Car sputtering when i press the gas. New here.

[ThaDover]

2002 protege 5
Took a corner fast, and shortly after i accidentally switched it from manual mode to auto. Right aftrr that it started sputtering. I think MAYBE the fuel gauge was not working and i was almost empty and didnt know it, and when i took the bend at about 60 mph , gravity pulled what little gas it had , and let the fuel pump suck up dirt. Now it sputters at takeoff and is slow to reach speed. Its okay if i keep a steady pace, even at 60 mph, but if i press the gas it sputters again. It has not stalled yet but i cant drive it. In park or neutral it revs fine. I just paid 3600 for the car on the 11th. It has 157k miles. I am hoping it just needs a little work and then i will have a good little car. This is my 1st mazda. The interior is unusually clean (black leather) and it didnt shake at all until this happened. Can someone lead me in the right direction? Taking to the mechanic today, and i want to give him some ideas as to what might be wrong with it. OH, and also, when i rev it up, i see a spark from one of the spark plugs. I dont think that should be.

 

[Maroon]

You see spark where?

My first thought is coil packs or spark plug wires. That's where you would have seen the spark, not at the spark plug which is covered up. And if you were seeing spark coming from the wire or the coil pack, then it is absolutely bad. These are very easy parts to replace.

Your driving style is just a coincidence.

 

[mattzerstoren]

Echoing what Maroon said, if you see sparks coming from underneath your coil pack, the pack is arcing and is no good or defective (if new). I replaced my coil packs a few months ago and a NEW coil pack, out of the box, was arcing/sparking and causing a sputtering/misfire type feel while driving. I got a NEW replacement of the same part, replaced it and it drives like a charm now! And obviously, the new pack was not arcing/sparking. Good luck!

 

[Maroon]

Yeah, the packs from Advance/Autozone are garbage. I had one fail in short order, but they are really easy to replace so it's almost worth the trouble.

 

[Taco Cat]

Try new spark plugs. NGK's are only a couple bucks each. Maybe try wires and coils too if you can afford them, but buy NGK wires and Hitachi coils. They're the best quality and not too expensive if bought from RockAuto.

 

[ThaDover]

2002 protege 5
Took a corner fast, and shortly after i accidentally switched it from manual mode to auto. Right aftrr that it started sputtering. I think MAYBE the fuel gauge was not working and i was almost empty and didnt know it, and when i took the bend at about 60 mph , gravity pulled what little gas it had , and let the fuel pump suck up dirt. Now it sputters at takeoff and is slow to reach speed. Its okay if i keep a steady pace, even at 60 mph, but if i press the gas it sputters again. It has not stalled yet but i cant drive it. In park or neutral it revs fine. I just paid 3600 for the car on the 11th. It has 157k miles. I am hoping it just needs a little work and then i will have a good little car. This is my 1st mazda. The interior is unusually clean (black leather) and it didnt shake at all until this happened. Can someone lead me in the right direction? Taking to the mechanic today, and i want to give him some ideas as to what might be wrong with it. OH, and also, when i rev it up, i see a spark from one of the spark plugs. I dont think that should be.

 

[ThaDover]

Im going to try the plugs 1st. Right on top of the engine, the 2nd spark plug. Thats where i can see the spark when its dark. Its covered, but i still see it , and hear it when i press the gas. Thanks for the advice guys. Keep it coming in case that doesnt fix it.

 

[Maroon]

It is definitely not the spark plug. It is definitely the coil pack. No that it's bad to replace the plugs too.

You can not see any arching of the plugs on this engine.

 

[mattzerstoren]

Echoing Maroon again, it's definitely not the spark plug arcing, it's the coil pack. If I were you, I'd go ahead and replace the spark plugs, wires, and whichever coil pack is failing (though in this case I'd just replace both packs). As mentioned above, I gave my car a little tune up a few months ago with new NGK plugs, new NGK wires, new Beck Arnley coil packs, new air filter, new PCV valve and an oil change. Most of these parts are reasonable priced, the most expensive being the wires and coil packs themselves. But, when it was all said and done, my P5 drove like a dream it was a drastic improvement!

 

[ThaDover]

Changed the plugs, wires,coils, and the air filter.
Shes running like a champ. She IS pretty fun to drive. Thanks guys for the advice.