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      09-04-2011, 01:24 AM   #1
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SES Light, car shaking, and hesitation under acceleration.

I used to think this was traction control, but i've now realized that under my heavy acceleration, my car's power feels like it cuts in and out briefly; it feels like hesitation or like i'm going over potholes.
Yesterday, going up the hill to my school, my SES light came on under WOT. There was no half engine light, but the car was shaking and when i tried to accelerate, it would just bog down. Once i got into the parking lot, the car was still shaking, the rpms were bouncing up/down and i thought my car was going to stall. I parked, and i cycled the engine on/off and it run smoothly after. I've driven it ~30 miles since the incident with nothing.

Why was the car running so badly at the time of the SES and not now if there was no limp mode?
Should i go into the dealer even if the car runs fine now, or will they just reset the computer and send me on my way?

Edit: i'm also all stock, regardless of my troll signature.
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      09-04-2011, 01:53 AM   #2
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I just went through the exact same thing..turned out to be a mis-fire in cylinder 4 and 5...i thru some techron in the tank and cleared the codes..waiting to see if it reappears..if so then I will know I have a injector issue..plugs are all brand new..so far so good

A misfire will trigger the SES and then reset by itself after some ECU cycles..although it will leave a record of the codes..pull the codes..but Im almost 100% what you have is a misfire of one or more cylinders

The dealer would likely pull the codes and swap coil packs to see if the problem follows..I have only had 2 misfires in 5 yrs..I have no idea why it happend.
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      09-04-2011, 02:03 AM   #3
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sounds like either HPFP or misfire imo
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      09-04-2011, 02:30 AM   #4
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Quote:
Originally Posted by booostin3 View Post
sounds like either HPFP or misfire imo
Its not an HPFP..that would trigger a limp w half engine light not a SES...and the car would eventually die out and not start
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      09-04-2011, 10:12 PM   #5
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Is something causing the misfire or do these things just happen randomly with no cause?
Should i go in for service, or should i just wait for it to happen again?
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      09-04-2011, 10:15 PM   #6
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidkneiber View Post
Is something causing the misfire or do these things just happen randomly with no cause?
Should i go in for service, or should i just wait for it to happen again?
Like i stated I have had misfires happen twice..about 3 yrs apart..once when i was completely stock and one fully modded..I have NO idea what caused it..I simply cleared the codes and monitored to see if they reoccured and so far it hasnt

Just clear the codes w a scan tool and see if the problem repeats itself..its all you can really do
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      09-04-2011, 10:17 PM   #7
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tibra1 View Post
Just clear the codes w a scan tool and see if the problem repeats itself..its all you can really do
thanks tibra1 for the fast reply,
i'm under warranty , but i don't own a scan tool
is there any point of clearing the code, or in this case going to the dealer?
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      09-04-2011, 10:23 PM   #8
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidkneiber View Post
thanks tibra1 for the fast reply,
i'm under warranty , but i don't own a scan tool
is there any point of clearing the code, or in this case going to the dealer?
If you are not modded I would say go the dealer..I am positive they will pull the codes and if they are in fact misfires..they will simply swap the coil packs between cylinders, clear the codes and send you on your way w instructions to monitor it if it happens again.

If you are modded you can go to any Autozone and they will scan and clear for you for free..thats what I did..technically they are not supposed to clear but i convinced the guy to do it..OR you can buy a basic scan tool from autozone for $60n do it yourself and have a tool for reading codes..another option...

Please let us know what it turns out to be..good luck
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      09-04-2011, 10:28 PM   #9
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could be a coil

obviously with the n54 you've got plenty of other potential issues, but I had a misfire and it was due to a bad coil. Replaced it and now keep a spare in case it happens again.
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      09-04-2011, 10:47 PM   #10
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Quote:
Originally Posted by yakev724 View Post
could be a coil

obviously with the n54 you've got plenty of other potential issues, but I had a misfire and it was due to a bad coil. Replaced it and now keep a spare in case it happens again.
did your car run more smoothly under heavy acceleration after? because my car has a slight shudder, or hesitation, between 3-4k rpms under full throttle.
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      09-05-2011, 09:34 AM   #11
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidkneiber View Post
did your car run more smoothly under heavy acceleration after? because my car has a slight shudder, or hesitation, between 3-4k rpms under full throttle.
No, just misfire the whole time and constant shudder. I drove it home barely above idle, swapped all coils around, saw the code change misfire cylinder value, isolated it and replaced.

