# Rough running til engine gets up to 20 mph **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Created:** [January 25, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489 "2009-01-25T00:38:28Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 10\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![galaxybeing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@galaxybeing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galaxybeing)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 12:38am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/1 "2009-01-25T00:38:28Z")
Friend has a Chrysler Sebring which shudders at idle. Accelerating to speed, the engine shudders until it gets up to around 20 mph and then runs fine. Also runs normal at highway speeds. It acts like this only at low speeds. A mechanic told her it sounded like a cracked distributer cap. My question is, does a car of that year still have a distributer? It’s fuel injected. I thought she should get a 2nd opinion. No check engine light is on so I don’t even know if putting the OBD tester on it will do any good. Any ideas? It’s a 6 cyl. thanks. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 1:04am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/2 "2009-01-25T01:04:35Z")
It might still have a distributor. Did you pop the hood and look? Just follow the plug wires to see what they plug in to. You can also plug the car & engine specs in at Autozone & check out the online repair manual to get the run down on the ignition system. Has the air filter been checked lately? How about the plugs and wires? If those are even close to recommended replacement intervals its not a bad place to start. ---
**Author:** ![mcparadise](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mcparadise/32/32_2.png) [@mcparadise](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mcparadise)\ **Post date:** [January 25, 2009, 1:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/3 "2009-01-25T01:14:29Z")
“My question is, does a car of that year have a distributor?” A car of what year? You never told us, so it’s hard to say. There are lots of fuel injected cars with distributors. Has anyone, such as a mechanic, actually looked at this car, or done any sort of testing or diagnostic procedure? Cracked distributor caps are not too hard to spot if you open the hood, remove the distributor cap, and look inside it. Have you or your friend opened the hood and looked at anything? Distributors are pretty easy to spot. How about telling us the year and mileage of this car. It will help. By the way, friends don’t let friends drive Chrysler Sebrings. ---
**Author:** ![galaxybeing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@galaxybeing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galaxybeing)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 2:18am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/4 "2009-01-26T02:18:55Z")
Sorry about the missing year, mcparadise. I know what you mean with the Sebring comment. Anything Chrysler is not worth the energy to crush it. It’s a 98 with the six cylinder engine. Yeah, we opened the hood but couldn’t see a distributor. We know what they look like and have seen them before - you’d be amazed because she’s a girl!- BUT, we caint see it, ergo, the question about Chryslers having dist caps. Car has 58000+ miles on it. As far as any testing, there is no “check engine” light on so why hook up an OBD tester since there won’t be any codes stored? The guy that said the dist is cracked claims to be a former mechanic. He’s only about 30 years old but now sells CATV. Hmmmmm. I think I’d rather be a mechanic. ---
**Author:** ![mr\_josh](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/mr_josh/32/3008_2.png) [@mr\_josh](https://community.cartalk.com/u/mr_josh)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 2:23am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/5 "2009-01-26T02:23:03Z")
Just follow the spark plug wires back from the spark plugs to the wires’ origin. Have you done a tuneup or anything? Filters / plugs / plug wires? It’s got low mileage but it’s 11 years old. Lots of short trips, I assume? ---
**Author:** ![pleasedodgevan](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/p/51bf81/32.png) [@pleasedodgevan](https://community.cartalk.com/u/pleasedodgevan)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 4:50am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/6 "2009-01-26T04:50:12Z")
Kinda seems like an EGR valve stuck open. It doesn’t have to be, but it makes as much sense as any other “not checking anything out” diagnosis. ---
**Author:** ![ken\_green](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/ken_green/32/816_2.png) [@ken\_green](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ken_green)\ **Post date:** [January 26, 2009, 4:12pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/7 "2009-01-26T16:12:48Z")
99 Mitsubishi Galant 2 weeks ago same symptoms. rough @ idle and first take off. Got good with speed. All it needed was spark plugs. but thats just this one , check out these other ideas too. ---
**Author:** ![galaxybeing](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/6bbea6/32.png) [@galaxybeing](https://community.cartalk.com/u/galaxybeing)\ **Post date:** [January 27, 2009, 10:49pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/8 "2009-01-27T22:49:21Z")
Thanks to everybody. She’s taking it to the dealership this week end. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [January 28, 2009, 12:10am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/9 "2009-01-28T00:10:30Z")
Tell her to take it to a local independent mechanic rather than the dealership ---
**Author:** ![ymisopoor](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/y/ecb155/32.png) [@ymisopoor](https://community.cartalk.com/u/ymisopoor)\ **Post date:** [February 18, 2009, 5:48pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/rough-running-til-engine-gets-up-to-20-mph/25489/10 "2009-02-18T17:48:45Z")
Did you ever find the cause? I’ve got a similar problem with my 2000 sebring. I’m suspecting a bad camshaft position sensor, which is built into the distributor on my model.