Automotive repair?

chic

chic

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U.S.
My car is 8 years old and does not accelerate well on the highway anymore. This is no biggie, but the other morning, I was stuck in heavy stop and go traffic in the city. I was the unlucky 1st one in line when the light turned red and I had to stop. When it turned green, I hit the accelerator and the car would barely crawl. Everyone was blasting their horns at me, but there seemed nothing to do but hug the side of the road until I could pull over safely and call AAA. I was able to pull off the road by taking a right onto a side street. The accelerator suddenly got better and the car got me everywhere I needed to go for the rest of the day no sweat.

But I looked the problem up online and there is no clear answer as to what could be wrong. :confused: The engine light did NOT come on. The car was stalling for no apparent reason. I booked and appt. to get it looked at this week, but wonder if anyone has an educated guess as to what can be wrong. It helps to sound like you know automotive issues when dealing with a mechanic.

TIA :rolleyes:
 

Too many possibilities, but most common would be: Fuel pump starting to quit. Bad gas. Dirt that got through the filter (or the filter is clogged) and got caught in the injectors. A really dirty air filter could also contribute, but probably not to the point you experienced. It can also be sensors, depending on what your car has. You might have an airflow sensor that got dirty and malfunctioned. You could have a leaking fuel line, a leaking vacuum line, or the catalytic converter could be going.

Those would constitute the most common causes of poor acceleration. I'm assuming, but of course don't know, that there isn't anything going on in the engine itself. But an 8 year old car could have cracked/leaking hoses and certainly could have a failing fuel pump. They'll be able to diagnose that quickly.
 
My last vehicle had similar issues and it turned out to be a bad oxygen sensor.

Some of the auto supply shops in this area will do a basic diagnostic check for free. More comprehensive checks cost in the range of $75.00 - $150.00 and many shops will knock that fee down if you have any needed work done at the time of the diagnostic.

I would get it checked before it lets you down in a dangerous situation.

Good luck.
 

chic said:
My car is 8 years old and does not accelerate well on the highway anymore. (Quote)

Keep in mind that auto dealerships make most of their profits from their Service Department. When an "auto novice" comes in for repairs, a simple $50 fix can quickly escalate into hundreds of dollars. Most major auto parts stores....NAPA. Auto Zone, O'reilly, etc., offer a free "code readout" that usually indicates the problem, and that is a Very Good place to start. With all the "gee whiz" sensors and features on today's cars, there are dozens of things that could be causing your issues. If you would post the make/model/engine, etc., of your car, perhaps I, or others, can offer some potential suggestions.
Click to expand...
 
The LAST place I'd take my car is to a dealership-- unless I had an irresistible urge to waste a whole lot of money real fast! I usually do like Don says and get one of those readouts (usually at Pep Boys or Valvoline). And I had Pep Boys work on my last car quite a bit over its 13 year life and they always did a good job and fixed whatever was wrong for less than half what a dealer would charge.

Now I've discovered a mechanic who has opened his own shop and does wonderful work, and I'd take my care there.
 
All cars are required by law to have a connector (OBD) that enables a tester to be plugged in and tell you the problem. This is what Don M is referring to.
 
I'm not taking the car to a dealership. I'm taking it to an auto repair place I've used for years. They're very good and honest. I just hope the car works well enough to get me there in one piece.:sentimental: Thanks for the advice retiredtraveler. That's similar to what I read. Many possibilities.
 
It's hard to tell but it must be a fuel problem.

So just for laughs, there might be a problem with the gas in your tank or your fuel injectors.

So why not try a shot of fuel injector cleaner? Just add it to the tank.
 

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