Car Trouble

Still a problem? Look to ignition wires - spark plugs. 

Good luck.

Jim

Amanda, my apologies. I wrote an earlier answer but did seem to get thru to you.

I said I suspect bad or weak fuel pump.  Check fuel volume and pressure.  Less likely is a bad or clogged fuel injector(s).  Bad/loose ignition wires/plugs.  Least likely.

thanks we will try these things!!

Hope one works for you. Best regards.

Several things can cause this condision.and heres the list: 

(1) : Poor fuel quality,( the fuel could be contaminated with an unburnable substance "like water")

 (2) : The engine could be in need of a tune up ( but first you need to detrimine if  the engine is worthy of a tune-up / depending on the milage of the vehicle : 

a compression test /and-or/ a cylinder leakage test maybe needed, Is the engine miss-firing? this could be caused by old faulty sparkplugs,ignition leads,or the fuel injectors, vacuum leaks can also cause a miss-fire condision when the engine is at idle , which will seem to disappear when the accellerator is raised off of idle. 

(3) : If in the passed the engine has suffered from a faulty fuel injector,oxygen sensor,oil getting into the combustion chamber /and or/ an excess of unburnt fuel finding it's way into the exhaust system and to the catylitic converter  this will cause the converter to clog. (which in turn restricts the exhaust flow and will impede the engines ability to breath) (Please note a engine is basically an air pump it pulls air in and pushes it out ) If you find out that the converter is clogged something caused it and your new converter will clog again if the problem is not found and repaired.

(4) : The problem could also be in the transmision: Check the fluid is it burnt? (Dark fluid with a foul odor is bad) (Good fluid has a bright red tint to it, and it smells like new oil)

If you would like a more detailed insight on what is going on I will need some more input from you: like milage on engine?, size of engine , type of transmission,What repairs have been done?,when did it start acting this way? does run ok when it's in park? any miss-fires, Does it only act up when a load is applied? my best guesses are printed above good luck - Mike

ok, we worked on it ALL day today and its no better.... its not the air filter( it was really dirty), not the fuel filter, not the fuel pump......checked all the vacuum lines and its not that or the spark plugs or wires!!! the things listed are the things checked or replaced. it runs ok in park, it hasnt had any miss fires, and it only does this when you go over 30-40. You can make it about 2 miles or so before it starts and once you stop somewhere and turn it off then start it back it runs ok for about another 2 miles. the engine itselfhas around 185k miles on it and i know thats alot but we are still paying for it and have no choice but to fix it. we have a 2001 that was wrecked, got it from a friend... the parts should interchange shouldnt they?!

also have your converter checked it may be pluged ,not allowing enough exhaust gas to escape which will cause you car to be very slugish and only reach certin speeds.......

thanks guys for all ur help! we did get it fixed today... it was the coil pack or something like that...