Questions and Answers

Avenger Hesitates

Q. I own a 4 cylinder 2.0 liter automatic transmission 1995 Dodge Avenger with about 93,000 miles on it. About 3 or 4 months ago the check engine light would come on occasionally at which time the car would drive like it wasn't getting gas (at this time the car also felt a little bit more sluggish). When I kept the pedal at the same spot, usually it would come out of this "slump" with a bit of a surge. If I didn't do this, I would have to push the pedal to the metal and then there would be a brief hesitation before it took off. When the car is in the "slump" it would shake back and forth.

I had to take my car in to get the belts changed, at which time the mechanic recommended I have the fuel pump changed as well. After this work the car seemed to run fine for a little bit (it even seemed to have lost the sluggishness, but that might have been psychological), but then the light came on again. I took my car to a dealership and after they hooked it up to that diagnostic machine, they told me that I need a new O2 Sensor, new plug wires, a new thermostat, and that my water pump had a minor leak.

My question is which of these issues (if any) is a contributing factor to the problems my car is experiencing?

A. Out of those items the dealer named, the O2 sensor would probably be the biggest contributor to your problem followed by the plug wires. The O2 sensor measures the oxygen content of the exhaust and tells the computer to richen or lean the fuel mixture. If it is sending bad information to the computer, then you will get drivability problems.