I took my '97 Legacy Outback into a local gas station for an oil change today, and the mechanic noticed something that has been happening to me for a while. Sometimes when slowing down to a stop or speeding up from a stop, my enginer will shudder slightly and I experience a drop in RPMs. On occasions it even feels like I am driving a stick and not giving it enough gas. Also, even when just driving, you can feel that the engine is not exactly running smoothly. Maybe the best way to describe it is that it feels like my enginer has a heart murmur.
The mechanic at first thought one of the cylinders wasn't working, but he came back and said he thought it was firing. Since I had my spark plugs replaced a few months ago, he recommended a fuel injection cleaning (I think). He said it was a 3-part process involving the gas tank and two other things. He said he could do it for $85. Not really knowing anything, I need some advice as to whether this is worth it.
There is definitely something wrong...it's not terrible, and I wasn't too worried about it, but I do have a little money to burn. I know nothing about the car prior to January '06 when I bought it. Since then I have replaced the belts and water pump along with 2 oil changes.
Any tips would be appreciated...thanks again.
Thomas