Shaking when idle

Hi folks, i'm looking for some advise on my 1994 Escort 1.6 LX. Last night I drove approximately 100 miles and towards the end of the journey noticed the car started feeling rough and didn't have as much power. When I finally got home and pulled up i noticed the car was shaking quite considerably when it was idle. I left it cool and started it up this morning and the shaking remains. I've checked the oil and briefly checked that all leads are in, although I haven't checked the sparks etc but i'm not really sure how to proceed.

I think this is probably my fault as I am normally a very easy going driver but last night I did get a little agitated and drove the car a lot harder than I normally do, hitting 5k revs at one point.

Any advice would be appreciated, hopefully I haven't compeltely destroyed my engine!

Thanks,

Hi folks, i'm looking for some advise on my 1994 Escort 1.6 LX. Last night I drove approximately 100 miles and towards the end of the journey noticed the car started feeling rough and didn't have as much power. When I finally got home and pulled up i noticed the car was shaking quite considerably when it was idle. I left it cool and started it up this morning and the shaking remains. I've checked the oil and briefly checked that all leads are in, although I haven't checked the sparks etc but i'm not really sure how to proceed.

I think this is probably my fault as I am normally a very easy going driver but last night I did get a little agitated and drove the car a lot harder than I normally do, hitting 5k revs at one point.

Any advice would be appreciated, hopefully I haven't compeltely destroyed my engine.

Thanks,

Check for spark by putting a plug into the lgnition wire lead and hold onto an earth while having someone turn the engine over. The plug should fire. If it doesn't there is something wrong with your ignition. If you have spark in the ignition but it still vibrates check the compression of the cylinders. It could be that there is something wrong mechanically with the valves or the piston.

You need three things to make it run right. 1. Spark 2. compression and 3. fuel.

I don't see your car having any problem with fuel, just with spark or compression.

You also need a steady supply of air(oxygen). Any hissing sounds? Check for loose, disconnected, and split vacuum lines. When was your last complete tune up? Mike's spark test will help with this check, but look over the plug wires for unusual appearance. Run car in dark to look for sparks, arcing from ignition system/ wires. Check condition of plugs as part of spark test. Make sure you get a strong blue spark. Dirty or very worn plugs can be the problem or indicate one. If it has a distributor, look for cracks in cap, wear and/or buildup on its and the rotor contacts. I think its Berrymans' -12 fuel cleaner that is recommended by other posters in helpoing cleaning out the entire fuel system safely, especially the injector ends. You should use the search feature to find similar posts about rough idle, starting, stalling. One in particular I remember, though it is for a Taurus, is http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbulletin/showthread.php?t=880923