from the local Auto Parts store. Then spray it with Brake Cleaner - which will remove any residue the Throttle Body Cleaner may have left. Then spray it dry with compressed air and reinstall it into the car. So far its worked quite well, and cheaper than replacing that expensive sensor.
One last important note. This not only appears to have solved my interstate issues with this car, but all my transmission problems have mysteriously disappeared as well. It shifts quick and concise, stays in gear with no slip like before. Moderate acceleration in overdrive no longer causes it to go nuts, it just downshifts quick and smooth. I just wish I'd discovered this sooner. Anyhow - with a few others reporting similar problems, I wanted to post this quick, easy and cheap fix to try. I hope this works for the rest of you!
Once again, my apologies to those who read this post, but I hope it helps!
Good Luck,
joc1394
