Idle or Stalling Problems - All Vehicles

hpmctorque · July 2004

...for your response to our '87 Olds stalling problem. The car belongs to my daughter, who lives out of state. This makes taking corrective action (which can be economically justified on an older car) more difficult because she must first identify a trustworthy mechanic. She had requested my help in resolving this stalling problem, so I forwarded your information on to her.

In the interim I suggested that she run a can of BG44 through the fuel system, since I've heard that, depending on the spcific problem, this product can at times cure the symptons this car exhibits.

cubs9999 · July 2004

I have a '93 Villager with more than 180K miles on it, hoping to get 2 more years out of it.

When it drops to low idle it can't/doesn't maintain rpm's. It starts at about 1000rpm and drops to 800, then surges back to 1000. It repeats this cycle faster and faster to the point I have to rev the engine to smooth it back out, then it starts all over again. The warmer the engine is, the worse the problem. The engine seems to run fine when I am driving, except if I try to accelerate hard (up to 3000rpm) like on an onramp, then it hesitates a little.

I have changed the plugs and wires, with no improvement and have been running fuel injector cleaner through it for a week now.

I have talked to several people and the suggestions seem to center around the fuel injectors and/or fuel filter, the coil, or an oxygen sensor.

My questions:
If I ohm the coil what should I get?
Since it is older than an '99 I should be able to short out the diagnostic tool interface to get a code, but where do I find out what the codes mean?
Has anybody pulled their fuel injectors? How big a job is it?

Thanks

Mr_Shiftright · July 2004

Have you checked for vacuum leaks? Have you pulled any codes?

I think the fuel filter and 02 sensor are long shots. The injectors are a possibility, but vacuum leaks are the easiest to work on and a likely suspect. You should do a diagnostic though. It won't give you a direct "answer" but might point you in a good direction.

jks1 · August 2004

I have a 1995 Mazda MX6 LS (Manual Trans.) running without problems for the last 3 years.
But lately, I started noticing a problem of hesitation. I took it to a mechanic who diagnosed a broken distributor cap and replaced it. But the hesitation still remained. So i put a fuel injector cleaner in a 1/3 filled tank instead of a full tank as advised on the bottle.
After that a new problem developed. Whenever i start the car, the RPM shoots to more than 3000 but comes down after 15-20 seconds and again crosses 3000 the moment i press clutch to put it in gear.It comes to idle/normal rpm of ard. 800 speed after 2-3 minutes of driving.Till then it keeps shooting up the moment the clutch is pressed.
To further compound the problem, it developed another snag and that is it doesnt start again when its hot (i.e driven for some time and parked and again restarted). It wont starte on first 2-3 tries but starts after about 15 minutes.And i smell gas too after it starts. It starts in one go in the mornings. But i found a way out of it not hot starting recently. While turning the ignition on, i slighlty press Accelerator and it immediately starts.
And thiers no light of any type flashing on the dashboard.So dont know whats going on.

swschrad · August 2004

likely issues that should be checked first are a loose, missing, or cracking/soft vacuum hose, loose plumbing coming or going from the mass airflow sensor (big air hoses are the key to finding where this block with wires is,) and also check the EGR valve body for restrictions and carbon. EGR valves, whatever the name they sit on the exhaust manifold, and vacuum switches them to allow some dirty air into the intake manifold as a hold-back to cool the explosions in cylinders, goop up after a few years.

I originally thought sensor, but it would not be common to have a sensor fouled up without a $$$ light. where this could happen is a lazy 02 sensor or a temperature sender.

hoopie · August 2004

My Ford stalls before keeping a steady idle, but only in weather below 40 degrees. I have to start the engine about four times before I can put it in drive, otherwise it will stall. In warmer weather you feel a bit of hesitation after starting the engine and taking off. I dread the cold weather for this reason. If it sits any longer than two hours, I go through the whole process again. Frustrating.....

swschrad · August 2004

I had a ranger that wouldn't keep running enough to warm up in below-zero weather because of a lazy 02 sensor. you could also have a coolant temp sensor that is nutty.

