I've had this little car for a little over a year. To the advice of the previous owner, I replaced the battery and alternator about nine months ago. When the spring rain came, my car would have trouble starting, if it even started at all. The engine would sometimes crank, but not always. I took it to a shop, and they told me I needed another alternator, to which I obliged and replaced again. The car was running fine for a little while, until a few weeks ago, when I would accelerate, the engine would hesitate and shudder like crazy. Once I took my foot off the gas, the shaking stopped. I replaced all the spark plugs, which were worn and had some ash deposits, replaced the rotor and checked the distributor cap and wires, though I'm not sure if they need replacing as well. The problem was still prominent thereafter, so I thought that a dry gas treatment wouldn't hurt. It actually made my car run better than it has since I purchased it, however, this only lasted about a week, and it's back to shuddering, shaking and hesitating again. It only tends to get worse at higher speeds, and at idle, you can't notice it. Any advice?
Apr 26, 2010 at 3:36 AM