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Car Help

gojackets

gojackets

New member
So I'm not all that knowledgable about car stuff...

I have a 97 Nissan Altima...it was running fine but now when i'm stopped and start going or slowing down and speeding back up....it really takes a lot to get the car going....any ideas what would be causing it or how to fix it?

Thanks
 
Re: Car Help

gojackets said:
So I'm not all that knowledgable about car stuff...

I have a 97 Nissan Altima...it was running fine but now when i'm stopped and start going or slowing down and speeding back up....it really takes a lot to get the car going....any ideas what would be causing it or how to fix it?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Possibilities:

Muffler problem
Piston misfiring
Spark plugs need replacing
Fuel injector is dirty/clogged
Lots of other things that could make a car sluggish, some cheap, some expensive
 
Re: Car Help

Do the easy/cheap stuff first.

Check air filter, replace or clean if needed
Replace spark plugs
Replace fuel filter (if you don't have to drop the tank, which isn't a simple process)
Run some type of complete fuel system cleaner through the system, I just use STP and it works ok

Does the car sound different? Like it is not running on all cylinders?
 
Re: Car Help

My first thought was fuel filter as well.

Edit: another typical symptom of a clogged fuel filter is loss of power going up hills, even if you're going at constant speed. Are you getting that, too, or are there not enough hills nearby to know? :)
 
Last edited:
Re: Car Help

gojackets said:
So I'm not all that knowledgable about car stuff...

I have a 97 Nissan Altima...it was running fine but now when i'm stopped and start going or slowing down and speeding back up....it really takes a lot to get the car going....any ideas what would be causing it or how to fix it?

Thanks
Click to expand...
Is the engine sputtering when this happens? Does it sound different during its idle than during actual driving?

Turn off the radio, maybe role down a window, and really listen to the machine while you're driving it. The more you can describe it, the better answers you'll receive.

Otherwise, start with the cheap stuff like others have said. The fuel system cleaner would be my first start. I've done very well with the Gumout Complete Fuel System Cleaner. I use it regularly ever since my previous car started bogging down one day; after I put a bottle in it took a couple miles into operation and the car returned to normal.
 
Re: Car Help

I'm no expert, but while a fuel filter may be a likely cause, I would also suggest that any of the myriad of electronic sensors, switches, monitors, etc. may be at fault too. I have an Audi that started sputtering last year, and a $60 emissions sensor the size of my thumb went out, which screwed up everything else. You may want to take it to a good local mechanic, rather than a dealer, and have them run diagnostics and see if any fault codes pop up.
 
Re: Car Help

ScottM said:
I'm no expert, but while a fuel filter may be a likely cause, I would also suggest that any of the myriad of electronic sensors, switches, monitors, etc. may be at fault too. I have an Audi that started sputtering last year, and a $60 emissions sensor the size of my thumb went out, which screwed up everything else. You may want to take it to a good local mechanic, rather than a dealer, and have them run diagnostics and see if any fault codes pop up.
Click to expand...
Electrical is possible, maybe it is in limp mode? But that would be so much less power that he'd have trouble maintaining speed on the highway. If there even is limp mode on a '97...
 
Re: Car Help

Thanks everyone...I went to checker today...and asked the guy..told him some people had said I should try STP...he said I should use seafoam instead...i put it in...and it seems to be doing better....hopefully that solves it or i'll try the fuel filter....he also mentioned all the sensors too. I hope this just solves it haha
 
Re: Car Help

gojackets said:
Thanks everyone...I went to checker today...and asked the guy..told him some people had said I should try STP...he said I should use seafoam instead...i put it in...and it seems to be doing better....hopefully that solves it or i'll try the fuel filter....he also mentioned all the sensors too. I hope this just solves it haha
Click to expand...

If the STP/Seafoam helps, then it does sound like "gunk" is the problem. The only remaining question would be where the gunk is - the fuel filter and the injectors are the two most likely culprits, as those are where the fuel passages are the smallest. When in doubt, replace the filter first, since it's easy and cheap. You can buy a lot of cans of STP for the price of replacing the injectors!
 
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