QuestionQUESTION: My car dies just out of the blue with no warning.Ive replaced the o2 sensors,the coil,the brain,throttle sensor,fuelshutoff relay,fuel filter.im at my witts end.....................please help
ANSWER: Hi Joy,
Have you tried to get fault codes from the memory of the engine controller (brain)? Try the ignition key first:"on-off-on-off-on and leave on" doing that in 5 seconds or less elapsed time. Then watch the check engine light, which remains 'on', to see if it begins to flash, pause, flash, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause. Then repeat the process to be sure of an accurate set of flash counts. Let me know what they are in the order of appearance. If that doesn't work, then do it again and look at the odometer window to see if the mileage changes to show any 4-digit numbers. Let me know if it does. If neither of those do it, go to an Autozone parts store for a free code readout with a plug-in code reader and ask for the numbers, what they mean, and what they recommend.
Tell me more about the stalling. How soon after you start driving do you stall? How soon after you stall will the engine start again and run? And then how soon after that until it stalls again? Does it stall when you are coasting to a stop, or when you first start it, or both? Does it do it while you are driving at a constant speed, for no good reason?
Between getting the codes and your description we'll solve this. Who has done all this part replacing? Did they have any codes to base it upon or were they just 'throwing' parts at the problem?
When you write back tell me also if you have the 3.3L or the 3.5L engine which is imprinted on the top of the engine.
Roland
Roland
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QUESTION: well i havent had a chance to check the ignition yet due to the fact i just got home.My cousin did put the comp on it and he is a mechanic by trade.The chk engine light went off after putting the 02 sensor in going down the road.and when it dies i will bw driving down the road......not at a stop or any certain speed.i will try the ignition thing tommorrow afternoon and let you know.and the motor is a 3.5
ANSWER: I'll wait to find out the results
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QUESTION: Well I got outside today and did the ignition thimk you suggested.It read 1,2,5,5.I pray this helps you help me.And I want you to know I appreciate the help your giving me
Joy
AnswerHi Joy,
Unfortunately neither of those codes suggests a reason for spontaneous stalling. The 12 means the battery was disconnected some time in the past 50-100 key on-off cycles. Unless no one has touched the battery recently this would be insignificant. Even if the battery cable was loose the alternator would continue to power the car until you turned it off. But just in case check that the clamps are firmly attached to the battery posts. The 55 just means that the code readout was successful and completed.
So that leaves us in a quandry. You didn't tell me exactly what happens when it stalls. Will it start up immediately? If so, then my suspicion would be that you have a flakey ignition switch which is not holding the circuits it activates in the 'run' position reliably.
Do you have alot keys/weight on your key ring? That tends to wear on the switch, or even just age of the switch can cause this. The next time you feel is shut down try jiggling the key from run to off and then back to run and see if it will 'catch' and run normally. If so, then I would remove the panel on the underside of the steering column and spray the inside of the ignition switch with electronic contact cleaner using the straw application to shoot it into any crack/opening you can find in the shell of the switch.
Other than that, we may just have to wait for a code to appear, so keep trying the code readout.
Roland
