I just replaced a ton of stuff. Including:

Timing Belt
Water Pump
Thermostat
Spark Plugs and Wires
Air Filter

Original problem was car wouldn't start. After changing timing belt/water pump/spark plugs and wires the car would start. The Power Steering/Serpentine belt looks weak but I'm still driving on it and it doesn't squeal. When driving, the car is slow to accelerate. Once it gets up to speed (25+) it seems alright. Sometimes it accelerates faster than other times. It never feels like it should.

I replaced the air filter tonight and that helped a little bit - also the A/C belt broke off (didn't care to replace it as summer is over) and once that belt came off it seemed to help with the acceleration problem too.

Any thoughts? We made sure the timing was correct - originally we were off at the bottom by a tooth but now we're good to go. Thanks in advance!

 

Check spark timing with a timing light (this must be done with the ECU test jumper in place). If it is way off, the timing belt must be wrong.

 

Would it really be the timing? We made sure the 3 notches were perfectly lined up at the top and that the key in the pulley in the bottom was in the correct position as well. We're both very confident the timing was correct. The reason it was off before was because he did not know about the correct position at the bottom (he thought the key and the arrow needed to be lined up together.)

 

First off, re-reading the original post, since the car wouldn't start due to bad timing belt, there could be valve damage and a dead cylinder. Idle the engine and disconnect the fuel injectors one at a time to confirm that all 4 cylinders are working.

It never hurts to double check stuff. The new belt could be a slightly different length and the spark timing then needs to be reset. Any time you have poor performance of an engine that otherwise runs smoothly, timing should be suspected.

At the bottom you use the dot on the tooth of the timing belt pulley / sprocket, NOT the key in the shaft. A common mistake. You can also remove the spark plug and probe the piston in cylinder 1 to confirm that the crank is at TDC.

 

We did the timing according to this. This is exactly how we timed it. Is there something wrong with that?



Or click here for the image.

 

Another thought - is there any possibility that the E-brake isn't fully down/off/whatever? I can pull it up and hear the click to know it's in place but I'm unsure if it is completely off/down when I hi the button and push the lever down. Any thoughts?

 

Can you roll the car with e-brake released, transmission in neutral and engine off?
If any brake is dragging, you will feel excess heat radiating from that wheel. Is there any indication of that?

How are your cylinder compression readings? If they are low, your engine may not be producing rated HP.

What type transmission you have? AT slipping? Low on fluid?

Clutch slipping on standard?

Tire pressure?

 

Going to check for the ignition timing here in a couple days. Another thought though - could it be a fuel filter issue?

I bought this car in September. Prior to that - it had been sitting for several months before I purchased it. There was half a tank in it and I filled it up before I attempted to drive it home.