I have a 88 grand am Se 2.0 OHC turbo, automatic the turbo does not work. my problem is that it runs great for about 1/2 hour driving until it gets warmed up. I come to a light it starts to surge and buckle and it stalls. starts up no problem runs great in neutral but I put it in gear it stalls instantly. If I let it sit in neutral and running, or shut car off for about five minutes, I put it in gear and it runs fine, but after it does this the first time in the day it continues at every third or fourth light. If I drive on the highway and and have to slow down to turn or stop it will stall and will not drive in gear but will run fine in neutral

Sounds like the solenoid................it gets overheated, when it cools off it'll start and run again, get heated again, shutdown.

There is a blower control resistor (manual system) or a blower transistor (automatic temp system) located behind the glove compartment in the HVAC box and this is a high failure item.

YES! IT IS PROBABLY JUST A SENSOR THAT GOT WET INSIDE!

Autos can be frustrating! I call it ghost in the machine...After all that, I would check the pressure at the fuel rail. My mother's Volvo turbo acted similarly and it was because of a worn fuel pump that was regulated electronicly. After 2 Volvo techs spent an hour on it + test drives, they told me that my diagnosis was correct, the fuel pressure at the rail was intermittently eratic and performed normally most of the time. No problems since the replacement 2 yrs ago. Let me know if you make progress and I'll check with my neighbor who has one and drag races as a hobby...MK

it sounds like the catalytic convertor is blocked

Hi,
The 1st>>2nd shift on the Subaru 4EAT automatic transmission can be more abrupt, but 3500 is too high.
Is there any delay when shifting from Park to Drive?
Does the Power light flash on startup? If it does, you can pull the codes by following these instructions.

This trans has 'bands' that can be adjusted. I'm not 100% sure they affect the 1st>2nd gear shift, but maybe they need adjusted.

Take a look @ ultimatesubaru.org/forum and http://bbs.legacycentral.org. 2 sites dedicated to Subarus.

Good luck,
Td

hi i think its the camshaft censer

Might be a smart investment to have filter & fluid changed, as well as make sure cooler for tranny, whether external or in rad is checked.

It has to be a ground wire somewhere. Are there 2 ground wires to your battery?

Could be an issue with losing boost from your turbo. Can you hear your turbo spinning correctly? I know some TDIs have turbos that are a little easier to hear than other for no apparent reason. Are all your vaccuum lines in good shape? Are the hoses from the turbo to and from the intercooler in good shape? Maybe when something (vacuum hose, intercooler hose) gets warm enough it flexes and leaks. Right when this happens you should pull over (if possible) open the hood and have someone give it a little fuel. You might be able to hear a vacuum leak or an air leak in the intercooler piping. It could also be a bum sensor that sticks at a certain value and when you stopped and restarted you unstuck it.
You need to start eliminating items or find any other symptoms you can to help narrow this down. It is a loss of power right, and that's what is keeping it in the lower gear? Or does it seem more like it is just stuck in lower gear?