97 Breeze not getting gas..map sensor?

[homebrewbeer]

My son's 97 2.0 liter engine breeze is running rough. The engine shakes and sputters, screeching noise comming from the belt.he's going through a lot of gas and and sometimes when he steps on the gas nothing happens. The check engine light is on. He broke down twice in the last week. I tried to start the car yesterday and it wouldn't start but want's to turn over. Muffler is backfireing during cranking. It was suggested that it could be a MAP sensor and chryslers are notorious for that problem. Does this sound right? Does anyone know where the MAP sensor is and is it hard to change? If it's not the MAP, are there any suggestions?I thank you in advance for your answers.

[mcrosby]

One of the best things I did was, to buy a manual for the car, I like the Haynes book, and a OBDII code reader, $70.00 at Walmart. That way you can read all of the error codes that have caused the Service Engine or Service Vehicle light to come on. I also understand that some places, like AutoZone, will read the codes for you at no charge. If nothing else, you can erase all of the previous codes and start over. The next time the service light comes on, that is the code you trouble shoot from. The MAP sensor is just one sensor out of many that can give you problems, but it will definitely set a code in your computer if it goes bad. Then you don't have to guess. They are pricey.

Good luck!