1992-1999 Series I L27 (1992-1994 SE,SLE, SSE) & Series II L36 (1995-1999 SE, SSE, SLE) and common problems for the Series I and II L67 (all supercharged models 92-99) Including Olds 88's, Olds LSS's and Buick Lesabres Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.

Car is sluggish under load

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Old Aug 5, 2010 | 01:08 AM
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Default Car is sluggish under load

I have a 93 Bonneville SSE. No Mods, aside from a trailer hitch.
Last week, I started having a wierd problem. The car was acting really funny. Whenever I started it, it would run at a lower than normal RPM, until you tapped the accelerator... at which point it would level out and run normally. This wasn't all. It also was running very sluggishly whenever the supercharger boost guage passed the "zero" mark. If the needle was kept under the "zero" mark, it ran fine.

I figured it might be the battery terminals, so I unhooked both leads, cleaned them both, then reattached them. Little difference. I then replaced all the plugs and wires. The road test afterwards revealed that it was working great - for a while anyway. I then took the car for a 1 hour highway test to see if the problem was truly fixed, but within 1/2 an hour, the car was back to doing the same thing that prompted me to change the plugs in the first place.

I have been doing some reading, and might try replacing the MAF sensor- but am hesitant to go replacing parts on a hunch.

I had the car scanned at a local repair shop, and there weren't any codes stored either.

Have anyone run accross this problem?

-frustrated
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Old Aug 5, 2010 | 01:37 AM
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I would go with a MAF sensor. Did u gap the spark plugs ur self? NEVER just take em out of the box and install em.
Do u have a stock air intake? Try taking your air box off. And stretch a sock over the TB and take it for a Quick spin. If it runs better than ur Air filter is clogged up.
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Old Aug 5, 2010 | 01:38 AM
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Possibly a TPS sensor.. But someone else would know a little better than i
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Old Aug 5, 2010 | 01:54 AM
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What does the TPS sensor do?
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Old Aug 5, 2010 | 07:12 AM
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Unplug the MAF and drive, is it better? Could be a vacuum leak, could be a clogged air filter or plugged CAT. How did the plugs look?
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Old Aug 5, 2010 | 10:54 AM
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I gapped all the plugs myself to .060 inches. (as in car specs). The old plugs looked ok. Nothing out of the ordinary.Will try unplugging MAF, and see what happens.
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Old Aug 14, 2010 | 04:03 AM
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Well, I disconnected the MAF as suggested. The car ran like CR@P. Smelled a strong gasoline smell from exhaust. Plugged sensor back in. Found something interesting out though. When the engine is cold, (running for less than 5 minutes), the supercharger performs the way it is intended. However, as soon as the engine warms up, "Whoop, there it is!" the problem starts to appear again.
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Old Aug 14, 2010 | 05:58 AM
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Make sure the vacuum hose from the LIM to the MAP/FPR/and boost control is hooked up. The T under the snout can get dry and brittle.
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Old Aug 14, 2010 | 10:18 AM
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hmm.... hits a certain temp and runs like crap under boost?

methinks something is tripping the knock sensor. be it actual knock or false knock, i think it is worth looking into.
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Old Aug 14, 2010 | 10:45 AM
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Any chance the supercharger gasket is causing the problem? Its been a few years since mine went out so I don't remember for sure if performance was temperature related but I believe it was. I know that wouldn't be the first place to start due to the cost/time factor but it is a thought.
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