# 2002 2.5 spitting and sputtering. Please help!



## 5point9limited (Aug 9, 2011)

-189,000 miles
-Crankshaft Position Sensor just replaced
-Tuned up at 110k
-Regular Maintenance

First off, the car has the cold start issue. After I get it started, It has a rough idle, then smooth, then rough, then smooth. It may run smoothly for 3 minutes, then sputter a little bit for a few seconds and then back to smooth idle.

When I give it gas, it may rev smoothly up to 6k, however, it rarely does. Almost like it is in limp mode. Like it is calling for fuel but it can't make it up to the motor. 

I smell gas when I try to rev it and it doesn't rev. It puts and backfires. It stumbles. 

Like I said, it is capable of idling very smoothly but when pushed it does all of the above.

My guess is that the fuel filter is clogged and not letting the fuel up to the motor. But before I replace the pump (non-serviceable filter) I want some opinions. Thanks in advance.


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## sggs (Aug 24, 2011)

well i'm currently in the process of cleaning out the manifold and injectors of a car that some similar symptoms. the fuel filter was broken(it rattled so something wasn't right, the new one nothing moved inside) and on top of that the fuel tank had been run as empty as it gets before we got the car. so the gas that came out of the filter was horrible, i'm surprised the car even ran. so everything down the way is filthy, the injectors almost completely blocked. before we took all that apart though we bled the fuel line and it ran a little better just from that. i'm expecting the car to run well once we get everything nice and clean and put back together with some new gaskets and stuff like that. so i'd look at spark plugs, fuel filter, bleeding the fuel line, and injectors.


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## sggs (Aug 24, 2011)

oh yeah and look into mass air flow sensor and/or something clogged exhaust wise catalytic converter?


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