okay so i finally got my car its long awaited tune-up a couple weeks ago, right before i moved down here to south carolina. as soon as i got it done i could definitely tell a difference... big improvement in starting, acceleration, etc.

then i drove it 500 miles from PA to SC... the day after i got here, all of a sudden my car starts having this very noticable 'sluggish' feeling, mostly at lower speeds (driving in parking lots, etc.) it feels like something keeps making it downshift and slow down or ??? i'm mentioning the tune up thing because that's the only thing that's been done to it recently, and it definitely wasn't driving like this even before the tune up.

i hope this doesn't sound too vague... i'd really appreciate any help y'all can give me.

oh by the way, it's a '98 3.0 with 87k miles

 

what all did they do? spark plugs, wires, and oil?

 

plugs, wires, fuel system cleaner... umm i think that's most of it. i didn't have them do the oil because it had just been changed not too long before that. maybe 2000 miles ago.

 

no weird sound? 500miles is a long trip...try getting ur oil and oil filter change. oils probably dirty from the trip.

BTW, you're so fine.

 

aww baby yoo soo fine...

 

if its sluggish...they might not have gapped the plugs correctly.....but..try doing an oil change and also...since they did the fuel system....run your tank to pretty empty..then fill up..to get the gas out and some fresh in.....but recheck the plug wires..make sure they are tight..and if not that..the the gaps could be incorrect

 

if the plugs are not gap right u should heard ur engine running misfiring.

 

yea..if you misfired..you could also get a check engine light...

any check engine light mesmerize?

 

i haven't noticed any noises at all...

 

...and no check engine light

 

just pull your ECU fuse..start your car and let it idle for 10 mins..then see what it does..if you dont wanna pull your fuse..just disconnect your battery cable...thatll reset the fuel maps a lil...try that

other than that..without inspecting the car in real life..im kinda stumped

 

check ur oil gurl, if its like really dark then u need change it out...doest matter if u did it 2000miles ago, that 500mile trip could of done it. have somebody like autozone or someone u know check ur timing...usually when ur timing is off u feel that sluggish at driving slow like tis gonna just choke and dead on u. i dotn think ur air filter would make u car do that but check that too.

 

what about the tranny fluid? maybe you need that flush after the 500 mile trip. see if it looks clean (pinkish-redish color) and see if it smells burn or not.

if it's dark red and smells burn, time to get it flush

 

One other idea. Has the EGR problem been repaired? My '98 3.0 just had it done @ 81k and it helped with the low RPM sluggishness.

Just a thought..........

 

okay now i'm worried... my car's still doin the whole sluggish thing, but now it seems to be having trouble even STARTING sometimes!!

friday night i was driving around town and stopped somewhere for like 5-10 minutes. when i came back to my car & tried to start it, the engine was turning over but it wasn't starting... (i don't know if there's a more technical term for that..)

so of course i'm like ohhh shit. so i take the key out, wait a couple seconds, then tried to start it again. this time it started up fine and i didn't have any problems the rest of the night. this morning i went to start it again, and although it started, for a few seconds it felt like it wasn't going to.

i was planning to get an oil change this week to see if that would help the sluggishness thing, but now i'm thinkin maybe i should just take it to the dealer..? (by the way, i still have my 100k warranty, so it's not gonna cost me anything to have it checked out, it's just a pain in the ass to find the time to take it in.)

i need some more advice please...

 

if u put fuel cleaner in, then theres all kind of gunk floating around in ur tank. u prolly clogged up ur fuel filter from the trip. change that and u should be aiit.

 

what about a fuel filter problem, if its feeling slugish maybe not getting enough fuel to the engine, check your fuel filter as well and see if its dirty, the cleaner they have put in may have huyrt you but i doubt it

 

What kind of plugs were put in at the tune up? If they are not the platnum type it may be harder to start.....