Guys/Gals--- I have a 2002 S60 with 137,000 mile in it. As I drive down the road I feel the car "surging" -- it feels like someone is applying the e-brake and then releasing it quickly. I am thinking maybe the fuel filter needs to be replaced or the MAF sensor. I just don't know.... Anybody have the similar problem and fixed it?? Love the car-- just want it to run right.. Thanks Mud

 

Any CEL's? Has the car been properly maintained and tuned up? A good start would be to look at the maintenance history and see when spark plugs were done, filters, PCV etc. See if you can get a scanner to check all the modules and see if there are any codes stored there to point you towards your issue. Not sure how long you owned the car

EDIT: Your MAF sensor is most likely fine unless it has been gummed up with oil vapor, they make a specific cleaner for MAFs, do not use brake clean as it can damage the sensor.

 

Dingus--- Thanks for the reply. The car is a 2002 2.4 NON-= turbo Maintenance has been kept up . I have owned the car from 21,000 miles . Only thing I'm hoping is not the problem is the trans.. I have heard it can start shifting badly. Mine does have a hard engagement first thing in morning but after that it's fine. trying to get all the bugs pout. Thanks

 

Personally I do not think an issue with the trans will cause surging, but if you haven't, it would be a good idea to do a few drain and fills on the transmission to refresh the fluid. You pretty much just drain out through the drain plug on the bottom, put in as much as you took out, use a measuring device for this ( I use painters cups.) Do a lap or two around the block and repeat. I pick up a 12qt case and use the whole case for drain and fills. You should see about 2.5qts drain out every time.

You could look into cleaning the throttle body if it is dirty, these are easy on a N/A S60.

If you can get the car hooked up to a scanner with live data that would be ideal, see what values are changing during your surges. Is fuel pressure going down? Air flow changing? Throttle position? It will help you get an idea on what is happening. And if it can communicate with the modules it can show you any non-CEL codes. Minor issues that don't warrant a check engine light.

 

The ETMs were problematic on early 2000 vintage cars. Check out Xemodex.com or Modulemaster for some content on symptoms of a problematic ETM (electronic throttle mechanism) and rebuild kits/service.