Hello all,

I search this forum and the web but can't find the answer and I think your experiences will help me a lot..

Yesterday, I drove 1988-300TE (car has 120K miles) 40 miles to the airport, outside temp. is 80°F. I parked the car for 2 hours then go back home. When I start the car in the parking lot, it started as usual but when I give it some gas, the engine cut ON and OFF, similar to someone who drive the first time a manual gear shift car. The car run OK if I coax the gas pedal carefully, if I use the gas pedal as normally the engine bucks ON and OFF like a wild horse... and this go on and on for about 10 miles... After that when I reach the freeway the problem is gone and I drove home without problem...This morning there is no problem at all when I drive it.. Before I bring the car to the mechanic (and trying to minimize the bill), what am I looking for:

1. Fuel pump/fuel filter?
2. Rotor/rotor cap/spark plus wire/spark plugs. I plan to replace these already, is this a DIY (to save some labor cost)?
3. No burned fuse. New oxygen sensor last week. Then what relay or electrical components to look at?
4. Transmission?
5. Something else...?

Thanks a lot in advance for sharing any thoughs..

leon s.

 

not fuel pump for it starts immediately.
fuel filter if it happens again

they are DIY.
this can cause such problem but it will be present most of the time and not intermittent.

fuel pump relay

transmission doesn't behave that way. not so much according to throttle position.

crankshaft position sensor?

seems it's temperature related.

 

could be 20 different things

 

thanks Sleepwalker...

as it now, per your help, I think it's the temperature sensor on the engine's head which may give wrong informations to the cold start valve. I drive the car today and it's happened again only for few seconds, also I will have the crankshaft position sensor checked tomorrow.

and thanks Vytamenc...

this very scarry problem because there so many unknow factors involved and I have just to gather as much informations I can in order to check and rule out one by one because I can't afford to jump in and change all the suspected components at once...

you folks are wonderful and this forum is a good source of learning/trouble shooting our cars and keep them running... without you guys and this forum I may just switch to something less comfortable from the land of rising sun is you see what I mean...

:-)

thanks again