2000 malibu-it hesitates to accelerate after about 50 mph and check engine light is on. What could be the problem?

It does not have much power, a small 1.6 liter engine that only puts out 80 horsepower. The 4-door models have 4-speeds but the 2-doors only have 3-speeds. This may be why it "hesitates" or takes a bit to accelerate. ...

Check engine light on? If so have it checked for codes. That should point you towards a possible misfire. ...

check for vaccum leaks

I had the same problem with my '97 Eddie Bauer Explorer. As simple as it sounds, I fixed the problem with a bottle of Gumout High Mileage fuel system cleaner, which I mixed with 92 octane gas. I then refilled with high octane at least one tank out of every four. After 3000 miles, I ran a second bottle of the gumout through the tank. No hesitation whatsoever in the engine any more. ...

Had a Jeep in the shop here with that problem last week and it turned out to be low fuel pressure. Try running a fuel pressure test. The Jeep would idle ok but when you tried to accelerate the engine would stall. ...

it does that because it has either jumped time or ....jumped time ! :) :)

engine is about to stall

Problem with the transmission. You need to have the transmission computer checked for codes to know a possible cause. ...

That's a misfire-ah....

Well I posted the question and did not explain! While the car is in park or neutral is accelerates well. When you put it in gear and hit the gas it stumbles or hesitates really bad. You can push the gas pedal all the way to the floor and the engine will continue to idle then it will pick up and run with some slight misses! Fuel problem???? ...

Probably from the turbo.

Have the engine scanned for codes. It sounds like a PO300 code. That will be a random cylinder misfire. Cylinder Misfire is nonsense...I have the same problem and the Discovery II workshop manual states that it's a THROTTLE POSTION SENSOR problem that causes the "Check Engine" light to come on and the engine to go into idle. (Hence the inability to accelerate.) Either the sensor is loose or grounded. ...

start with a new fuel filter

Several things can cause a vehicle to run poorly and the engine to stall or hesitate. A problem with the choke, spark plugs, fuel pump, or fuel filter can cause engines to hesitate or stall. ...

Try changing your spark plugs, and your spark plug wires.

Could be many different things....if you have check engine light, that is best place to start. If not, you can take a look at vehicle PID's. I wouldnt think it is a timing or fuel system issue, if you only have the problem on decel. Maybe EGR fault or vacuum leak. ...

No it would not as it is for emissions only and has nothing to do with engine running. If you have a problem then you will need to have the engine scanned for codes and diagnosed. That should fix your running problem. If you have not replaced the fuel filter in the last 2 years or 30,000 miles then that should help the situation. ...

it depends on what car and engine. it could be your fuel filter, or a vacuum leak. your converter might be pluged also. these are some things to check out about the problem. ...

The Engine,Transmission, and the gas pedal.

Alternator is defective.

The engine, the transmission and the operator.

I accelerate towards the finish line. We decide to accelerate the train by adding more coal to the engine. We must accelerate the laser beam! ...

Not running on all cylinders - Could be anything from a bad spark plug or wire to a bad valve or piston Check plugs and wires Do a compression test to determine if problem is internal ...

Check your Transmission Fluid. If it's automatic, it could simply be low.

The check engine light (service engine soon) comes on and stays on when a problem is detected by the self diagnosis system of your vehicle. Generally, the problem is in the emissions or something that is affecting the effectiveness of the emissions, but other causes can trigger the light to come on, too. To determine the cause, the vehicle will need to be taken to AutoZone or a shop that has an OBD2 scanner, or for 1995 and earlier models, an...