01 GS won't start, when it does it won't drive
 

Hi,

My girlfriend has a problem with her 2001 Hyundai Accent GS. Manual transmission.

Theres errror code: P0102
But the MAF was replaced 1.5 years ago.
OBD2 scan tool also says the emissions aren't good. Not specific info though.

It only starts about 70% of the time. The other 30% of the time, it will turnover but not start.

When it does start, it has no problem idling, although I think it idles too low. About 900 RPM. When you try to drive it, or give it more gas then 1600 RPM, the car will stall. So you can't even pull off. It is sometimes possible to catch the stall by accelerating hard, but it does not always work. If you pulse the gas pedal, you can actually drive, but it stumbles/shudders. You can't really call it driving but the car will move a distance.

After cleaning the MAF, replacing the fuel pump and fuel filter today I tried to drive it again. Same issue. While driving, the car was trying to stall, so I floored the gas pedal. The car would accelerate to 1600. When it reached 1600, it would quickly drop to 1000, where it would accelerate back up to 1600. This would repeat over and over, the whole time the pedal was firmly on the ground.

When the car stalls, I can hear the fuel pump still pumping so I can officially rule that out I think.

There is quite a bit of liquid coming out the exhaust. Not sure if that's related.

Please, please please help. If you need clarification on anything, let me know.

While it is running, grab the Throttle Position Sensor by the square connector, and slightly flex the TPS sensor, and see if the engine acts goofy.

Make sure the air inlet tube from throttle body to MAF is secure, and no crack/air leaks...

Verify ground cable from battery to body and engine mounting points is clean.. take the end off at the body and grind the paint off to bare steel, and apply grease to the bare metal when reassemble connection.

Hey thanks for the quick reply. I'll try testing the TPS sensor tonight and I'll check the batter cable tonight. The car always seems to have spark. I've pulled the plugs one at a time while it was running. Each would spark against the block because I didn't pull them away fast enough.

The liquid is clear and doesn't have a distinct odor.

Some things I forgot to mention:
When the car isn't starting, I can usually get it to start by bouncing the back end while someone starts it.
At one point, when it wasn't starting, I managed to get it to start and as I did a cloud of white smoke came out of the exhaust. This was just once though.

MAF replaced. No more issues.