Q: Poor acceleration, feels tight when I push on the accelerator.
So, I bought my Dart brand new with 12 miles on it. Every six months I have taken it to dealer after dealer and shop after shop because the accelerator was not responding like it should be. I also had a sepaate issue of a faulty battery and they changed that out and updated the software on the PCM. It drove and started up like new for a couple of weeks but then went back to accelerating poorly again and I have had this problem constantly until I recently about a week ago changed the air filter for the second time. It now drives like it is supposed to.I am experiencing a lot better performance since I changed the engine air filter for the second time in the car's life. I am wondering if this was the problem the whole time. Every time I would push the accelerator it felt like There was a lot of resistance. I am thinking I need to change the air filter more frequently then the book says to maintain this performance. I am going to test this out by 80,0000 mi
My car has 63000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
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| Air Filter Replacement | $104.43 - $174.79 | Get a Quote |
Hi there, thanks for writing in. I’d be happy to help.
A dirty or clogged air filter can absolutely cause the car to hesitate or demonstrate a lack of power at acceleration. As you may know, this is the equivalent of a human trying to go for a jog without being able to breathe. The air filter is your engine’s link to fresh air and when it is not properly flowing, this can cause major performance issues on any car. I would recommend at least checking the air filter at every oil change interval to be sure it is not clogged or excessively dirty.
Here at YourMechanic, we can also have a technician come to your home or office to confirm the issue for you and perform the air filter replacement.
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