WTF is the problem?!

[BoarderTy]

i was going about 47mph and i went to hit the gas to speed up a little and i had no response whatsoever. No power steering. I turned on the hazards while sitting in the middle of the road and i put the car in park and shut it off. tried starting it and it runs but it is a very rough idle that jumps from 500 rpm to 750 no higher. then after about 20 seconds it dies. so i tried starting it in neutral with gas all the way to floor and it sputters and doesnt go about 1500 rpm. then it will die. i have a quarter tank of gas and replaced plugs about 3 months ago.

i let the car sit for about 20-30 min and then went and tried to restart it and it started and sounded like it normally would and as soon as that thought when thru my head it died again.

went to the shop last night before they closed and they said if i got it to the shop they would look at it today. i asked the shop today what the verdict was and now they say they cant get to it till NEXT WEEK!

ANY HELP WOULD BE APPRECIATED THANK YOU!

[cavaliers60]

fuel filter possibly?

[BoarderTy]

The shop "looked at it today" all they did was try starting and it and when it didnt start they gave up on it for today.

[cavaliers60]

I'd take it to another shop.... Seems like they have no idea what they are doing and they don't seem to care about taking care of you.... I've had that kind of a situation once and told them I'd take it somewhere else... Pretty sure they went out of business. :lol:

[BoarderTy]

ik thats what im thinking about doing. i descibed the problem and what happened when i dropped the car off and they said it could be a number of things.

[TxAlero]

I had that happen simular to me in my old Bonniville, turned out to be a cloged fuel filter. $10.00 fix.

[robalero]

either fuel filter or spark plugs even tho you just replaced them they could of gotten foulled and are now bad again ( due to prob a dirty fuel filter )

[Redog]

Sounds like a fuel fitler to me also

I think you need to find another shop ;)

[Voidsplit]

Anyone know where you can buy the filters/ anyone have a guide on how to do the change?

[BoarderTy]

Anyone know where you can buy the filters/ anyone ahve a guide on how to do the change?

Well im looking online at NAPA and the filter is about a 15$ part, but idk how to do the change i would like to see that guide as well

[Redog]

Search button, there is a how to!

It's a little hard to do on the ground thou

[BoarderTy]

Search button, there is a how to!

It's a little hard to do on the ground thou

15$ part. how much u think the shop would charge in labor?

[cherrington17]

i think they charged me $20 for the install.

[BoarderTy]

Good Deal.

[clutch1]

If it's not the filter it's the fuel pump most likely. Check fuel pressure and volume to know for sure.

[robalero]

depending on where you are they will prob charge an hour labour ( some shops are asses )

[clutch1]

One thing to remember is that changing fuel filters SUCKS.

Period, except for the cars that are nice and give you quick disconnects (maybe the Alero does, I don't remember.)

Like Chevy trucks... NEVER had an easy one, it's a PITA every single time. Rusty POS junk.

[robalero]

some fords are quick disconnects. the alero is not it has it on one side and a pain in the ass nut on the other side that is always rusted stuck on

[Lucalare]

Fords do, I was working on a Grand Marquis, changing the fuel filter literally took 15 seconds.

[billytheman1188]

me and my friend changed my fuel filter a couple years back....its on the passenger side in front of the fuel tank... there is a clip you have to take off on one side and the other side there is a nut (i think). Took us like 20 min....the clip was a little tricky so if you try doing it yourself take the time to look at it first before prying at it....dont wanna break that clip ;) make sure u also have a bucket handy since there is gas in the lines. lol

A shop that knows what their doing can do it in no time. just call around, tell them what u need done (fuel filter put on) and ask when they can do it. some shops arent as busy as others so u might be able to get in soon and get it done. you can sit and wait too ;)

[robalero]

its the rust on the line of the nut side that can potentially break which is the pain in the ass. mine did it but its not hard to replace the line either so

[BoarderTy]

Thanks for all the help and comments on the problem guys, the shop checked it all out we replaced the fuel filter and tried it and still didnt work then they proceeded to change out the fuel pump. which was the problem

$455 bucks later and the Alero coupe is up and running like a champ. They even payed for a $15 car wash, changed the oil, and did a steering adjustmant free of charge. Also since im what they consider a "regular customer" (been in 3 times for hub assembly and now this) they gave me a set of 17" nankang tires to go on the summer rims. :D

[billytheman1188]

niiiiice!:coolio: Glad to hear everything worked out for ya!

[robalero]

thats not too bad of a deal considering everything esle they gave you too

[BoarderTy]

thats not too bad of a deal considering everything esle they gave you too

Thats exactly how i viewed it also!

[jawa]

epic win

[comanche]

Well.... the original problem was likely the fuel filter...
But quite often a clogged fuel filter leads to a bad fuel pump.

Which is why fuel filters are a periodic maintenance item.

We had a GM vehicle in the shop.
Would start and run for about 10 seconds and then quit.
Let it sit for a while, and it would start again.
Fuel filter was plugging up.
BUT...
We scoped the fuel pump, and you could tell that it was going bad as well.
It really hurts those fuel pumps to have to push against a clogging filter.