I just got this car from a family friend to use to get back and forth and I'm having a problem with it. I'm trying to narrow down what the problem could be, because if it's something that's going to potentially cost a lot of money I'm just going to sell it and not mess with it.

But here's the problem:

When I'm driving the car it just seems to kinda sputter as I'm trying to get it up to speed. At around 55mph the sputtering gets pretty bad and jerks quite a bit as I accelerate. It's also kinda shaky whenever I put the car in reverse. To me it feels like the tranny is going out, but my mom thinks otherwise. A couple of days ago we tried to start it and it just wouldn't. The engine was turning over, but that was it. My friend says it sounds like it's misfiring and he pulled out spark plug to see if it was messed up. I guess what he told me was that it wasn't sparking. He put the plug back in and we tried again to start it, and we eventually did get it started.

Anyway, what I really want to know is if the tranny is going out, and also if we should replace the timing belt and the spark plugs. My mom believes the spark plugs and timing belt are the reasons why the car is running like crap...is it a possibility?

 

If you are even concerned that the transmission is going out, the first thing I would do is take to an AAMCO shop. They have a machine that will hook up to certain cars and will be able to run a diagnostic to see if anything is indeed malfunctioning. There are certain requirements to that one however. Also, they can drive it and be able to at the very least give you a more definite idea.

Secondly, I wouldnt even do ANY tune-up work on your car until you find out what exactly is wrong with the car. It would suck major ***** to have spent $150-400 on your car only to find out you need a new transmission. By tune-up work I mean plugs, wires, etc...

I've replaced a few transmissions in my day and I've gone and purchased it from a junkyard. Saved myself alot of money but I got really messy and it took me about a month the first time and 4 days the second time. Mind you, I did this on my own inbetween working.

If you want to save yourself a little time, put your car up on jacks, and unbolt the transmission pan.....make sure you have a large bucket or something to let the transmission fluid drain out of the bottom. Check the pan for chunks of metal. If you have several pieces or tons of small stuff.....it's almost a 100% guarantee your tranny is at least going out......

One last thing...whatever you do, do not just listen to people on forum's, get a real professionals advice. Good luck!

 

Nice, there are professionals out there on these forums, like myself.

If you can won't start, the transmission has nothing to do with it. If it is a 4 cylinder, I would definitely shoot for plugs and wires. Try wetting them down after the engine is running and see if it dies (use a hose if you have to). If it does, plugs and wires for sure. If not, you could have a bad crank sensor or cam sensor. If it is a V6 same deal, a lot more work to replace the plugs and wires. The V6's had a problem with the distributor causing stalling and no starts.

 

To put it bluntly, have it looked at by a trained and certified mechanic, dont just listen to what we have to say....as we can only give you answers based on what you tell us....

That does NOT mean there arent certified mechanics or really well learned people on this forum, I am merely implying that more often then not, people on forums give all kinds of bad advice because they dont know jack sh*t about actual engine/tranny work....

If THIS doesnt apply to you, dont pipe up.....

 

Well, I'll probably have my friend check the tranny so we can maybe rule that out. I've talked to a couple of other people who said it almost definitely sounds like a bad fuel filter or a dying fuel pump. Sound right?