The car is a 1995 Olds 88 with the 3.8L engine with just over 75,000 miles> on it. A couple of months ago it developed an occasional hesitation while> first driven, or sometimes a rough idle before I back it out of the> driveway. Won't do it on a regular basis; the car might run fine for> several days, and then the problem occurs. Usually it only lasts for 10 -> 15 seconds close to home, although it did act up once while stopped in> traffic about a mile from home - it felt like the engine was going to die,> but kept chugging. Not much happened when I stepped on the gas, but after> about 20 seconds the idle smoothed out and I could accelerate. Car went

the garage after that incident, and the techs have encountered the

was misbehaving in the driveway, I popped the hood, in case I could see> anything. While the idle was going up and down, I did hear a loud> mechanical snap, and the idle smoothed right out.>

Here's what has been checked, so far: no check engine light when the car> hesitates, and no trouble codes stored. They suspected a fuel pump

They did give the car a tune up; they said the wires looked a bit old,> although they were (supposedly) changed back in 2001 around 55,000 miles

an Olds dealership that I stopped doing business with.>

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas on this? I'd welcome suggestions on

back to me. I understand intermittent problems are hard to track down;

Thanks for any input.> Bob.>

The car is a 1995 Olds 88 with the 3.8L engine with just over 75,000 miles > on it. A couple of months ago it developed an occasional hesitation while > first driven, or sometimes a rough idle before I back it out of the > driveway. Won't do it on a regular basis; the car might run fine for > several days, and then the problem occurs. Usually it only lasts for 10 - > 15 seconds close to home, although it did act up once while stopped in > traffic about a mile from home - it felt like the engine was going to die, > but kept chugging. Not much happened when I stepped on the gas, but after > about 20 seconds the idle smoothed out and I could accelerate. Car went > to the garage after that incident, and the techs have encountered the > problem, but are still trying to figure out the cause. Oh and one time > while the car was misbehaving in the driveway, I popped the hood, in case > I could see anything. While the idle was going up and down, I did hear a > loud mechanical snap, and the idle smoothed right out.>

Here's what has been checked, so far: no check engine light when the car > hesitates, and no trouble codes stored. They suspected a fuel pump > problem, however, they did get the car to fail with a pressure gauge > hooked up, and eliminated a fuel problem from the pump. Possible > electrical ground problem, but that didn't solve it either.>

They did give the car a tune up; they said the wires looked a bit old, > although they were (supposedly) changed back in 2001 around 55,000 miles > by an Olds dealership that I stopped doing business with.>

Anyone have any thoughts or ideas on this? I'd welcome suggestions on > this, since the techs have had the car for several weeks, and would love > to get it back to me. I understand intermittent problems are hard to > track down; I've had experience in the computer and electronics repair > industry so I'm giving them as much time as it takes to find the problem.>

Thanks for any input.> Bob.>

That's funny, I am currently having the same problem with my '95 Monte, but> it's a little less intermittent. I think it's the PCM or the fuel pump> wiring on my car.

If it happens only after start-up, it could be the Mass AirFlow> sensor. I have a 1993 Olds 88 that would start and run fine EXCEPT> when given more than half throttle. It would act like this until the> coolant temp went over 100 degrees, at which point it would run> better. Also, the engine would ping under heavy load unless I used> hi-test. After manually testing the TPS and MAF with a VOM (I'm still> a DIY mechanic), the results clearly indicated the MAF was bad. After> replacing it, it has run great. Good luck.> doug

Oh - take it to the dealer. They have the computers and modules> to swap in do track down problems on hand, plus real computers> instead of the cheap generic ones. Three machanics were> clueless on mine and then I took it to the GM garage. 1 hour> to diagnose right, and what was three weeks DOA was fixed and> running by that afternoon.