Losing power in a car?

Question

Driving from CA to WI , after about 11 hours of non stop, about half way my Car, '03 Tiburon started to lose power and wound'nt go faster than 65 even if I floored it. Could it be the spark plugs going bad while I'm driving? It hasn't died on me yet but I am worried that it will when I am in the middle of no where.

Answer 1

Sounds more like a loose vacuum hose. Also, check the oil level and how dirty it is. But still, change the air and fuel filters.

Answer 2

Sounds like you just got some crappy fuel. It might have clogged the fuel filter so it is choking the engine. You may have an ignition problem, but more than likely it is not the spark plugs. You may want to check to make sure the wires are in good shape, no burnt or split insulation. Check your transmission fliud also. Now that I think it does seem like you might have dropped a cylinder. If you were dropping a cylinder, then the check engine light will flash in one second intervals, if that didn't happen, then for the most part the cap, rotor and wires and plugs should be ok. If you can, take the car to Auto Zone, Checkers, Pep Boys, O'Reilleys or some other main stream auto parts store and have them run an ODB-II scan on the car, if it all checks out good, then you more than likely have a fuel problem.

Answer 3

Watch your temp gauge.

Check the air filter, if it is particularly dusty esp over a long bit of road, the filter will clog up with dirt pretty quickly in comparison with normal driving when the suction on the filter is lower at idle (stop lights, etc)

Unless it started loosing power after filling up at a shady station... do not listen to anyone telling you to check the fuel filter... My 03 Tiburon GTV6 has 101,000 miles. At 98,000 the original fuel filter was clean as new... I've owned the car for all but its first 40k miles. Besides, checking it is quite a chore in itself... remove back seats, remove access panel, detach lines, pull the pump "bucket" out of the tank, and then the fun starts... yadda yadda, all though it is a common problem with other cars.

If your car is a V6 model, it will do 145-155 flat out depending on the transmission, so if it was crawling at 65 floored there is probably something wrong! Unfortunately its hard to call it on just the info you have given.

If you hit a bag or something you could have covered a part of the radiator or intake slot, which will definitely slow you down, and you esp don't want something like that to cause the car to over heat. If it was over heating, the computer sees that and richens the mixture of fuel to the motor significantly to attempt to cool it, causing a loss of power, not to mention the opportunity to do major harm to your motor.

I've heard of someone burning up the last bit of life in their clutch on a long trip as well, either by resting on it or something else careless, and the clutch will overheat and slip at a certain point, say 65mph in 6th gear.

Also, don't let anyone say its because its a Hyundai, note that the 03+ tiburon is the first real sporty or sexy car made in Korea, and thus especially the 2003 models were made with a lot of pride and quality. Korea has several road racing leagues dedicated to the huge tiburon performance market there, they love it, it is their Corvette.

Like I said, mine has 100,000+ miles, and I am a spirited driver, and have raced it quite a bit, but I have NEVER had to do ANY repairs, regular maintenance and modifications only! =P

Good luck with it either way, you might check the ignition wires, it seems a lot of people suggested that, all though I've never seen it happen.

Answer 4

Check both the air filter and the fuel filter. If the air filter is dirty, change it. NEVER EVER JUST WASH IT DOWN. I've seen some stupid people do that before. It just ruins the filter and gets your sink dirty. change it. If it's still doing that, check the fuel filter. about 4 out of 5 times it's low pressure to the engine because of a clogged or dirty fuel filter. If you do that and that still doesn't solve the problem (highly unlikely that it won't), you may have a broken, faulty, or damaged fuel pump. If you still have that problem, you will probably have a bigger problem with the fuel system and will need to take it in to a repair shop. It's most likely the fuel filter (or pump) or air filter.

Answer 5

This Site Might Help You.

RE:
Losing power in a car?
Driving from CA to WI , after about 11 hours of non stop, about half way my Car, '03 Tiburon started to lose power and wound'nt go faster than 65 even if I floored it. Could it be the spark plugs going bad while I'm driving? It hasn't died on me yet but I am worried that it will...

Answer 6

Your engine could get "tired" if you were driving for 11 hours straight. also when was the last time you changed your oil? your car could be in for some serious repairs if you haven't changed it before you went on your trip. Low compression will cause a car to loose power. and also check out the air filter and see how dirty it is.

Answer 7

I see alot of people have suggested the fuel or air filter but if I were you were I would take it to a good shop and have it put on the analyzer it could be an O2 sensor or a vacume line, I have seen alot of people spend alot of money tracing down these kind of problems. I asked my husband about this (he is a mechanic) and he said this would be a good place to start. Good Luck

Answer 8

I had the same problem with my BMW. Turned out to be a fuel sensor - it took the dealer more than a month to figure that out. do not drive with the vehicle in that condition. Doesn`t sound like spark plugs to me. When was the last time you had the air & fuel filter changed?

Answer 9

check or replace your fuel filter, the clogged filter will only allow enough fuel for you to go a certain speed, so getting a new one should fix the problem. They are cheap and easy to cange so even if that isn't the actual problem, its a good place to start.

Answer 10

sounds like a blocked fuel filter