I was driving home and my car felt like it was about to stall. I could barely accelerate. I stopped and turned it off. Took a couple tries but got it started again. Ran fine the rest of the way home. I noticed an odd smell when I got out of the car. Something I never smelled before from my car. It would not start at all after that. It would turn but not fire up. I sprayed starter fluid into the air intake but nothing. Got it towed into a shop. The mechanic said there is spark but only about 30 pounds of pressure. He told me that because I was able to start it up again that the problem is leaning towards timing. If that is the case, the total labor and cost will equal to about $600. He also said that it might be a head. The heads alone cost $600.
I paid $2500 for it. The car has 150,000 miles on it. What do you guys think?
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Need the vehicle information if you would like something other than a guess! YMM (year, make, model) and the engine size!
If it is down on all cylinders and not just one or 2 tells me this is not a cylinder head or head gasket issue. I suspect the camshaft jumped time. If this is the case all it should need is a new timing belt or chain. Yes, this can cost $600 to have a mechanic change it for you.