# 1994 Mercury Tracer **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [July 11, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1994-mercury-tracer/66153 "2011-07-11T15:48:12Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 3\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![carro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a3d4f5/32.png) [@carro](https://community.cartalk.com/u/carro)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 3:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1994-mercury-tracer/66153/1 "2011-07-11T15:48:12Z")
I have this excellent little car which has not given me any headache on its 210K miles so far. In the last four mounths, however, I started to notice that the engine starts kind of trembling on 5th gear and loses its power as if sothing chokes it, if I keep pressing the gas pedal it will make it worst, but once I let it go or shift down to 4th gear it reasumes normally for a while and then comes back again. I was told this could be a ignition coil or an axle problem. Many thanks for your help and advise. ---
**Author:** ![knfenimore](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/k/9fc348/32.png) [@knfenimore](https://community.cartalk.com/u/knfenimore)\ **Post date:** [July 11, 2011, 6:02pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1994-mercury-tracer/66153/2 "2011-07-11T18:02:45Z")
Not axle problem. Could be a clogged catalytic converter. An ignition coil would not hurt. Has the plugs and wires been changed? ---
**Author:** ![carro](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/a3d4f5/32.png) [@carro](https://community.cartalk.com/u/carro)\ **Post date:** [July 12, 2011, 5:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1994-mercury-tracer/66153/3 "2011-07-12T17:47:19Z")
Many thanks for your response. plugs changed 2 yrs ago and wires about 4 yrs.