Hey guys,
First post here re a 2000 GXL petrol auto I recently bought cheap. Bought it to move for work, with plans to do needed repairs after a few months pending $$. Knew it needed a few things fixed when I bought it (including slow seep from rocker cover gasket). Since buying, I've done a 2000km outback drive, during which a few issues became apparent:
1. Sluggish acceleration. Can take a while to get the revs up even after stomping on the pedal. It varies but sometimes especially soon after starting can have your foot on the floor for 5-10sec before the revs pick up or drops a gear. Once you get power you get it hard though. Really struggles up hills sometimes. Drives fine on a flat outback highway but go to overtake a road train at 100 and it can take 5+sec with the foot on the floor before it responds at all, but then gives good acceleration.
2. Gear changes feel sluggish as well, and can be jerky especially going from 1st to 2nd.
3. Maybe unrelated, but the abs and traction control lights came on at one point when I started the engine and have been on almost all the time since.
4. This one has me beat. Happened maybe 5 to 10 times. Sometimes when you start, car will move fine in R and will idle forwards in D but as soon as you touch the accelerator in D, you get this loud (tranny?) grinding noise. Turn it off and on again and it might be fine. At one point after a stop in the middle of the drive it just kept doing this until I put it in 4wd for a few metres, then put it back in 2wd and it hasn't done it since then. I did notice that this grinding issue happened when the abs and TRC lights weren't on. Start up and the lights are on, drives fine. Starts up and the lights aren't on, grinds. I don't know if that's a genuine association but has me thinking it's an electronic issue?
Sorry for the long post. Things I've thought of: air flow sensor, some sort of throttle sensor issue, transmission issue, multiple issues. Hoping there's a few relatively simple fixes, but getting more worried it might be a money sink. Gonna get it seen soon, but just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Warning in advance, but I know half of nothing about the stuff under the bonnet.
Thanks!
First post here re a 2000 GXL petrol auto I recently bought cheap. Bought it to move for work, with plans to do needed repairs after a few months pending $$. Knew it needed a few things fixed when I bought it (including slow seep from rocker cover gasket). Since buying, I've done a 2000km outback drive, during which a few issues became apparent:
1. Sluggish acceleration. Can take a while to get the revs up even after stomping on the pedal. It varies but sometimes especially soon after starting can have your foot on the floor for 5-10sec before the revs pick up or drops a gear. Once you get power you get it hard though. Really struggles up hills sometimes. Drives fine on a flat outback highway but go to overtake a road train at 100 and it can take 5+sec with the foot on the floor before it responds at all, but then gives good acceleration.
2. Gear changes feel sluggish as well, and can be jerky especially going from 1st to 2nd.
3. Maybe unrelated, but the abs and traction control lights came on at one point when I started the engine and have been on almost all the time since.
4. This one has me beat. Happened maybe 5 to 10 times. Sometimes when you start, car will move fine in R and will idle forwards in D but as soon as you touch the accelerator in D, you get this loud (tranny?) grinding noise. Turn it off and on again and it might be fine. At one point after a stop in the middle of the drive it just kept doing this until I put it in 4wd for a few metres, then put it back in 2wd and it hasn't done it since then. I did notice that this grinding issue happened when the abs and TRC lights weren't on. Start up and the lights are on, drives fine. Starts up and the lights aren't on, grinds. I don't know if that's a genuine association but has me thinking it's an electronic issue?
Sorry for the long post. Things I've thought of: air flow sensor, some sort of throttle sensor issue, transmission issue, multiple issues. Hoping there's a few relatively simple fixes, but getting more worried it might be a money sink. Gonna get it seen soon, but just wondering if anyone has any suggestions. Warning in advance, but I know half of nothing about the stuff under the bonnet.
Thanks!
Comment