Car Cutting Off
09-11-2012, 11:06 PM
#1
Car Cutting Off Was on my way home from work, the girl and I decided to get dinner before.
Got about 6.5 miles out, going about 60mph, accelerating in third gear when it just started bogging out. Felt like I was running out of gas or something, so I dropped it into 2nd and hit the gas and it bogged really bad. I soon realized (after putting in the clutch and lowering my radio) that the car had turned off. Electrical was still there, but engine was off. I tried starting it again (while coasting) and it would turn over but stumble and die, instantly. I coasted it another .25 miles more or less, trying to steer (which was a PITA without power steering). I pulled into a neighborhood and parked against a curb.
Tried starting car again... nothing. I primed the fuel pump with the turn of the key 3 times, and it made no difference. The car would crank (like a bad battery/dying starter) catch, then stumble and die. Not even enough time to pump the gas peddle. Although, I tried a few times and it did nothing.
I swear it seemed like I was out of gas. I just filled up Sunday (2 days ago) and had only driven ~80 miles. I started thinking maybe someone had siphoned it, so the girl and I grab the gas can and walk the miles (round trip) to the nearest gas station to grab a gallon of gas.
It didn't help. Called Progressive and got a tow-truck on route. Took about 45 minutes. I tried starting the car a few more times while I waited.
Oil level/color looked good. Nothing clogging the MAF screen/air lid/baffles. No SES codes.
Tow truck shows up and on first try the car starts right up (figures), but I decide to have it towed home anyway. We position the car and then we run into the issue with the car being too low. Try to back the car up a bit, but car is acting up again (lol). Anyway, we get it on the flat bed.
Get home, lower it, try to start it so I can park it and it's still useless.
So, it's going to sit, all crooked and hardly lined up in a parking spot, until I figure something out.
What are my options? Thoughts?
Got about 6.5 miles out, going about 60mph, accelerating in third gear when it just started bogging out. Felt like I was running out of gas or something, so I dropped it into 2nd and hit the gas and it bogged really bad. I soon realized (after putting in the clutch and lowering my radio) that the car had turned off. Electrical was still there, but engine was off. I tried starting it again (while coasting) and it would turn over but stumble and die, instantly. I coasted it another .25 miles more or less, trying to steer (which was a PITA without power steering). I pulled into a neighborhood and parked against a curb.
Tried starting car again... nothing. I primed the fuel pump with the turn of the key 3 times, and it made no difference. The car would crank (like a bad battery/dying starter) catch, then stumble and die. Not even enough time to pump the gas peddle. Although, I tried a few times and it did nothing.
I swear it seemed like I was out of gas. I just filled up Sunday (2 days ago) and had only driven ~80 miles. I started thinking maybe someone had siphoned it, so the girl and I grab the gas can and walk the miles (round trip) to the nearest gas station to grab a gallon of gas.
It didn't help. Called Progressive and got a tow-truck on route. Took about 45 minutes. I tried starting the car a few more times while I waited.
Oil level/color looked good. Nothing clogging the MAF screen/air lid/baffles. No SES codes.
Tow truck shows up and on first try the car starts right up (figures), but I decide to have it towed home anyway. We position the car and then we run into the issue with the car being too low. Try to back the car up a bit, but car is acting up again (lol). Anyway, we get it on the flat bed.
Get home, lower it, try to start it so I can park it and it's still useless.
So, it's going to sit, all crooked and hardly lined up in a parking spot, until I figure something out.
What are my options? Thoughts?
09-12-2012, 01:47 AM
#5
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+1 for the fuel pump or the relay. Same thing happened to me years ago in the TA, and it was a bad fuel pump. Then about a year later, the same thing happened and it was the fuel pump relay.
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09-12-2012, 03:24 PM
#9
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I bet there is a hole in the fuel line right off the pump in the tank. Same thing happened to me before. As stated above throw a Fuel pressure gauge on it and see if it's bleeding down fast
09-12-2012, 04:58 PM
#10
Wire harness near the exhaust manifolds? Spark plug wire?
Not what I wanted to hear (fuel pump) lol. How do I check the relay? Where is it at? Under the hood I presume, yes?
Kinda what I figured. It's priming but just not holding pressure in the lines. Great. I need to find someone with a gauge. Not even sure how to hook it up. Advice?
Walmart gas ftw... Not ruling that option out, would suck since it was almost $50, down the drain.
Yeah I did actually. Smelt pretty strong at first, then it smelt like exhaust. I thought coil, but I've had coils die on me before, and it's never caused the car to cut off.
I realize fuel would evaporate pretty quickly, but I had the girl try and start the car as I looked under the hood and didn't see any fluids going anywhere. Everything was dry and dirty, lol.
Calling the local Fbody guys, I need help!! Please?
Walmart gas ftw... Not ruling that option out, would suck since it was almost $50, down the drain.
Yeah I did actually. Smelt pretty strong at first, then it smelt like exhaust. I thought coil, but I've had coils die on me before, and it's never caused the car to cut off.
Calling the local Fbody guys, I need help!! Please?
09-12-2012, 05:33 PM
#14
Negative. That's what it sounded like the first time the coils acted up. It sounded choppy like it had a cam. I cant get the car to idle at all. It turns over, and then immediately sputters and dies. It takes a few seconds of cranking to get it to turn over/fire up too. Normally it's instant, turn the key and go.
09-12-2012, 06:20 PM
#15
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One thing you can do is get a small screw driver and push in the valve on the front driver side of the fuel rail. If you get a good stream of gas then it may not be the pump, if a little to no gas comes out then it is the pump.
If you do this stand back, it will shoot gas out pretty good.
If you do this stand back, it will shoot gas out pretty good.
09-12-2012, 06:24 PM
#16
all great points, something similar was happening to me a few months ago...The car just seemed to quit/cut off while driving, also had some hard starts..I thought it might be fuel related, but fuel came squirting out the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Turns out the fuse block with the ignition relay has some loose contacts, reseating the ign relay always cleared the issue up...just food for thought
09-12-2012, 07:11 PM
#17
One thing you can do is get a small screw driver and push in the valve on the front driver side of the fuel rail. If you get a good stream of gas then it may not be the pump, if a little to no gas comes out then it is the pump.
If you do this stand back, it will shoot gas out pretty good.
If you do this stand back, it will shoot gas out pretty good.
all great points, something similar was happening to me a few months ago...The car just seemed to quit/cut off while driving, also had some hard starts..I thought it might be fuel related, but fuel came squirting out the schrader valve on the fuel rail. Turns out the fuse block with the ignition relay has some loose contacts, reseating the ign relay always cleared the issue up...just food for thought
