Expert: Sean Halliday - 6/1/2007

Question
hi i have a 92 acclaim and about 3 mnths ago started acting up.kind of sputtering.now its so bad its dying at stop lights.it always starts up right away.i use to be able to pull it over and shut it off,start again and take off and it seemed to(reset)itself?now that does'nt work either.i was thinking it was a fuel filter prob. whats really weird is prob would get worse after filling up tank. very 1st thoughts before changing fuel filter was that i had a big chunk of gravel stuck somewhere.thats what it always has felt like like something is being clogged or blocked, because when it's not doing this, it drives beautifully.anyways,it was'nt the fuel filter.changed spark plugs and wires,been told if it was the fuel pump,that a fuel pump either works or does'nt.someone suggested it was fuel injector seals,but i smell no gas.out of all this i do get good gas mileage still.it also has a rough idle at times and sometimes when i seem to bypass the problem by pressing down a little further on the gas you can feel something kind of like kick in and then the idle goes back up.i do have 2 holes in the muffler but have been told that would make no diff.recently i used lucas oil(liquid tuneup in a bottle) and it seemed to be great 1st 3/4 of a tank of gas,but then got worse.also told if it was timing it would be bad all the time.dont know if this helps,but car never overheats and never check engine light comes on(never).it does work when key is turned.can you help me?do you know what it might be?before i either end up carless or broke from repairs :**(
Thank you...

Answer
It is possible thats it a fuel pump but it usually goes out after a short period so,,,,check the EGR valve and MAF ,mass air flow ,,,sensor and look for vacuum leaks or splits in the hoses.......could be also a leaking intake manifold or throttle body im assuming this car in fuel injected.Stalling is nearly always the EGR valve so i would look there first.Good idea to get a haynes manual it tells you how to check everything related to this problem before you spend a fortune on it.Manual will cost about $20.....