I guess it's possible that coils don't just go permanently bad but can give strange firings, rpm dependent. Buy a code reader for $20/30, read then clear the code, swap coils and see if the code changed.
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      09-15-2011, 12:51 PM   #12
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tibra1 View Post
Its not an HPFP..that would trigger a limp w half engine light not a SES...and the car would eventually die out and not start
actually your wrong. When my fuel pump was going out i was experiencing exactly what the OP is describing and I never triggered a limp mode at any point in the week or so that it was intermittently stuttering. And with more serious issues of the fuel pump failing, yes, it would eventually die out but that isn't the case for everyone.
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      09-15-2011, 01:55 PM   #13
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Quote:
Originally Posted by booostin3 View Post
actually your wrong. When my fuel pump was going out i was experiencing exactly what the OP is describing and I never triggered a limp mode at any point in the week or so that it was intermittently stuttering. And with more serious issues of the fuel pump failing, yes, it would eventually die out but that isn't the case for everyone.
No its you who are wrong as soon as the HPFP runs outta of steam it will trigger a limp mode..there is no longer fuel being fed into the cylinders so how could it not cause a limp and eventually stall the engine..

maybe you just got lucky and were able to hobble along w a dying pump but the fact is if you continue to drive you will experience a limp and then a stall
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      09-15-2011, 02:07 PM   #14
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tibra1 View Post
No its you who are wrong as soon as the HPFP runs outta of steam it will trigger a limp mode..there is no longer fuel being fed into the cylinders so how could it not cause a limp and eventually stall the engine..

maybe you just got lucky and were able to hobble along w a dying pump but the fact is if you continue to drive you will experience a limp and then a stall
You say as soon as the pump is dying it will trigger a limp mode and then you say I was able to hobble along without one..... exactly. The point of it was to explain to the OP that i got a SES light when my pump was dying and never a limp mode which could very well be his problem seeing as he described what happened to me word for word
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      09-15-2011, 02:28 PM   #15
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Similar threads

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337084

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577551

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577482

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574463

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550901


1) Clean & swap VANOS solenoids. (DIY)
2) Inspect plugs
3) Test coils (remove&reinstall one at a time) while idling. No change in idle = bad coil. Some coils may only cause misfire while under load.
4) Techron injector treatment ($10)
5) Intake valve cleaning
6) Check for vacuum leaks
7) O2/lambda sensors
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      09-15-2011, 05:52 PM   #16
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tahoerdr View Post
Similar threads

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=337084

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577551

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=577482

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=574463

http://www.e90post.com/forums/showthread.php?t=550901


1) Clean & swap VANOS solenoids. (DIY)
2) Inspect plugs
3) Test coils (remove&reinstall one at a time) while idling. No change in idle = bad coil. Some coils may only cause misfire while under load.
4) Techron injector treatment ($10)
5) Intake valve cleaning
6) Check for vacuum leaks
7) O2/lambda sensors
For anyone wondering, it was a misfire. Doing a search on "SES LIGHT" brought up a bunch of threads; none that i could quickly find an answer with. Sorry for not but you guys were cool about it so
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      09-15-2011, 06:58 PM   #17
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidkneiber View Post
For anyone wondering, it was a misfire. Doing a search on "SES LIGHT" brought up a bunch of threads; none that i could quickly find an answer with. Sorry for not but you guys were cool about it so
Yes I figured it was..mis-fires trigger SES I have had two of em..HPFP triggers CEL and limp...this is what I was trying to explain before resident experts citing their own experience as fact tried to say whats what..glad you figured it out..now you gotta trouble shoot why you misfired..plugs, coil packs injectors..me personally when i misfired it was none of the above...just cleared the codes and waited for the situation to repeat which it never did
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      09-15-2011, 09:44 PM   #18
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Lol my SA said there was nothing wrong with my car and that it left no errors. When I got my car back, the service sheet said a misfire...
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      09-16-2011, 01:00 AM   #19
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidkneiber View Post
Lol my SA said there was nothing wrong with my car and that it left no errors. When I got my car back, the service sheet said a misfire...
Yep this damn car is so sensitive to misfires..I had one mis completely stock and then 5 yrs later one when tuned FBOs..the funny thing is w a misfire if you keep driving and there is not another underlying issue the SES light will disapper on its own..go figure
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      09-16-2011, 07:42 AM   #20
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Quote:
Originally Posted by tibra1 View Post
Yep this damn car is so sensitive to misfires..I had one mis completely stock and then 5 yrs later one when tuned FBOs..the funny thing is w a misfire if you keep driving and there is not another underlying issue the SES light will disapper on its own..go figure
Why does the engine shake and stutter after the misfire? or is it continuously misfiring?
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      09-16-2011, 12:56 PM   #21
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Quote:
Originally Posted by davidkneiber View Post
Why does the engine shake and stutter after the misfire? or is it continuously misfiring?
The misfire throws off the ignition managment of the engine..but it should only shake for a bit once the engine recovers it should run ok..it doesnt keep misfiring.
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      02-22-2013, 11:01 PM   #22
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Very informative thread, had the same exact problem and now I feel more at ease just knowing what it is and that I'm not alone. I will continue to drive the car and see if it happens again. Gotta admit though, when it did happen .. shit was scary.
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