I have a 1997 Toyota Tercel, approx. 140,000 miles. the car ran fine until about 2 weeks ago. It got really cold here (below 0) and the battery could not crank the engine (just some clicking). Today I jumpstarted the car and it took a while to get the car running. But now it seems to be running only on 3 cylinders. I replaces the plugs (and the battery), but that does not seem to help. I think all spark plug connectors are OK (they throw sparks when I pull them off and hold them next to ground.
I drove the car a few miles, and it seems to have a huge loss of power. On a level road I can get her up to 60, but if it goes uphill, it tops out at 30-40. Acceleration is worse than a bicylcle.
the "check engine light" is on, but I don't have access to a reader. I heard that some cars provide more information when you do special things (like turning on the ignition a few times in a minote). Anything I can do?
I'm a student, so I am on a tight budget here. Anything I can try before taking the car to a shop? I heard that this is sometimes due to problems with vacuum hoses. What should I check?

Thanks.

Hey,
I do not know if you still have your Toyota Tercel but I have a wrecked Tercel that has a good running motor in a wrecked car that I am currently trying to sell..let me know if you are interested.