What is the cause of my Mariner losing acceleration power when going uphill?
What is your question?
I have a 2005 Mercury Mariner with a 2.5-liter four-cylinder engine and she has about 189,780 miles. I hardly drive anywhere because I currently have a power steering leak (have not found the location of the leak yet) and also work part time. About two weeks ago I changed my oil and the next day driving home my car started losing acceleration power and a large plume of white smoke came out of the exhaust while going uphill. There is also a rattling and vibration that's happening right under the driver seat. Once I’m over the hill it stops. I always let my car warm up for at least 5 minutes or more before driving so I dont think it's condensation that's in the exhaust pipe. I’m a do it yourself kind of person so I've always done my own mechanic work. So I’d like to avoid the $5,000 mechanic route if possible.
What makes this problem better or worse?
Worse when going uphill, no problem driving on flat road.
How long has your 2005 Mercury Mariner had this problem?
RepairPal Certified shops can diagnose and repair your 2005 Mercury Mariner. They provide transparent pricing with a minimum 12-month or 12,000-mile warranty on repairs and services.
Hello, I'd say the "$5,000 mechanic route" is probably closer to $10,000 at this point based on your concern description, vehicle mileage, and lack of professional maintenance and repair service to date. When you continue to drive the vehicle with known concerns, you risk things getting far worse. When you don't have a maintenance facility to lift a vehicle properly in the air and inspect underneath the vehicle and check the engine and steering and suspension and frame and fuel and emissions systems - you're missing out on so many potential major issues that will just cause major failures one day.
To me, it sounds like you could have a major engine failure, a major transmission failure or both. There's absolutely nothing I can suggest a "do it yourself kind of person" to do with the dire condition of your vehicle.
Use this link to find some shops near you that can help with your concern:
www.repairpal.com/repair-shops
