Whats wrong with my sable

Asked by Melissa Feb 28, 2016 at 11:41 AM about the 1999 Mercury Sable LS Sedan FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

Car backfires and won't stay running when shifting
into gear

2 Answers

11,125

Hello Melissa, it could be a number of things but most likely, it simply needs a tune up, this could be due to faulty spark plugs, spark plug wires, or a faulty distributor. Given the age of the car I am assuming a proper tune up probably hasn't been performed in quite sometime. Changing out these items is relatively simply for even a very inexperienced mechanic, but if you don't feel comfortable doing it yourself, I would have the car towed to a reputable mechanic! Best of luck!

30,140

six foot guy is spot on, many people ignore routine maintenance so a tune is a good place to start. Also though, it wouldn't hurt to have the computer scanned for codes as well. many auto parts stores will do this for free.

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