I was driving from Janesville WI to O'Hare (about a 2-hour drive) to pick up a friend today.. On the way I noticed that the engine was really weak at high RPM, but I figured it was the IMRC being flaky.
Then I was sitting in slow-moving traffic about 10 miles away from the airport. I started to creep forward and had severe power loss. By "severe" I mean with the clutch in and the throttle to the floor, it wouldn't go past 1200 rpm. The engine still felt perfectly smooth, it just had absolutely no power. This lasted for about 5 seconds and then it died. If I tried to restart it, it would occasionally idle at 200 rpm for a second and then die. Fortunately I was able to coast downhill and onto the shoulder. I noticed that if I turned the key off & on several times to prime the pump, it'd start and idle at 500 rpm for a few seconds and then crap out.
I ended up taking a taxi to O'Hare and a bus back home from there. A gas station clerk recommended a towing company, that guy towed it to a garage that he recommended. I really hate having my car so far from home and going on advice from two complete strangers, I hope I don't get ripped off!
How much is a typical amount to have a garage replace the fuel pump? And judging by those symptoms is there really anything else it could be? The filter is about 2 months old, BTW.
