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98 Escort - Battery/Alternator changed, weak idle/stalls

Tiny
JEREMYSCOTT
  • MEMBER
  • 1998 FORD ESCORT
I replaced the alternator and put in a new battery in my 98 ford escort (130k miles). According to the owners manual, when changing a battery your car could lose its 'idle'. So I did what it said, and it has been about 3-5 driving sessions since I did that, and it still runs a little weak. It has stalled a couple times and will sometimes stutter when accelerating. Also the "Service Engine Soon" light came on.
Any ideas?
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Sunday, July 16th, 2006 AT 11:42 AM

2 Replies

Tiny
JEREMYSCOTT
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Ok, the final verdict is:
The Check engine light was coming on because of an incomplete ODB test the computer would run. The old battery must have been compensating for this which is why it didn't show up until I change it, and reset the computers code. I also had damaged spark plugs and spark plug wires that were not getting the full amount of energy sent out, and that was causing the stuttering on acceleration. A couple expensive code scans later and a 'major' tune fixed the problem.
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2006 AT 8:35 AM
Tiny
TAURUSWHEEL
  • MECHANIC
  • 718 POSTS
Glad to hear it, maybe consider buying yourself an obdII scan tool, for a 100 bucks or so, even less, you can get a decent tool, check those light issues yourself, one trip to the garage would pay for it.
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Tuesday, July 25th, 2006 AT 5:49 PM

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