I've got a '92 Maxima (automatic) with 143,000 miles. The engine seems fine, but it feels like something is tugging the whole vehicle. She has trouble getting going. I have to push the pedal very hard to get even normal acceleration. Then, just as soon as it started, it stopped. Then my wife drove it and it did the same thing again.

Could it be bad gas? Could it be the transmission? It never had any trouble before this date.

Thanks for any help.

Ron

 

i had a feeling like your discribing and it was my calipers locking up. if they are old it can casue your car to not move very fat like its holding you back. also check your pcv valve and fuel filter.

 

Wow! That could be any number of things. I had a similar problem, and it turns out that it was my catalytic converter that's clogged up. Solution: cut out the cat and put in a straight pipe. Of course, that's a temporary fix, and I don't recommend it in states that have emissions testing.

Another thing might be a bad injector(s). These are costly, I'll tell ya from experience. I paid $190, or thereabouts for 1.

Dnas420 hit on a couple of other things, like the PCV valve and/or fuel filter. The air filter might be another point of interest, too.

There are probably a couple of other things that you could check, too. Like plugs, wires, and such. A tune up might not be a bad itea, though. Good luck and let us know what U come up with.

 

Ron Could you be more specific
does it only happen when your moving or does it do it while your sitting still or both
do the rpm's drop briefly even when your foot is steady on the accelerator
does it only do it at a specific rpm
does it happen only in certain types of weather
does it actually loose power or does it just seem hessitant or slow

while parked with the engine running push down on the accelerator very slowly and lightly, do the rpm's climb smoothly, does it hit a certain point and then loose power and drop in rpm's
do this over again a few times pushing down slightly harder and faster each time is there a certain point on the accelerator at which it happens.
if so then it may be your Throttle Position Sensor (TPS)

other then that it could be alot of things (MAF)sensor, Air/fuel filter, clogged exaust, low fuel pressure, poor state of tune.

let us know more so we can try to help