What is wrong with my car?!?
(2010-05-30 11:39:25) 1. Says: I have a 99 dodge stratus that WAS running fine up until yesterday when I started it to go to the store...It sounded funny and started shaking hard! I gave it a go around the block and it continued to shake and acted like it was gonna die every time I slowed down... Also it seemed to have trouble shifing gears and had a very slow aceleration... Any idaes what could be wrong???
P.s its an automatic 4 cylinder 2.4 liter. Thanks! Sincerely, a young woman who don't know crap about cars...2. Says: The thing about 4 cylinder cars is that if one spark plug goes bad, the whole engine suffers. On a V8 there are 8 cylinders, so when one goes bad, it isn't so noticable. But with a 4 banger, one makes it seem like the world is coming down.
First thing is to check your plugs. Could be a plug wire gone bad, or come loose, or just misfiring against the engine. (Spark will take the easiest path, so if the plug wire is shorting against the engine, meaning that it fires down under the boot onto the engine metal, it will not fire into the combustion chamber, and so it will "miss")
So with three plugs running, the car shakes, is low on power and of course, doesn't shift right, since the speed needed to shift (shift point) is not easily reached.
That would be my guess. There are other things that could do this, like timing, or fuel injection not working, but I will stick to one bad plug or plug wire.3. Says: Sounds like either head gasket or transmission4. Says: if you have not had a tune up in 2 years this could be the cause or check motor area for any disconnected rubber hoses.5. Says: Get a tune up, Hopefully it is just a fowled out plug or clogged fuel injectors but I would start with a tune up and nothing more. Women always get ripped off so just tell them what you want.6. Says: Have you recently stopped for gasoline? Infrequently a gas station may have agitator that is inoperative and you may have pumped up some water, (water settles to the bottom of the storage tanks) - rare but can happen.
Is your gas cap/door locked or could someone have added something to your gas tank?
Is your hood release located inside the vehicle and do you keep it locked? Could someone have lifted the hood and disconnect or switched ignition wires?7. Says: transmission might be low on fluid, the gears might be bad, or bad spark plug. put the car in neutral and if it helps give a little gas. if it does not shake its definitely the transmission8. Says: Sounds like you lost a cylinder either due to ignition or fuel failure. Don't spend a penny guessing."It might be..." can cost you a small fortune! Go to a reputable shop and ask to have it diagnosed. Tell them up front that you are limited on funds. Tag: What is wrong with my car?!?