Our 2001 Accent doesn't accelerate right...with the pedal floorboarded we barely get enough acceleration to drive the car. and sometimes it just tries to die.

 

There's not enough information to go on with what you said. The engine needs air, fuel, and spark to run. If the car runs, but runs poorly, it could be a very clogged air filter, or fuel filter. It could be an ignition issue. For ignition, it could be either fouled spark plugs, wiring issue, or a ignition timing issue.

Could be a $10 filter or something far more expensive. Is the check engine light on? If it is, have it checked out. Let us know what codes came up....

 

How many miles are on it? Is the check engine light on? If so, you need to find out what codes are stored in the computer before we can proceed further.

 

It has 42,000 miles it sat for 5 years, runs good at idle, live to remote to get to a plugin diagnosis or to even have it towed, found that the exhaust is plugged....probably a mouse or squirel nest in it. Saw the exhaust extremely red after dark last night...why is this an age that things have to be plugged in to find out what is wrong? We grew up by diagnosing things by sound, & smell. The first things we checked were all the things you mentioned we are 70 years old have worked on cars all our life, and know it needs spark, air and fuel...checked all those things but didn't need to check the air and spark as it ran just got no acceleration. Thank you for your replys we appreciate them but wish people could diagnose the problems themselves.

 

Back when cars were "easy" to work on they were crude, inefficient and dirty. Computers have made cars more powerful, fuel eficient and clean. Understanding how the cars computer works takes computers and scanners. That's the tradeoff. And while things may have appeared "easier" back then, today you can just plug in the car to a computer and it will tell you what is wrong instead of guessing.

 

^^ agreed. use a simple (and cheap these days) scantool and if anything modern cars are EASIER to work on.

 

Can computers tell you where the timming mark is on the cam shaft if it slipps? Can you tell me?

 

no but your eyes can if you look at it. what's your point besides being against technology simply because you're too lazy to learn?

 

Gorgegranny,

You don't necessarily need a scan tool/code reader, but it does really help. Every car made after 1996 has the OBD II system, which makes looking up info about the car really useful. While the basic technology of how an internal combustion engine hasn't changed, computers have really helped to make them cleaner and more efficient, as stated above by another poster. You can download trouble codes and do an internet search for the likely cause. Its come in quite handy for keeping my old family cars running.

You can obtain a scan tool that will tell you engine timing info, rpm, speed, etc for around $100. A VERY useful device for the money. Look at Actron or Innova for these units. Check Amazon.com. Look for a "scan tool".

To me, the two best clues are the red hot exhaust and the car sitting for five years. Like you mentioned, something may have crawled up and died in there. For all we know, you gave a family of gerbils carbon monoxide poisoning. What's retirement age for a gerbil? About five years apparently

If you have the tools, i'd start removing exhaust system components and find out what's going on. Your car does have a catalytic converter and it's unlikely that anything crawled in between the cat and the engine. The catalyst is too tight to let pretty much anything through (in terms of animals crawling in). I'd start looking just behind the converter and back out. The muffler may have become a home for critters. I have never seen glowing exhaust on a normal car, so i'd guess it's a clog causing significant back pressure and the poor engine operation. You can try running without the aft portion of the exhaust to see if performance improves. It will be loud, but will help find the problem.

Good luck.