K so I switched in a 2.0 ECU to replace the bad 1.8 ECU I had in the car. Ran great for a bit. Then all teh sudden, at cruising speed at about 80mph, half throttle or so, the gas starts cutting out, bucking the car a bit. It does it about three times in a row, then runs ok for a bit, then does it again. WHen I accelerate, doesnt do it, but I definetly feel a loss of power. I swapped the 1.8 ECU back in, and it still does it. What could be causing this? Bad fuel pump? Bad fuel filter? Clogged/leaky injectors? I just replaced the TPS, the TPS harness, the second O2, brand new PRD wires, new plugs. We're fixing the car up good so it will pass emissions, and all the sudden this happens. Never happened before. I have a brand new cat waiting to go on, but I doubt that would cause this. I have more often than not run the car till empty or almost empty, so that makes me believe its either the fuel pump or filter. The filter hasnt been replaced in years, I dunno if it was ever replaced before I bought it, and the car has over 100k miles on it. I mean, its best to replace it anyway, but, I have limited time and money. Please help guys. Thanks.

 

tibbychick, a fuel filter would be your best/easiest option. It's only a couple bucks at a parts store, and just get a friend to help you. I basically wrote a DIY for it in the wdymtw thread in general performance, minus pictures. If it were me, I would do filter first, pumps are a pain in the ass and expensive to boot. Injectors are also expensive, but don't rule anything out. Any CEL's for misfires, ignition faults, or injection faults?

 

I second that.. do you have any CEL's? Have you changed the timing belt yet? Its possible the timing belt could be old and loose and slipped a tooth or so causing timing to be off intermittently.
How does the car idle?
When encountering a problem like this my first step is to figure out of its fuel or spark and then work from there. I dont think a fuel filter would cause this problem but perhaps the pump or bad injector or loose wiring. Make sure all the plugs are secure on the injectors. I would also do easy things like reseat the spark plug wires on both the coil pack and plug. Try doing that and seeing if it makes a difference.

 

I had 2 CELs for the 02 sensor and TPS, both of which were replaced. The CEL came back on though, and for what I dont know, Im assuming the cat. After driving it around a bunch today, we've pretty much narrowed it down to the fuel filter. It has gotten progressively worse, to the point where it jerks the whole car instead of a slight bucking. We're gonna do the fuel filter tonight, and probably the injectors as well. IF thats not it, then I dont know. lol

 

I dont see how a fuel filter would cause this... if the fuel filter was the problem then you wouldn't be able to accelerate either... but g/l hope it fixes it because thats a cheap fix

 

it does acclerate but I have to dump the pedal to the floor. Also we noticed a gas smell, very slight, but noticeable.

 

Gosh, you're having worse luck than me with your car right now!

I'd suggest getting one of those handy little OBD readers (the simple cheap ones) so you know whats up! I just had a CEL pop on me last night, and it was nice to be able to check it and clear it right away knowing what it was.

Good luck!

 

yeah I do wanna get one, maybe when I have some more time and money.