my car shakes a lot when going up to hills?

Question

i have a 2003 dodge neon with 168000 and standard transmission on it. every time i go up on a hill on high speed it start shaking almost like stalling so i have to change to 4th gear and it stops, it also happens when i push too hard on the gas pedal, the engine light came on went on so i checked the codes and what it said was that the power steering pressure switch failure but i don't see any related to the problem.
i have changed the air filter, throttle position sensor, one spark plug but not the the other 3, fuel filter is inside the fuel tank along with the fuel pump so i can't replace it, and still having the problem. the fuel pump makes a noise when i shut down the engine or turn the ignition on but someone said is normal due that the fuel pump push fuel troughs the fuel pump before starting but i don't know.
any advice? serious answers please thanks.

Answer 1

Please post the code that you pulled from the computer -- you might have made a mistake when looking it up -- not all codes are the same among all cars - some codes are manufacturer/model specific.



It sure sounds like a fuel delivery problem to me. Oddly enough, I just fixed a problem like that on my car today (1988 Ford Festiva). However, mine has a mechanical fuel pump and sucks fuel from the tank. I had a fuel hose that was sucking air under load, thus not providing enough fuel when going up hills, accelerating quickly, etc (it would shudder).



Of course, a fuel problem could be the filter, the pump, or the line itself (doubtful - unless it is leaking), or the fuel pressure regulator. That is terrible that the fuel filter is in the tank - what a bummer! That would be the first thing to try to change, but in your case, that's a major hassle! If you were to take that approach, you might as well replace the fuel pump and filter.



Please post the computer code you pulled - it may help point out where to start first...but then again, it may have occurred symptomatically because of the shuddering engine.

Answer 2

It's called lugging. That's when you push the gas, but the rpm isn't high to be in it's effective torque range. Lugging is bad for the gar. If you are going to put a lot of load on the engine(i.e.: stepping on the gas) you might as well go to higher rpm so you don't lug it.

Answer 3

i think that you have a loaded misfire. a tune up might resolve that issue.

Answer 4

I'd probably get a new car

Answer 5

it might need a front end alignment or balance your tires