QuestionI HAVE A 1987 CHYSLER NEWYORKER AND IT KEEPS STALLING OUT LIKE IT IS NOT GETTING ANY GAS, THIS HAPPENS WHEN I AM DRIVING, IT JUST DIES? i HAVE HAD AIR GAS MIXTURE TROUBLE ON THE PAST, BUT THIS SEEMS TO BE MORE THAN A VACCUMM LEAK. ANY SUGGESTIONS?
AnswerHi Tracie,
Stalling can be due to both spark and fuel problems, so I would keep an open mind before assuming one or the other is the cause. On the spark side there is an on-board fault detection capability that is useful to check whether the engine controller noticed something wrong. It is easy to ask the engine controller whether it has observed any failures in the control systems that are stored as codes in its memory. Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). By "on" I mean just the normal position when the engine is running, not the cranking position. The 'check engine'light will remain on when you leave the key in the "on" position with the engine still not running. But then watch the 'check engine' light to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readout. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout".
I have the troubleshooting manual for several engines and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show. When you write back tell me what engine is in the car you are driving. It is listed in the corner of the underhood sticker.
There is also an essay on fault codes at the site:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html
which gives the meaning of the code numbers. But then you need to get specific info for what exactly might be the diagnostic tests or parts to replace to complete the repair, and I can help with that.
On the fuel mixture question, I assume that you have a single fuel injector located in the throttle body which allows you to observe its spray pattern. If you have the turbo model that is not the case, however. If you do have the single injector then I would remove the lid of the air cleaner housing which exposes the throttle body intake with the injector located in the center and spraying downward onto the throttle butterfly. Start the engine and let it idle and observe whether the spray pattern is very symmetrical and the spray is very fine droplets. Then have a helper turn off the engine and watch to see if droplets of fuel continue to drip for a few moments. If either the fuel pattern looks uneven or with larger droplets or the injector leaks after you turn off the engine then that would suggest that the injector is no longer doing a good job of controlling the fuel.
So take a look at the codes and the fuel spray and let me know what you find out. Then we can take it from there.
Roland
