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Old 01-30-2005, 06:11 PM
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Mary_Kate_Olsen
Mary_Kate_Olsen is offline
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Join Date: Oct 2002
Location: Vermont, USA
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power cuts/engine sputters when going over a bump or WOT

I have noticed a weird problem in my bronco. When I hit a medium to large bump in the road the power from the battery will drop out for just a second. Usally this just means the stereo will turn off and back on. And the voltage meter on the dash will drop to Zero volts then bounce right back to normal.

Sometimes the engine will lose power and make a loud pop/bang when the voltage drops. And the sudden loss and reapplication of power at the wheels can cause a jolt which will trigger the whole thing to happen agian.

Is there anything I should check that might be causing this?

I don't know if this is related but here are some other simptoms I have seen recently: It only happens with it is very cold (usally lower then -10F) and the engine hasn't fully warmed up yet, but it will be idleing fine and can be reved normaly with the clutch depressed. I will start drving and usally after I shift into second gear and start to accelerate (opening with throttle more) I will lose power and the engine will start to sputter. Closing the throttle stops the sputtering and returns the engine's power. This happens a lot when trying to go up a hill even a very sligh slope.

It seems to happen when I'm in the middle of an intersection too. If I depress the clutch I can rev the engine up and slip the clutch to get power no problem.

Is there anything to fix this cold day problem? I always warm the bronco up for 10-15 minuets in the morrning. But when leaving work at night I don't want to sit in a cold truck for 10 minuets. 90% of the time it has no trouble getting home.

Thanks for any help guys. This week to suppost to be pready warm (20F degrees). So I might be able to work on the bronco, if it isn't too complicated.