Question My car has problems starting when the engine is warm. It drives fine if I only take short trips and give it time to cool. First it starts running rough, then it dies and won't start for 30 to 45 min. It turns over but will not start.
AnswerHello Mark
This sounds to me like 2 possible problems. Because you say that the car only seems to act up when it's warmed up, I'd have to guess at:
1) It is possible that your Oxygen sensor could be bad. Most oxygen sensors only work at peak efficiency after they are warmed up. It seems like it could simply be a cracked or broken one, and when it gets hot, it is splitting open and malfunctioning.
2) The throttle body may be clogged and because it burns a different ratio of gas to air when it's cold, it's possible that when warmed up, it can't seem to find the correct ratio. But that only takes us back to the oxygen sensor which is what sends the information back to the ECM and then to the throttle body.
An oxygen sensor will run you around $30, and it just may be the ticket to your problem, if it isn't then you could be possibly looking at more expensive repairs, but I'd say change your oxygen sensor first and you may want to get your throttle body cleaned as well, it's cheap and easy, and can make all the difference.
