Michelle T
New member
I have a 98' Ford Contour and whenever I am at a stop sign or a light and I accelerate my car stalls/flutters/jolts and about every 5 or 10 minutes while driving (doesn't matter what speed I am going) it starts to jolt. This only happens when the a/c is on and it gets progressively worse as the temperature outside gets hotter. Whenever my car jolts while I am driving I have to turn my a/c completely off to stop the jolting. Also when I am at a light or stop sign I have to put my car in neutral because otherwise my car has a real low idol and it almost seems like it is about to just turn off (again this low idol only happens while a/c is on)...when the light turns green and I accelerate from a complete stop I have to take my car out of neutral (obviously), then turn my a/c off and then accelerate just to prevent my car from stalling/fluttering/jolting while taking off (once I get to about 20 mph I turn the a/c back on).
I have taken my car to three mechanics. Goodyear says both my engine and transmission are fine and that my a/c is working properly and that the only thing they noticed is my engine was a bit loose (no other mechanic has said that though so I personally don't believe them at all). My family mechanic I normally go to said that my vacuum pump was broken so I got that replaced and fixed and that did not help my car at all...it still had the same exact problem. So I finally took my car to the Ford Dealership yesterday and they said that when they did a diagnostic that a valve was leaking oil into the spark plug and onto wires. They said that I needed a new gasket, new spark plug and new wires around the spark plug for a total cost of $539. They said that will fix the stalling/fluttering/jolting. However, I do not fully believe this because how would that have anything to do with my car stalling/fluttering/jolting ONLY while the a/c is on while accelerating and driving?
I am so confused....I am not sure what to do at this point. Please someone tell me if what Ford said makes any sense at all. Also, my grandfather used to be a master mechanic back in the day and he still fixes his car instead of taking it to a mechanic, would he be able to replace my spark plug, wires and gasket by himself do you think?
I have taken my car to three mechanics. Goodyear says both my engine and transmission are fine and that my a/c is working properly and that the only thing they noticed is my engine was a bit loose (no other mechanic has said that though so I personally don't believe them at all). My family mechanic I normally go to said that my vacuum pump was broken so I got that replaced and fixed and that did not help my car at all...it still had the same exact problem. So I finally took my car to the Ford Dealership yesterday and they said that when they did a diagnostic that a valve was leaking oil into the spark plug and onto wires. They said that I needed a new gasket, new spark plug and new wires around the spark plug for a total cost of $539. They said that will fix the stalling/fluttering/jolting. However, I do not fully believe this because how would that have anything to do with my car stalling/fluttering/jolting ONLY while the a/c is on while accelerating and driving?
I am so confused....I am not sure what to do at this point. Please someone tell me if what Ford said makes any sense at all. Also, my grandfather used to be a master mechanic back in the day and he still fixes his car instead of taking it to a mechanic, would he be able to replace my spark plug, wires and gasket by himself do you think?