QuestionWell Roland,we checked for codes and no code numbers showed up. This is in reference to our sebring dieing on the highway at 55 miles per hour. Waiting 30 seconds and car starts up as if nothing happened. This problem of dieing engine only happens when the outside temp is above 80 degrees. Any other ideas?
AnswerHi Thomas,
All I can think is that the fault is not yet "mature" enough to have set a code. The usual villain is one of the solid state sensors for the spark system, usually the one that senses the position of the crankshaft. When these are beginning to go "south", they will fail when they get hot, then when the engine stops they cool down and recover enough to put out a signal once again. Before throwing parts at the problem with no clear reason, I would try to hold off until a code comes up. The other sensor of this type related to spark is in the distributor and apparently Chrysler has not provided for replacement except by buying an entire new distributor/coil unit, which is quite costly.
So keep checking for codes: an 11 code is for the sensor in the distributor, the 54 code is for the crankshaft sensor located at the seam between the engine and the trans' bell-housing.
You said you got a 55 code, so I presume you got that yourself using the ignition key. That being the case, I would simply keep asking, particularly after a die off, until something appears. You can measure the signal voltage at each sensor to see if it oscillates between 0.3 and 5.0V as you rotate the engine by hand using a wrench on the pulley bolt to turn it. But if it is transitory by the time you are ready to measure it may have recovered.
The only other idea is that the ignition switch may be flakey and spontaneously disconnecting one of the several sections that carry power to operate the engine systems. You might try jiggling the key the next time this happens. I have heard of this happening when people have too heavy a total weight on their key-ring and it causes wear and consequent spontaneous disconnects.
