Hyundai: Hyundai sputtering, hyundai elantra, 2003 hyundai elantra

Question
Hello all,
My question regards my 2003 hyundai elantra GLS. A few weeks ago after a heavy rain I started my car and it didn't start right, it ran rough like I didn't hold the ignition long enough. I shut it off and restarted it. On my way to the grocery store it sputtered, bucked, and generally ran terribly. I looked under the hood and found the timing belt cover had a screw missing (which I had replaced 30k miles ago) and it was ajar. I had it towed to my mechanic who couldn't find a problem. Lately, the car is sputtering when I start it and now has progressed to sputtering and slightly bucking on the road. I thought that this may be a fuel problem, but I know nothing of cars. Please help.

Answer
Hi Jeffrey,

I'm sorry to hear about your situation. Hyundais can be difficult cars sometimes. There are several possibilities to your problem. Without looking at the car itself it sounds like it could be bad spark plugs but I'm sure a mechanic would've pick that up when you had it towed. It also could be your Temp sensor, bad ignition system, or faulty Electronic Control Unit (ECU).Go to your local Auto Parts store and get a free "Check Engine Light" diagnostics and let me know what pops up.