I discovered an odd problem with my 98 CE. 95% of the time, it runs perfect -- idles smooth, smooth acceleration, etc. There are times, however, especially under load at light throttle (~1300RPM) where it seems like you cut off the ignition and it gives a single fairly violent "buck" -- it recovers and returns to normal a couple of seconds later.
It's been a long time since I had another Mark to compare to (last one was new in 97) -- but there's also a minor clunk when it happens (and occasionally on downshift when slowing down) almost like a mount.
Another interesting bit... I took it out last Sunday on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains and it was VERY apparent at higher altitudes. I stopped at an overlook and although it idled perfectly at first, it just randomly died a few minutes later at idle. Upon restart, the CEL was on. It ran fine, then the higher I got, the more it cut off and bucked at light/moderate acceleration. It was much, much better once we returned to "normal" elevation. MAF? O2 sensor(s) (let's hope not... the thought of replacing four O2's makes me want to vomit.)
At only 16,000 miles - I don't have a clue as to what the underlying problem could be, but it has sat covered in a garage most of its life, so anything is possible. There's no codes and other than elevation, the symptom is relatively inconsistent.
Thanks for any help!
It's been a long time since I had another Mark to compare to (last one was new in 97) -- but there's also a minor clunk when it happens (and occasionally on downshift when slowing down) almost like a mount.
Another interesting bit... I took it out last Sunday on the Blue Ridge Parkway in the mountains and it was VERY apparent at higher altitudes. I stopped at an overlook and although it idled perfectly at first, it just randomly died a few minutes later at idle. Upon restart, the CEL was on. It ran fine, then the higher I got, the more it cut off and bucked at light/moderate acceleration. It was much, much better once we returned to "normal" elevation. MAF? O2 sensor(s) (let's hope not... the thought of replacing four O2's makes me want to vomit.)
At only 16,000 miles - I don't have a clue as to what the underlying problem could be, but it has sat covered in a garage most of its life, so anything is possible. There's no codes and other than elevation, the symptom is relatively inconsistent.
Thanks for any help!
