Alright so I just recently bought a black hatch, and "was told" that the engine had been "replaced". I didn't buy into this because he seemed shady. I've been driving it and I've noticed a couple problems. First off, I went to start it one morning and all it would do is turnover but not start. I checked spark, fuel, battery. etc. turns out its getting too much fuel. I pulled the injector wires off and it started without them connected. I plugged them back in and it started right up. I had this problem for a couple days but it has some what stopped. However, I'm pretty sure its a fuel problem cuz every time I start it I smell fuel. Second off it IS an auto. but when I get on it it seems to lack power at certain RPM's but then regains it at others . Lastly, when I stop at a stop sign while I'm in drive I hear almost a grinding noise in the tranny and then to top it off it almost died on me. So any help would be much appreciated! thanks!

Does it look like the engine has been switched? I have had several cars that acted weird and the problems were traced back to mistakes by the previous guy with a wrench or WIRE NUTS! Yes, wire nuts, on the computer's harness.

If there are any suspicious wraps of electrical tape on the harness, check under them. Make sure all your vacuum hoses are hooked up, hooked up right and not leaking. That might be the tranny thing, but I suspect that intermittent power is also caused by the fuel issue.

The engine bay looks like it is in good condition along with the engine itself. Then again the car has 215,000 on it and someone could have easily just cleaned the engine up some. As for the wiring harness its seems to be in really good condition but I still think that a vacuum leak is highly possibly.