I drive a 98 Toyota Corollia. This morning I notice when I was driving that I had to get up to a higher speed when I shifted into 5th gear. And also when I did shift it was not as smooth as it once was, it started tp shake slightly and felt like it puttered briefly (the only way I could describe it). When I got about 5 minutes away from work, my check engine light starts flashing then eventually shuts off. Anybody have any ideas whe I need to do or if I can solve this myself?
The first question to ask yourself is–Is the car totally up-to-date with its maintenance?
A flashing Check Engine Light (CEL) indicates a misfire condition, and this is something that will cause damage to the engine itself and/or the catalytic converter if it is not corrected immediately. So–you need to have a qualified mechanic take a look under the hood right away. More than likely, he will find that your spark plugs are old and fouled, or that poor maintenance in general is the source of the problem.
If there is an Auto Zone, or Advance Auto, or O’Reilly auto parts store located on your route to the mechanic, you might want to ask them to check for a stored trouble code. Since your CEL was flashing, it is likely that there is a trouble code that was stored, and this will be a clue to the source of the misfire.