Hesitation when going from on-ramp to hwy speeds

[JEDI]

2005 mazda3 automatic (100k miles)

i was having transmission slippage issues. addng mobil1 synthetic atf seemed to have fixed that problem.

now i notice that when i gun the gas for hwy speeds from on-ramp, there's a slight hesitation. i never noticed that b4 the slippage issue.

is this hesitation problem also related to my transmission issue? if so, would adding more mobil1 synthetic fix it?

 

[jlee]

What do you mean when you say hesitation? Is the transmission not downshifting, is the engine not making power, is the throttle response really slow..?

 

[LTC8K6]

Is the trans full now?

 

[JCH13]

Did you get the transmission flushed when you were supposed to? That could be your issue.

 

[Gibson486]

How much is it hesitating? My Mazda did that time to time, even when it was new. I would gun it and but it would not respond. I then stopped gunning it, then gunned it again and there was no hesitation.

The "cheapest" thing to do now is to get another flush or do a complete drain and refill. Do it yourself, or bring it somewhere. It's easy to do, but it is time consuming. Either way, I would advise dropping the pan. This will give you an indication if anything is wrong. If you do drop the pan, bring it somewhere. Putting the pan back is kind of a pain.

 

[JCH13]

How much is it hesitating? My Mazda did that time to time, even when it was new. I would gun it and but it would not respond. I then stopped gunning it, then gunned it again and there was no hesitation.

The "cheapest" thing to do now is to get another flush or do a complete drain and refill. Do it yourself, or bring it somewhere. It's easy to do, but it is time consuming. Either way, I would advise dropping the pan. This will give you an indication if anything is wrong. If you do drop the pan, bring it somewhere. Putting the pan back is kind of a pain.

Make sure to bring it somewhere, then drop the pan.

 

[Gibson486]

Make sure to bring it somewhere, then drop the pan.

LOL...goes without saying, but good warning. hahahaha.

 

[TakeNoPrisoners]

Could be a misfire. My LT1 would do that when i would step on the gas too until I fixed it.

 

[JEDI]

What do you mean when you say hesitation? Is the transmission not downshifting, is the engine not making power, is the throttle response really slow..?

normally, when i press on the gas kinda hard i hear the engine rev up, then i go.

for this problem, i press on the gas, the car shakes a little, then goes.
this only happens sometimes tho.

Is the trans full now?

yes. fluid mark is at the top of the dipstick indicator. who would have thought 6oz into a 7.6quart reservoir would make such a big diff?

How much is it hesitating? My Mazda did that time to time, even when it was new. I would gun it and but it would not respond. I then stopped gunning it, then gunned it again and there was no hesitation.

The "cheapest" thing to do now is to get another flush or do a complete drain and refill. Do it yourself, or bring it somewhere. It's easy to do, but it is time consuming. Either way, I would advise dropping the pan. This will give you an indication if anything is wrong. If you do drop the pan, bring it somewhere. Putting the pan back is kind of a pain.

sigh.. ok, going to call up Sears auto since i have a coupon w/them and see how much a transmission drain and fill with Mobile1 Synthetic ATf would cost.


edit:
hm.. i can only multi-quote 3 posts at a time using the button

 

[JEDI]

Could be a misfire. My LT1 would do that when i would step on the gas too until I fixed it.

misfire? you mean sparkplug? if so, how can i tell which one?

 

[LTC8K6]

How old are the plugs/coil pack(s)/wires(if you have them)?

A misfire will usually set the Check Engine light off, but not always.

I wonder if the engine computer is used to the trans slipping, and now that it's not, it needs time to adjust?

 

[JEDI]

How old are the plugs/coil pack(s)/wires(if you have them)?

A misfire will usually set the Check Engine light off, but not always.

I wonder if the engine computer is used to the trans slipping, and now that it's not, it needs time to adjust?

changed 10k miles ago.

never changed coil packs/spark plug wires

hm.. good point about car computer compensating. guess 1 gas tank to resolve? (like check engine light for gas cap not being on)

edit:
iridium spark plugs

 

[EightySix Four]

I wonder if the engine computer is used to the trans slipping, and now that it's not, it needs time to adjust?

Generally the controller for automatic transmissions is not capable of dealing with something like that. They're usually pretty fixed in their operation from the factory other than a few small things like how much pedal pressure to downshift and such, which is supposed to adapt to the drivers aggressiveness. At least that's my (admittedly small) experience tuning auto cars.

 

[Gibson486]

changed 10k miles ago (platinum plugs)

never changed coil packs/spark plug wires

hm.. good point about car computer compensating. guess 1 gas tank to resolve? (like check engine light for gas cap not being on)

FYI, lots of people have complained about non iridium spark plugs in a Mazda 3. I have no first hand experience because I just used iridium spark plugs to replace.

 

[JEDI]

FYI, lots of people have complained about non iridium spark plugs in a Mazda 3. I have no first hand experience because I just used iridium spark plugs to replace.

whoops.. meant iridium.