I wanted to find out if other people have noticed this with their 5-speeds. Sometimes it seems as though my car is sluggish and not as responsive when I first start it in the morning. I would'nt be too concerned if it were extremely cold. But I live in Arizona and it's never too cold. Sometimes it seems like it's not as responsive. If I were to stop the car and turn it off, leave it sitting for 15 to 20 minutes and then start it again and take off it seems to be fine and reacts perfectly to how I want to drive. Maybe it's in my mind since I'm sooo **** about anything thats happening to my car. But I wanted to know if anyone else has been noticing this.

 

nope. mine roars to life in the morning. it shouldn't be doing that when the engine is cold though. from what i understand the ecu runs the engine rich when its cold in order to more effectively warm it up. if anything, your engine should be much more responsive when its cold b/c its getting much more gas. that's why people get worse gas mileage in the colder months when only driving short distances. the car never warms up properly and is always running rich.

 

I don't think the car is particularly sluggish in the morning, however it could be a combination of the cold engine and a poor 1st gear. I think our Max's reach red-line far too fast in 1st gear...it makes it hard as hell to determine a good shift point. 2nd gear is great...lots of power and good speed coverage before red-line. If the engine is cold, then you are already revving higher than normal, so you'll reach red-line (or whatever rpm you shift at ) faster than you want to. The early shift may make you feel like your car is not quite screaming like it should.

Or all that could make no sense at all and I could be full of it. Either way...have a nice day .

 

This is EXACTLY what my car is doing, and I live in Southern California. I assume, of course, that you warm up your engine fully before you get on it and begin to notice the sluggishness.

On top of the condition you describe, my engine will detonate periodically. Then just as suddenly as it appears, the sluggishness and detonation disappear and my engine response returns to normal.

I've got my car at the dealer right now for our shared condition. They're in the process of pulling all my sparkplugs to make certain that the plugs aren't showing any signs of damage. They're also planning to diagnose my ECU with a Consult II, but I don't really expect them to find anything.

I'll let you know if anything interesting develops. But don't hold your breath waiting.

 

Using proper octane rated gas (91+)?

 

is AzMax describing a fuel cut off problem?
The problem with my 5sp is most exagerated when the engine is cold.

 

Nope. The fuel cut off condition is a separate issue.

 

Mine does this too and I live in Arizona. I just attributed it to the engine warming up.

 

jburrow makes a good point. I assume you're already running 91+ octane gasoline. Whether or not you are, immediately switch to Chevron Supreme with Techron. Then on your next fill up, pour a 20 oz bottle of Chevron Techron Concentrate in your gas tank. If the Techron Concentrate does for you what it does for me, your problem will disappear completely for as long as that tank-full lasts. Unfortunately, the condition will return as soon as you go back to straight pump gas. But at least you'll have the pleasure of knowing for a little while just how good your engine can run.

 

i miss chevron gas. only texacos and conocos with the occasional phillips 66 in my area.

 

the real question should be...
Why the hell are you accelerating hard when the car is not fully warmed up yet?!?!
That is a HUGE "No-No".

 

See my post on the bad Unocal gas.

Texaco= Chevron

Enjoy!


Oh, PS-
One of you guys ought to replace your K&N w/ stock air filter to see if it helps. For some reason, my old Auto (AE) was running sluggish too. The day I traded it in, I put the old filter back in. Damned if the car didn't run a WHOLE lot better all the way to the dealership!

Anyway, for 45 seconds worth of work, it's worth a shot.

 

really?? that's good to know. i still can only get 91 octane and its not labeled w/techron. does it have it regardless?

 

Sorry about not posting in a few days. Work kept me busy all weekend but hey its overtime.. Anyways. Yes I always use either Mobil or Cheveron gasoline, the most expensive I can get from either of those stations. I always wait until the temperature meter reads at above the cold mark, usually where it always sits towards the middle. I never go above 3k rmps until it is warmed up. It also isn't always just in the mornings, and it's not all the time. It is very sparatic, but I notice it more in the mornings after the car has warmed up. Hmm would the oxidation of the gasoline have anything to do with it? And no it's not the fuel cut problem, although I have that problem but i'm dealing with it. But it really sucks driving in traffic with that jerkyness. But Y2KSE, did the dealership find anything at all? Personally I have no faith in the dealership anymore, they don't seem to want to care, I find more information here than I ever would at the dealership.