there are also possibilities in vacuum leaks and the EGR valve, whatever they call it now it's the same damn part doing the same damn job. check the vacuum lines for integrity and the EGR for carbon fouling. it could be just dirty enough, or you could have a vacuum line just leaky enough at a connection, so the engine can overcome the issue when warm, but not when cold.

if you're over 40,000 miles on the same plugs, take some advice, check the gaps and condition on them as well.

johanna · August 2004

alright, i'm pretty good with cars, but i'd love to hear some ideas on this one...

yesterday my saturn stalled at a light for no apparent reason. No lights, sputtering, smoke, high temperature reading or evident electrical problems. It started and ran fine 20 min later. So far i've heard theories ranging from poor gas, to the cat.converter, to a fuel injector. Any ideas would be useful since the car is supposed to go to Canada on friday.

PS..the car has 163,000 miles and is a '97 SL1.

swschrad · August 2004

except for the no lights part. clean and grease the battery cables and terminals, clean and grease the major ground point to the engine or frame, and put starred lockwashers on every side of every metal-to-metal connection. tug on the fusible link from the battery to the main power distribution to make sure that's not failed intermittently, and pull and reseat all the big-[non-permissible content removed] high-amp fuses for the heck of it. the "battery" fuse, probably something in the 60 or 80 amp range, should be replaced just Because You Can (c) with something like this happening.

and then, there's the possibility of the start/run switch, which is probably remoted from the key behind the dash or on the lower steering column someplace, varies with the car type and who made the steering column. that could be rotten. a good number of them are really stinky to get to. you might, MIGHT, be able to diagnose that if you can either tap it lightly and have the lights come on, or you can touch the key and have them go out. but that's iffy due to all the linkage between it and the key.

it is also not impossible you have an intermittent plate strap connection within the battery. lift the thing several inches ONLY and drop it back onto the mounting plate --

>> danger, warning, horrid issues! car batteries contain dangerous sulfuric acid. possible acid leak or spray could occur. possible short-circuiting which could cause dangerous overheating and venting with pressure or explosion possible. possible fracture of plates could render the battery unable to crank the engine. possible label of "dang fool" or worse may follow you to the public house the rest of your days. if you're going to try this extreme maneuver, be sure you are wearing liquid-proof goggles and protective clothing, and have a charged garden hose immediately at hand. <<

-- and if the characteristics of the fault change (such as nothing works now, nothing fails now, the battery melts and rots your work boots) then replace the battery. you could also try substituting a similar sized battery from another car and see if the issues go with the saturn's original battery.

jks1 · August 2004

Thanks swschrad...my Mx-6 is 1993 and not '95 as put earlier.I got a freind of mine, who is a certified Toyota Master technician, to work on it.
He removed the carbon from the exhaust valve as you suggested.Then he disconnected the cruise ccontrol switch. The result was that idle RPM increased so he adjusted that manually. Their was no surge in RPM for a few days.Now the starting surge has returned and it keeps shooting beyond 3K till the time car is driven for 3-4 minutes.
Unfortunately, my friend was with me for a day and their was as much he could do.
Now dont know whom to turn to...

hondaodyssey · October 2004

i have 41,000 miles and when you hidle is not stedy continous, now the engine waves up and down. What could this be in new van like this?

brandim1 · November 2004

Whenever I take my foot off the gas or put on the brake, the engine stalls. This happened once before and the dealer where we bought it just 'cleaned some things' and then it was fine for a few months. Any way to fix this problem without spending a fortune at the shop? My check engine light doesn't come on and the van always starts right up.

lynn5 · November 2004

I have a 2001 Honda Odyssey, with 79k miles, and it suddenly won't idle. We were out of town and to get home I "wired" the part of what looks like the throttle assembly (the cable from the accelerator goes to the same assembly) so that it ran at approximately 750-1000 rpm's at "idle". Not good to be going downhill and have engine die. I going to open what looks like the "idle motor"?? box and see what the .... Also going to double check all vacuum lines, etc. I thought for sure that particular "gripe" would be on this site (and the answer) although it probably could be several things. I'd replaced the battery the day before and my wife was thinking there was a connection. Does anyone know where to buy a PGM tester/decoder thingee for not a arm and leg??? I need to be able to read those DTC codes!!!! Thank-you, Lynn5

harry2004 · November 2004

Recently my 2002 VW Golf (2.0L 4 cyn, 5spd) developed a problem. The engine is relunctant to roll when I start it "hot" (within 10 min. of shutdown). The engine could stall a couple of times if I have to press the accelerator to the floor at the first gear. It doesnot have any problem during a "cold" start even in a real chilly morning of the central Illinois.

