Help: Losing accelerating power

I have a 93 Geo Prizm. It's a 5 speed manual with a fuel injected four banger under the hood. It currently has just under 100 thousand miles.
I've had it since about 40 thousand miles and it's been a good runner.

The car is obviously not built for power and acceleration, but lately it's been just terrilbe. When I accelerate, it's like the car starts to accelerate, but then it just feels like I'm reving with no xtra power. It feels a little like when you are trying to accelrate but you are in too high of a gear. I'm still in gear and the car never stalls or completely loses power, but this happens no matter what gear I'm in (no matter how low).
Put another way, the car seems to accelerate normally to a certain point, then it feels like the gas I'm giving it is just being wasted, almost as if
I was revining in idle.

It runs smoothly, and I can still go highway speeds, but it takes a long time to get there. Again, I realize that my little prizm isn't a speed demon, but right now I'm having a hard time just getting going. It's almost to the point where people are going to start honking at me because I take so long to get up to speed after a stop light.

I haven't been to a mechanic yet, but I was hoping someone here could give me an idea what my problem is. Fuel injection? Maybe it's simpler than I think...

I just changed the fuel filter, but no improvement.

Any help is appreciated!

You're probably right about the tranny fluid. I suppose the place to check is somewhere below the shifter itself.

I'm not so sure about the clutch. I never "slip" into neutral. There's always gas going to the engine, it's just that it seems to top out. I never feel OUT of gear. However, the feeling is similar to when you are driving in too high a gear (without the threat of it dying on ya).

I'm gonna bring it in soon. I just wanted to get an idea what it might be so I don't get taken advantage of. (I'm new to the area)

I can't really say it's slipping, but I'll check the fluid as you recommend.

Thanks again for your help Al.

Could be several things. Since you say it is running smoothly, my first suspect would be a clogged catalytic converter.

Low fuel pressure (bad pump or regulator) is another potential cause.

Thanks Al.. I'll look into it. Any chance this has something to do with the
Tranny? I'm just an amature mechanic and I'd like to have a general idea of the problem before I take it in.

Oh, my wife just told me that she thought she smelt a slight burning smell the other day. I thought maybe a belt, but belts were good. Other than a test drive, I haven't driven the car since then.

Thanks for you suggestions. I'll check out the pump and catty.

His advice only really applies to cars with automatic transmissions.
For your manual, if it's slipping, that can mean only one thing:
clutch. It's possible to wear clutches out very quickly if you abuse them. Going from what you've said, it does kind of sound like this might be the problem. Fairly cheap on parts, just a lot of labor.

Well, if you are saying the tranny is slipping, go no further, you have found the culprit. Check the transmission fluid. If it is dark and/or smells like burned toast, a rebuild is probably in order. If not, check the shift cable/linkage. A tranny that is only "half-way" into the drive position can slip while accellerating.