Engine shaking/imbalance? 01 Taurus.?

Question

this problem happened overnight. this morning when i started my car i noticed some shaking coming from the engine similar to the way a car shakes just before it stalls in a manual trans car. (this is an auto with 2mo old trans) the shaking does not go away when i give it throttle. i drove it about 500 feet then the engine light began blinking. anyone got an idea whats going on here? i had no problems yesterday and all fluids are fresh and full.

Answer 1

Your engine is misfiring or a cylinder has reached the heads. It could be there is no spark getting to a few cylinders which is no big deal or the engine is toast- Either way don't start it until you figure it out-

Answer 2

The blinking light indicatres that the computer is seeing a misfire that, if its ignition, can damage the catalytic converter.

Get it checked by a reputable shop, and don't be surprised if they say it needs tune up or injector work. A compression problem can also cause such a misfire, but is the worst-case scenerio.