my sister has a 98 chevy cavalier and it is sputtering i changed the fuel filter but that did not help
Let’s start with the basics, what maintenance has been done so far in the life of the car?
You’re going to have to get it on a diagnostic computer to check spark, and sensors. You may want to tap on the mass air flow sensor to see if affects it or not. A bad maf will act just like a fuel delivery problem but they are not cheap.
what does it mean when i put my hand by the end of the tail pipe and it wants to suck it in
I would start by getting all the recommended maintenance up to date. For example you should change the fuel filter as recommended (like ever 10,000 miles). Changing a fuel filter should not be something you would do if you were having a problem, it is something you do to prevent a problem.
A few other things that you also should do include:
Transmission fluid change, with filter clean (automatic transmission), spark plugs and wires air cleaner, etc.
It is a lot easier and cheaper to prevent problems than to fix them.
We don't know if you have been doing proper maintenance, but [i] i changed the fuel filter but that did not help[/i] sure sounds like you have not been doing proper maintenance.everything was change on it it is all up todate
That would indicate a valve problem. This can be checked with a vacume guage on the engine. Maybe by sputtering you meant a constant miss which would indicate either an ignition system problem or valve problem. By hooking the vac gauge up to it, you look at the way the needle move when reving and idleing the engine. If a valve issue, it can be bad or not so bad. If a burned or bad valve, the head has to come off. If it is a worn valve pivot, that can be done with just taking the valve cover off-usually though this will cause the ticking or clicking noise in addition to the miss. Time to spend $100 for a diagnosis.