engine drops and sputters

[VueGuy168]

when idle and while brake applied the engine revs drop low and the engine sputters almost like it is going to stall out. I did let the gas run to near e and wonder if I sucked up some garbage from the bottom of the tank? does anyone know where to start on this?

it has always grumbled while idle but never dropped and rised rapidly. I thought about intake cleaner direct in the intake or a vac leak? thanks in advance.

[VueGuy168]

02 vue v6 120k just did plugs 3 months ago, wonder if coil packs are going?

[VueGuy168]

just had ses light flashing then went out. sputtering. please help, i am leaning towards coil packs. thanks.

02 vue awd 120k.

[mlc5]

yeah.. could be coil packs.. but I would think the oxygen sensors are a prime candidate as well......as that would create similar rough idle symptoms...

Is the Check Engine light on ? If so, go to Autozone, if one is around you, and they will read the codes and print them out for you....

If not... then you are going to have to make some guesses.. which gets to be very expensive... as the coils run around $47 a pop.. and you have 6 of them... and there are 4 o2 sensors which range from 45 to 100 or so each...

The recommendation is to replace the O2 sensors at 100 or 120K i think.. i don't recall.. but I recently had 3 go bad on my wifes car at 135K... so you may be ready ..

You can also try cleaning out the throttle body.. . removing the air intake. and spraying some cleaner on the butterfly/hinge area .. and wiping with a lint free cloth.. and see if that helps.. If so.. then go nuts and give it a thorough cleaning..

Good Luck
Mike

[VueGuy168]

misfires at random and misfire on cylinder 2. On the 02 sensor any idea or step by step on how to replace, being the misfires and flashing ses im still thinking coil packs.... i will try o2 it runs fine for the most part. thanks.

[mlc5]

first things i'd do is pull the plugs and check the gap.. an incorrect gap could cause these symptoms.....so rule that out first....

if the code shows a specific cylinder, then it's probably the coil (or a misgapped/fouled plug .. or even a clogged injector)...

If it's the sensor .. the code would tell you which sensor (e.g. bank1 sensor 2, etc.)... Requires a special socket to pull one.. similar to a deep sock you use for a plug .. with a slit cut in the side to allow for the wire lead while removing.. other than that the difficult lies in pulling the old harness off.. if you never did one.. Search the boards.. there are examples i think otherwise.. let me know...

[VueGuy168]

plugs changed six months ago to autolites i gapped them... i will probably order two new coil packs on saturnparts.com unless you know any place cheaper to get them...$82.51 each, autozone wants $91.

thx

[vue04]

I had the same problem on my 04 Vue with V-6. I cleaned the throttle butterfly valve. It was black with soot. Fixed my problem with $3.00 Choke Cleaner and 1 Hour of Labor.

Starts up and when brakes applied sputters out. Only happens when started cold until warmed up- which I guess softens the throttle body valve.

[VTchemist]

I had the same problem on my 04 Vue with V-6. I cleaned the throttle butterfly valve. It was black with soot. Fixed my problem with $3.00 Choke Cleaner and 1 Hour of Labor.

Starts up and when brakes applied sputters out. Only happens when started cold until warmed up- which I guess softens the throttle body valve.

Ditto on the throttle body. My 2003 V6 was running rough. O2 sensors (all 4) were fine. Plugs had less than 30K on then.

Cleaned the throttle body (at the dealership). All was well.

[VueGuy168]

will try that tomorrow... sounds cheap enough to fix.

thanks

[VueGuy168]

to think about it it would make sense if i had a bad coil pack cylinders 246 would all be missing instead of just 2... i will try to clean throttle body tomorrow. ran a can of seafoam in the gas tank and put a tank of high test in.

my vue always had a sputter to the idle more like a grumble. thank you for your help. thanks to richpin also.