Loss of power at high altitudes

[henrydyck]

I have a 2007 Vibe. At low altitudes the power is fine but at high altitudes (over about 5000 ft), there is a noticeable difference in power. On steep hills, if you have to slow down the car stalls. I have had to ask a person to get out so I could make it up the hill. The car has a standard transmission. Any ideas?

[prathman]

It's natural for engines to have somewhat less power at higher altitudes due to less oxygen, but your description sounds extreme. I've driven ours ('06; 5-spd) over the Rockies at a little over 12000' and never had any real issue with the power although it wasn't quite as peppy as at sea level.I wonder if your air/fuel mixture ratio is off and when this is combined with the lower oxygen levels at high elevations is making your engine more sluggish than it should be. Are you getting any other indications of a problem such as a 'Check Engine' light or black exhaust smoke when accelerating?Also don't be afraid to keep the engine at pretty high rpms when climbing steep hills. Maximum HP is around 6000 rpm, so keeping the rpms low will limit the available engine power.

[Raven]

Give those gerbils some Wheaties!

[kunkstyle]

I take mine out to the mountains on a regular basis, and with 4 other people in the vehicle and 5 sets of skis and gear in the car, I have never been able to not maintain speed. It'll downshift to 2nd and sounds like it's about to bounce off the rev limiter, but I've never needed to lose weight to get up a hill. Sounds like there's a serious issue there.

[ColonelPanic]

Plugged catalytic converter possibly?

[kunkstyle]

Not to be a smart a**, but you are downshifting to get up the hills, right?

[zionzr2]

another trick is when you get to an area that is higher altitude. Park someplace and do the following:1. disconect the battery resettting the computer.2. reconcect the battery and start the car and let idle for 5 minutes. 3. Continue on your way. This allows to computer to readjust itself to the environment. Yes, It should do this automatically but sometimes this little procedure helps. Also try a higher octane gas. Or an Octane Booster.And as mentioned already downshift. 5th gear is not a hill climbing gear. esp in a lower oxygen environment.

[henrydyck]

If you have to slow down (due to traffic) going up a steep hill, in low gear, the rpms fall. You then have to rev it and ride the clutch up the hill. If you have to stop (due to traffic) completely (with more than 2 people), the car stalls and will not move no matter how high you rev it. This is a hill with lots of traffic ...cars with smaller engines (of all makes) regularly drive this hill without problems.

[henrydyck]

I didn't mention it before but we also have a problem with our battery going dead. In less than 1 year we are on battery number 3. After 5 days without use, the battery is dead...nothing. You jump start it and away it goes. The dealership people keep checking our car and saying nothing is wrong.We live at about 700 ft and they tell us they can't test our car for the high altitude power loss at this altitude.There has never been any engine light come on.

[henrydyck]

As for gearing down ...we wouldn't dream of climbing a steep hill Other than in low. I have driven a standard transmission for 30 years...3 Hondas and a Sentra...all new cars and all no problems.Am I frustrated?

[lovemyraffe]

There has to be a serious problem with your car. I live above 5500 ft and although it doesn't have the power up here like it does at lower elevations, it has never had a problem getting up the hills. I carry bikes and kayaks and skis and snowboards and camping gear and rock climbing gear as well as people on a regular basis and not once had to get rid of weight.

[prathman]

Quote, originally posted by henrydyck »We live at about 700 ft and [the dealer tells] us they can't test our car for the high altitude power loss at this altitude.There has never been any engine light come on.If your regular dealer won't help take it to one somewhere else, preferably one at a higher elevation. Warranty repairs can be done by any Pontiac dealer. As others have said, this is definitely not normal for this car. Whatever the problem is I hope you get it fixed quickly since it sounds like you may wear out your clutch prematurely - and that's not usually covered by warranty.