# Car Acts Weird When Idling

**URL:** <https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-acts-weird-when-idling/415491>\
**Category:** Factual Questions\
**Created:** [August 13, 2007, 10:42pm UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-acts-weird-when-idling/415491 "2007-08-13T22:42:34Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 1\
**Showing post:** 3

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**Author:** ![Fetchund](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/f/b2d939/32.png) [@Fetchund](https://boards.straightdope.com/u/Fetchund)\
**Post date:** [August 14, 2007, 1:14am UTC](https://boards.straightdope.com/t/car-acts-weird-when-idling/415491/3 "2007-08-14T01:14:23Z")

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I am not a mechanic, but our old Ford Escort was doing the identical thing, and it turned out that when the sparks had been replaced a few weeks back, the wiring harness got damaged - I guess it is easy to do. It going wonky while idling was because of the different pattern of vibration while idling.

Luckily for us, the mechanics skipped ordering us a new harness ($400) and were able to hold the thing together with zip-ties.

(Unluckily for us, the car was totalled a few weeks later…)

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