Questioni have a 1995 mirage s with the 1.5 liter engine.
i have put new plugs, plug wires, distributor and rotor on the car. when the car is first cranked it will not start right up. it will turn over and over. most of the time you have to push the gas pedal and it will finially turn over and start. once it starts it will spit and sputter or go dead agian. the exhaust also is really stong smelling. once the car warms up the small goes away and the car will start up fine. it is just the very first morning start up.
also when on long trips (high way use) the car seems to loose power. like it will only go 75 on the interstate with the pedal pressed on the floor. and it will go slower and slower when going up hill. this problem just started. the car used to run 85, 90 no problem and never loose power uphill. it is like it had no horsepower. could it be the ECU, O2 censor, injector? i have also tried fuuel system cleaner which helped at first but now seems to do little.
AnswerChris,
This sounds like you possibly have a problem with your fuel system. A couple items you may want to replace yourself are the air filter, fuel filter, and PCV valve. The air filter and PCV valve are very easy to replace, and are pretty cheap. It's good to replace those items every year. The fuel filter is not that difficult to replace, though many people are not confortable working around gasoline. You may want your local mechanic to take care of that.
You should definitly have your fuel pump checked. It may not be running efficiently enough to supply the amount of gas you need for highway speeds. Having your fuel injectors and throttle body cleaned may help restore some power as well.
Also, have your mechanic check your engine's compression to be sure it's within factory spec. Low compression can lead to those symptoms you described.
Good luck!
