All right. Cel has been on for a while due to o2 sensor, never noticed any problems from it.

Curbed my car last snowstorm and got a new back right wheel, spindle, strut. Car was parked for a month or so. A couple days after getting it back, I noticed the rear brakes would occasionally stick after releasing the parking brake. Pumping the brake pedal kind of helped, but it was rather unpredictable and sporadic. Appointment made to take it back to the same shop today to have the brake issue looked at.

Then...

Monday morning before work something happened that has NEVER occurred prior. Started r car, rough idle, died. Repeat, repeat, repeat. Finally got it to take off, then it shuddered to a stop at the next stop sign. Didn't happen again all day, and I'm a delivery driver so if it were to happen again it had plenty opportunity.
**happened on a later night test run, cold start and hadn't been driven in 8hrs or so. Rumble popping noise at throttle 1k-2k

Got an oil change this afternoon. When I left, seems the problems have increased...?

Rough idle. Shudders a bit on cold start until it's got it's balance, per say. SOMETIMES on cold start pressing the accelerator causes the rpms to drop?? If not that, very laggy unresponsive revs when first started, just at first. Sometimes when first started and stationary revving it causes a light and VERY sporadic popping noise.
Then it's fine. Ish. Kind of not so much.

Or.
If I start up, rev high enough to take off, and head down the road...
Very laggy under any load under 2k. Over that, ace.
Occasional same popping noise in that range.
SOMETIMES a puff of white smoke within the first minute of taking off. Not every time at all, just every 4th go or so. Who knows.

Likely more clues I'm forgetting but I'll return with whatever I remember. Taking it to the local shop tomorrow about brakes (which I've nearly forgotten in the midst of all this)and I'm going to chat this bit over while I'm there.

02 sensor finally taking revenge?
Air filter is dirty and cleaning it will resolve everything?
Shouldn't have driven that dirt mountain road?
Fuel system...something or another?
The cat is doing cat stuff?

Anything but the head gasket, please?

I'm rather novice at all this, what I know has been learned from friends who know and the interwebz so bear with me. Any further information needed feel free to ask of it, and any info provided is greatly appreciated.

Thanks for the read,
Me.

 

Well, turns out the last station I filled up at had an issue with diesel mixing in. There was diesel in my ep3.

 

OMG thats HORRIBLE. I'd be all up in that gas station with my lawyer claiming problems. lol