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engine dying

L

Leah and Justin

New member
what will make my car die while driving and kick my fuel pump off that i have to turn my key switch on and off a bunch of times for my fuel pump to kick back on?
 


sounds like a crank sensor.

does the tach drop to zero while driving, then stall? then if you let it sit for a while it will start back up? or sometimes it will start back up?
 
Posting in the wrong section does that to a car. :th_biggrin2: I moved it for ya so you'd get better exposure on the issue.

What do you drive?
 
No nothing happens. The car just dies. Then you have to work the key back and forth until you hear the fuel pump kick on then it starts and runs for a lil while then repeats
 


As bill said, it could be the ignition switch. Once one thing has a issue, it could cause what they call the Domino Affect. This could be anywhere from a mechanical issue to a electronic issue. Its could just be a simple drivability issue like a vacuum leak or just a loose connection.

There are numerous things that could cause a car to shut off so u have to start from somewhere and consist of starting with the most simplest diagnose then to the more time consuming ones if necessary.

In this situation, i would check that ignition switch, the spark plug gaps/wires, check the fuel relay, check ya fuel PSI(system possibly clogged), Vaccuum leaks, Alternater voltage output, check oil PSI, do a compression test, etc. Theres a lot of possible issues but u start with the most simplest.

U might wanna make friends with a OHMs meter, OBDII scanner, and some PSI guages!!!

Good luck, DEE!!!
 
And usually the ignition switch is an issue while trying to start the car opposed to while its already running. But u never know, now of days everything is ran electronically so u never know what could affect what. Damn near everything is electronically connected, thru Ground or Power. U pulling any engine codes(dtc)?
 


U also gotta remember that one code could cause random codes(dtcs). When u use the scanner again, u always adress the lowest DTCs(#s) first. Then go from there. Thats y your probaly getting random trouble codes every time u use the scanner.

Now possibly it could be that the PCM is effected or maybe there is some issue in the electrical system(sensors, grounding issues, or power supply)
 
I would check your fuel pressure and make sure your problem isn't just the fuel pump dying and kicking out.
Sounds like a similar problem I chased on an l36 99 Monte, went through it all and did the crank sensor too but ended up being a bad fuel pump that dropped pressure and kicked out in hot weather once the car was heat soaked,the car(fuel pump) ran great all winter in the cool weather but went for a crap in the heat every time.
 
Leah.. please pull the codes right now and post up what you find. Let's get to diagnosing instead of giving you every possibility. it's possible it's the computer, but that's a last step after the common stall related items have been checked.

Dee..you don't address the lowest code first. You pull codes and look for commonality if there is any. However I doubt the OP's level of technical expertise is at a point that they'd see any connections. Some scanners put the codes in numerical order...lol

Dee, you mentioned a lot of things, likely they don't have the tools to address half of them. Let's go through and talk about them, as I thought many don't need to be looked at. Good suggestions, but you listed every thing possible for all cars. I like to zero in on the most common 3800 issues then work out from there.

Fuel filter: If it clogs up, then it would remain clogged or reclog quickly after. This doesn't appear to be the issue based on the symptoms.

Fuel pressure; If the pump warms up and loses pressure then this would also remain constant unless there was time for it to cool etc. Likely not the pressure/pump.

Igniion switch: totally possible to give troubles once the car is running. This is a common issue in the W bodies. Similar symptoms to a crank sensor though, This can be tested if you tap at the swtich with the car running/move keys etc.

Plug wire/gaps: Not the issue. Might not be currently up to maintenance..but not the issue for a stalling issue like this.

Alternator voltage: The car keeps starting and running. Doubtful that it's dropping off. At most, I'd check the battery cable connections to the battery.

Vacuum leaks: This would be more of an issue at idle/start up. Since those are not constantly having an issue and the problem is more intermittent, it's not a constant leak.

Oil PSI: No need to check this..if oil pressure was an issue the loud noise from the bottom end would signal the end of the engine and occasional stalling wouldn't be a concern.

Compression test: OP doesn't state the engine runs poorly all the time, they state it stalls intermittently. Not a compression issue.
 
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At work right now. but when i do have the coads pulled no there is no commonality. I have had it on the scanner about 25 times (no joke). the codes are rarely the same. I was told yesterday it could be a wiring harness under the steering coumn. Tapping the key while its in there does nothing. All the warning lights stay on all the time. Not just a few seconds. The car starts fine. until after it dies when im drivng. the initial start is fine, always. Ill go ahead and get the coads pulled today again if you think it would help, but i can get them pulled everyday the rest of the week and they will say something diff everytime.
 
Hey, it could be anything and without having a solid cause or solution, I wouldnt cancel out testing anything thats possible. It wouldnt hurt to do some of those checks, bc u may very well need it checked anyway and could possibly prevent the next issue from happening.

And i may have said that wrong, but depending on the scanner u use, the lowest code # sometimes is the cause of other codes appearing(and sometimes the other codes have absolutely nothing wrong with them) or could just simply be the first code to occur. the highest # code being the one that occured last or least likely to be the cause.

As I said and what was mentioned, I would check the fuel relay, resistor, regulator, psi, and whatever that has to do with that fuel system. Diagnosing the ignition switch or system may be a bit more difficult but with a schematic(diagram) u could figure it out. But like i said, I wouldnt rule out any diagnosing of the other systems bc it wouldnt hurt to do so. Try clearing or fixing the first code a and see what happens. U might have to let the PCM reset or have a few cycles of driving b4 they clear. If u continue to recieve more codes then maybe the PCM is affected or is intermittent(in the wiring) and if the same code keeps appearing then maybe u didnt fix that paticular problem or that sensor could just be bad

Let me know..........
 
Dee.. Help me out here.

How does the resistor act when it fails or becomes unplugged? The car will prime the fuel injectors off the high speed and the car will start and die. Let's rule out the resistor.

How does the car act when it has a bad relay? A bad or carboned contacts on a relay will work, however typically once heated will no longer work well as the resistance becomes too much to overcome. It's a consisten item.

Codes: They are numbered based on the area/item they relate to.. this doesn't mean the cause is most likely a low numbered code..lol

I can keep going... please understand, I'm not throwing this off my hip.
 
Im not doubting anything your saying, but your reading into what im saying to damn hard. If I can remember correctly: DTCs are displayed in Alphanumeric codes in which each character has a specific meaning. EX: P0108 this is obviously a Powertrain DTCs, but in general the P=indicates area of fault, 0=indicates whether the DTC is standard or a common code or a manufacturer specific code, 1=indicates the area that the code lies in, and 0 and 8 specifies the specific detected fault. Thats how u would read each section of that code P0108(or any code in general)

U have high priority and low priority DTCs. High DTCs are basically a HARD signal that will set of your MILs immediately letting u know theres an issue, and LOW DTCs are a lil less serious which is like a SOFT signal which could be intermittent and the MIL may not come on right away but will occur the second time if that code is triggered again or may just come on intermittently jumping on and off.

I could explain how to use a scanner or read codes all day, betta yet explain AUTOMOTIVE TECHNOLOGY in general but im not. If it was my car or your car we would have had it figured out by now, but its not our car and im just trying to direct him in the right direction. Inspecting the entire system of whatever system your working on wont hurt, especially when u cant seem to find the root cause. You would save a bunch of time taking the right steps and giving a thorough diagnose rather than beating around the bush only picking certain areas and components to check.

And something like the fuel system is one of the easiest systems to diagnose, theres just a few components to check and its pretty simple. I wouldnt do one check without doing the next. Thats all im saying, just tryna help the man out.........
 
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