Usually after not being used for a day or two my.

DSMDDN11

MEMBER
1998 FORD CONTOUR
210,000 MILES

Usually after not being used for a day or two my car would start up normally(maybe sounded a little sluggish), but when I accelerated it would start to shutter a bit. Almost making it seem like it would turn off or it wasn't
able to engage the next gear. I'm not sure if this has anything to do with a cable that had been touching the
catalytic converter and kinda fried a bit(i think only the cloth insulation burned off). I moved the spark plug wires around a bit and it stopped doing it for the last two days, but I still don't trust that it was that simple. What could be causing the shuttering of the engine?

2 Replies

ASEMASTER6371

MECHANIC
52,797 POSTS

Could be plugs, wires as well.

What harness is hitting the exhaust?

Roy

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Friday, January 11th, 2013 AT 12:15 PM

DSMDDN11

MEMBER
38 POSTS

I just changed the plugs, I honestly don't know when the wires were last changed, I guess I should try those. It's a cable that comes out of the area where the engine's crankshaft would be, and it joins the rest of the wire bundles that go to the dash. I was honestly surprised to see a cable with a cloth wrapping so close to one of the hottest parts of the engine, I only noticed it was touching the cat. Converter because it started smoking really bad. I did wonder if this cable touching could be causing a short somewhere because when I move it and don't let it touch the Cat. Converter nothing happens, the jolting also happens when it is touching, but the cable keeps slipping down and touching the converter.