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abaya · 08-25-2008, 02:43 AM

My car is a 1997 VW Golf, FWD, 4 door, stick shift. I don't know the engine type. I must be the 6th or 7th owner of the vehicle. It shows...

After we took a long trip to a very remote corner of Iceland with HORRIBLE dirt roads (full of chuck holes and dust), the car began running very rough. We rather stubbornly managed to get it another 800 miles on a round-the-island "business" trip last weekend, but I don't dare push it any further than that. We've been lucky enough as it is.

The car basically has a very hard time accelerating (even on flats), and it loses speed almost immediately when going up any kind of hill. It doesn't stop, though--as I keep down-shifting, it will just chug up the hill at maybe 20 mph (when it should be going 40-50), and then it's fine on the downhill. When I accelerate from a stop, it builds up speed very slowly, with a few jerks and stutters--feels kind of epileptic, for lack of a better word--but eventually it settles in alright and just keeps going.

I figure the problem is either the air filter or some problem with the sparks. I had the fuel filter replaced just a few months ago (it was rusted so badly that it was leaking fuel right onto the road--yikes, at $10 a gallon!), so it can't be that, unless the actual fuel line is clogged... but I don't know how to figure that out. Since we were driving on such horribly dusty roads, with a lot of banging and bumping around, I think something must have gotten clogged somewhere... and that's why the car won't accelerate, except in spurts and stutters.

So, #1: How do I know if the air filter needs replacing? And #2: Is it feasible for me to replace the air filter by myself, or should I have a professional do it?

And I suppose #3: If it's not the air filter, could you give me some advice on where else to look, or what to ask a mechanic to look at for me?

Many thanks! I aspire to be able to fix my own cars, but I still have a long ways to go...

08-25-2008, 02:43 AM	#1 (permalink)
abaya Location: Iceland	Air filter: how to change? My car is a 1997 VW Golf, FWD, 4 door, stick shift. I don't know the engine type. I must be the 6th or 7th owner of the vehicle. It shows... After we took a long trip to a very remote corner of Iceland with HORRIBLE dirt roads (full of chuck holes and dust), the car began running very rough. We rather stubbornly managed to get it another 800 miles on a round-the-island "business" trip last weekend, but I don't dare push it any further than that. We've been lucky enough as it is. The car basically has a very hard time accelerating (even on flats), and it loses speed almost immediately when going up any kind of hill. It doesn't stop, though--as I keep down-shifting, it will just chug up the hill at maybe 20 mph (when it should be going 40-50), and then it's fine on the downhill. When I accelerate from a stop, it builds up speed very slowly, with a few jerks and stutters--feels kind of epileptic, for lack of a better word--but eventually it settles in alright and just keeps going. I figure the problem is either the air filter or some problem with the sparks. I had the fuel filter replaced just a few months ago (it was rusted so badly that it was leaking fuel right onto the road--yikes, at $10 a gallon!), so it can't be that, unless the actual fuel line is clogged... but I don't know how to figure that out. Since we were driving on such horribly dusty roads, with a lot of banging and bumping around, I think something must have gotten clogged somewhere... and that's why the car won't accelerate, except in spurts and stutters. So, #1: How do I know if the air filter needs replacing? And #2: Is it feasible for me to replace the air filter by myself, or should I have a professional do it? And I suppose #3: If it's not the air filter, could you give me some advice on where else to look, or what to ask a mechanic to look at for me? Many thanks! I aspire to be able to fix my own cars, but I still have a long ways to go... __________________ And think not you can direct the course of Love; for Love, if it finds you worthy, directs your course. --Khalil Gibran