Q: Loss of power when gas pedal is pressed all the way down, but only when the car is warm.

asked by on January 28, 2018

When my car warms up and I am driving more aggressivly, the car seems to lose power when the gas pedal is all the way down and it accelerates slower than normal for a V8. It makes a weird, fast "putt putt putt" noise and wont accelerate like it used to. If I Iet the pedal out a little, it stops. Once the power problem starts, the oil temp gauge drops when I come to complete stops, the second I give the car gas, it pops back up to normal again. It also sounds like its misfiring slightly at an idle, but only when the symptoms start.. At stop lights it gurgles almost when you press the gas and then the car starts to go. Ive cleaned my MAF, put fuel cleaner in the gas, and checked the spark plugs to see if i was running rich or lean and nothing is abnormal. Theres no check engine light, and no lights come on when driving. If the car is cold, it accelerates and runs normally up until I really push it. The car also occasionally stalls and backfires when trying to start it.

My car has 136000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

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This may be a sign of a faulty ignition coil. Ignition coils are coated with a varnish-like insulation that becomes brittle over time after being stretched then contracted repeatedly. The insulation develops small fractures that open when heated and close when cooled. When open, they allow shorting of coil windings and decrease or eliminate the coil’s ability to function. This type of temperature cycling happens because every time you shut the engine off, the fan stops running, the coolant stops flowing and the temperature under the hood rises. Every time you start the engine again the coolant flows, the fans turn on, and the temperature drops. When this heat dissipates and is absorbed under the hood, it is trapped causing this cycling effect. Other components that contain heat sensitive materials include parts like fuel injectors, igniters, and some sensors. Any of these may be potentially subject to this same kind of heat cycling problem which can be very difficult to trace. I would recommend having an expert from YourMechanic come to your location to take a look at your vehicle.

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