I bought a 2003 Ford Mustang V6 with about 180k miles on it. The guy kept good care of the car. Well at least the exterior of it. I have had it for about 2 months and lately I have noticed that it is having problems with that burst of speed. It jerked/bucked on me while accelerating to get onto the interstate one time but it has never happened again but I have noticed a decrease in response time from the time I hit the accel pedal and when the car speeds up. I started using premium gas in it since I have had it. I'm not sure if I screwed something up or not. I am concerned about the lack of pulling (acceleration):

fuel related?
transmission related?
engine related?
exhaust related?

Any ideas?

 

Whats done to the car? What gear were you in when it happened? Did it happen right after you were shifting gears?

Is the transmission manual or automatic?

 

-Always replace the fuel filter every oil change or every other, depending on type of oil used and recommended intervals of change. (Twice a year maybe).
You HAVE TO replace the ignition parts now as a good start to a preventive maintenance program & help eliminate or second guess yourself. Copper spark plugs at the very least. Plugs, wires and ignition coil at the most.
-Check for vacuum/air leaks around upper intake and around engine bay.
-With everything checked out and good to go, give it a Seafoam treatment. One can in the gas tank, more importantly, one can sucked up into engine while running through any vacuum line or straight through pcv valve.

 

Higher octane fuel does nothing for you - especially if you aren't tuned for it. You can skip that.
A cough / sputter could have been anything from a little water in the gas to a missed spark.
I'd start by pulling out the spark plugs and checking them for wear.
Also check to make sure your airfilter is clean.

Huh?

 

thanks guys this is REALLY GREAT INFO!!!!