Engine "Choking" & Acceleration Power Low
 

I am having, what I worry, is a very big problem with my 2001 V6 mustang. It just hit 101,000 miles, and is now appearing to have difficulties.

About a week ago, I first noticed, when driving the car, uphill, it would sort of putt and the acceleration power would be notably low.

The problem has now increased to the point that when I start-up the engine, even without it in gear, the car putts. When driving, it feels almost as if it's being choked for gas. It's jerky and has very little acceleration power. For the first time today, the yellow-lit "check engine" light went on, so I turned it around and parked it.

Can anyone help me out w/ some advice on what this could be? I would greatly appreciate it.

hmm, could be a number of thing...fuel pump, clogged injectors, who knows..but does kinda sound like a fuel problem...since the engine light came on it threw a code so ur mechanic should be able to see what's goin' on...

hey thanks for the advice. i called a friend of mine, and he said almost the same thing as you. he did ask how long it's been since i had the fuel filter changed, and I am unsure, but believe it was changed somewhere in the 70k-80k range, which is above what the user's manual recommends.

in your opinion, do you think it could be the fuel filter? and would it be worth for me to try some fuel injection cleaners?

sure, idk where the fuel filter is located, but if it's easy to change, or if u can at least see if it's clogged, wouldn't hurt to do it...and ya can try the injector cleaner..i heard seafoam? is what a lot of the guys on here use....i've never used it before, but i've heard it's tha sh*t...if all that don't work, ur out what, $20...$40? after that i'd prolly drop it by the dealership or a trusted mechanic, let'em take a look at it....like i said before about the engine light...they'll be able to see what the problem is once they hook it up to the comp....but yea, go for the simple stuff you can do on ur own...

hey, just wanted to let u know what happened w/ this.. forgot to post it back up sooner.

took it to my mechanic and it ended up being bad spark plugs that were misfiring. got them changed, and it's great again. i was surprised to hear that's what it was, but now that i know, it makes sense.

anyway thanks for your help, it's nice that someone on these forums actually helps someone out who is looking for auto problem help-- not just how to install a glow kit or ground effects.

thanks!

The spark plugs would have been what I would have suggested. Any gas-powered motor needs 3 things: air, fuel, and spark. Anytime something is questionable, the spark plugs will usually tell you what it is.

Scott