Periodic Poor Performance, missing, no power, etc

Someone said on this forum that his Geo Metro sometimes experiences
loss of power and seems to miss and lug.

Mine has done that now and then - no apparent reason.....

I just remembered why!

This has happened on three other small cars in the past and I figured it
out and fixed it. Then forgot about it. I have to re-invent the wheel
each time, it seems.

This happens with small cars of older age. My car has 156,000 on it -
bought used.

The fuel filters are 95% plugged up and some chunk of crap (usually
rust flakes from the fuel tanks) plugs the other 4% (THAT DAY!).
They use metal canister filters.......

The car runs like hell, coughs, misses and has no power. You freak out!

You stop the car, park it, go inside for a few hours or the night, come out
and start the car and it works fine! What the Hell!? So you don't
DO ANYTHING.....

Happens AGAIN three weeks later. Comes and goes.....

The fuel filter is almost completely plugged up after PROBABLY never
having been changed in the life of the vehicle!

Small fleckies of "stuff" randomely plug the thing up. Your car is
gasping for fuel and works like crap. You stop the car and let it set.
When the fuel pressure drops and stops flowing, the fleckies of "stuff"
fall off the filter. Next time you start it, the fleckies go to a different
part of the filter and it is not completely pugged THAT DAY.

A statistical thing - now and then - here and there.

So - long story short - have your fuel filter changed. Either do it
yourself (messy job - fuel all over everything) or pay $50 to have it
done. Especially if your's is a used car! You have no idea if or when
the fuel filter was ever changed.

Your car will perform better and not have periodic contipations.

Several mechanics have told me that gasoline is FILTHY! That's why
you see big filters on the gas pumps! Then YOUR car's gas tank rusts
inside and drops many flakes of rust into the gas which accumulates
on the filter. Then the above happens and you get periodic problems
- sometimes to the point of the engine stalling. Start the car in a
while and it works....until it happens again.

If you change the filter, try blowing on the output side into a clean can
or bottle. You'll see how much crap comes out! You won't believe it!

DoctorBill