In the past week, my motor sounds like it is running really hard when pushing on the accelerator. Never had a problem with the car - 03 Mazda 6, 44000 mi, last oil change 3 mos. ago. Makes me feel like I am driving with the emergency brake pulled. Any thoughts?
This could be anything from a misfiring plug to a weak fuel pump to a dragging brakepad. There’s way too little information here to guess.
Stop by the local Autozone and ask them to download any stored computer codes. Also, if you’re way overdue for a tuneup, pick up new parts and filters while you’re there.
Thanks for the suggestion. What do I do with the computer codes?
Is this an automatic transmission? If so, is the transmission up-shifting normally?
Yes it’s an automatic. It seems to be shifting fine. It’s louder than normal when accelerating and I believe I am depressing the pedal farther than normal as well. It still gets up to the needed speed. It just has a little more difficult time getting there.
I had this problem with a 1995 Dodge Dakota, it turned out the parking brake didn’t release because the cable was frozen from slush. On snow or slushy days I make a point not to use the parking brake.
Last spring , I had the rear disc brake pads replaced on my 2000 Blazer. Afterwards, the truck was sluggish and mpg dropped about 3 mpg. The old calipers were not releasing properly. The calipers were replaced and the Blazer has been fine since.
After a drive, check the wheels to see if one or more are much hotter than the rest.
Ed B.
Post them here.