Hello. This is my first post, so please be kind to me.

I own a 2002 Hyundai Accent GS with close to 56k miles on it. I recently had a new oil pan installed and now come across a new problem. For some time, when I start up my engine, it would make a noise (sputter I call it) for two seconds, then revs back up. Over time, it happened twice each time I start up. I had no problems with it and I was told it was a computer problem. Today, after letting my car sit overnight, I get in my car, start it up, and the sputtering began. This time, however, it lasted much longer and when it revved, the engine light began flashing as it sputtered, revved, then sputtered a third time before it finally did a quick rev and it reverted to normal, the engine light disappearing. Just in case, I drove around a couple blocks, got gas, and went on the highway for twenty minutes with no problem. I made an appointment with the dealership to get that checked out, but I'm afraid when I go back out to go home, sicne I can't take my car in until Friday, that my car wont' start and die on me. Can anyone tell me why my car's doing this when I try to take good care of it? It would help me out a great deal.

Thank you for your time.

 

It's hard to say, but if the car hasn't been on the road for more than 5 years, it's still under the original bumper-to-bumper warranty (5 years, 60,000 miles, fully transferrable to all owners). My guess is that either you've got a bad ignition wire/spark plug/coil pack, or a bad sensor. If it hasn't been done yet, you may want to go ahead and change out the plugs and wires- a relatively easy job you can do yourself. If that doesn't make it better, you're best bet is to let the dealer look at it.

Bear in mind that if you haven't done it yet, you need to change the timing belt before 60,000 miles. If it breaks, the engine will be severely damaged. If you don't change it and it breaks after 60,000 miles, you have to pay for a new engine.