My car started to have this problem after the 40k service and now, it has less than 42k on the odo. The service dept of the local dealer hired a whole bunch of idiots. They have no idea what's cause and told me they can not duplicate the problem. I read it from somewhere that this was a problem for earlier cars and they had the solution. Anyone here could tell me what instruction I should give the dealer to fix my car. Much appreciated.

gunslinger · November 2004

I have a 2002 accord V6 and the idle surges from about 1200-2000 rpms and no engine light comes on. Anyone have any ideas before I put it on a diagnostic machine and $50 later

jason6 · December 2004

jason6 · December 2004

I took my manual Toyota 3.0L V6 4wd pickup to the mechanic. They gave me an oil change, replaced pitman and idler arms, replaced both inner tie rod ends, removed and replaced power steering pump, aligned front end, and put in a new air filter. A day after I got it back it stalled when I was going about 20 mph. After that the rpm has been different when starting the car. When I start the truck the rpm ranges from 300 to 1200. It used idle at a consistent 1000 rpm to 1200 rpm. Now it varies a lot and is usually around 500 rpm. Sometimes it just dies out after I start it. The engine will not stall if I put gas into it. Today I found out that the oil was significantly low. Could this be why the idling is wrong? Could it also be possible that they knocked off a vaccum tube and that that's the problem? I would appreciate anyone's advice. Thanks The truck is a 1992 with 156k miles, if that will help.

pippen · January 2005

i have a 86 blazer, that has recently started to run extremely rich - it starts slow, and has trouble staying idling - often it stalls.. you can smell the gas when you are inside the cab of the truck, and the exhaust is beltching out a black liquid - not black smoke just black liquid (although maybe this is because it is so cold here?) can i adjust / fix this myself?

alcan · January 2005

Full size, S10, engine size?

go323 · January 2005

is what, may i ask. Is it what used to be (about 40 years ago) referred to as passing gear? if so where is the thing on the floor that you use to step on to engage it? Is it D? Do you engage it by stomping on the gas pedal?

alcan · January 2005

Overdrive is a gear ratio less than 1:1. In most manual transmissions, 4th gear is direct drive or 1:1, 5th gear is an overdive of about .75:1 or so. Reduces engine rpm by 25% to improve fuel economy and reduce engine wear & noise while maintaining the same vehicle speed. With 4 speed automatic transmissions/transaxles, 3rd gear is direct drive 1:1 and 4th gear is an overdrive ratio.

77hchbck · January 2005

Have you had the EGR port TSB done to your vehicle?

http://www.driveaccord.net/PDF/egr_port_clogging.pdf

marchiano · January 2005

have 1987 honda accord. 190k miles. car stalls when turning or at lights. ocassionally fails to turn over even after recently driven. replaced distributor cap/rotor. having battery/ alt checked. any clues

thank you

amy

1soccerma · February 2005

I have an '03 Odessy and have been experiencing rough idling for several months now. When the car is running and in park or I'm sitting at a stoplight, I can hear the engine surge, and watch the tac go up and down. sometimes it's a slight fluctuation, sometimes it's full-force. I've taken it to the dealer no less than 5 times. Once they told us the EGR valve was bad and replaced it - also told us that there had been some recall on the transmission and that had been fixed. Other times they have told us that they could not reproduce the problem and they thought it was fine. A couple of weeks ago, it would not start for a few days. Finally got it going and drove it straight to the dealer. They found that the oxygen sensor was bad and replaced that - said they hoped this was the end of the problems and thanked us for being patient. First time I drove it - the rough idle continues. What does a rough idle mean? What else could this be? I'm about ready to trade it in and be rid of it!

sbeachy · February 2005

Did you ever figure out what was causing you voyager to stall? I have a 93 voyager that has just started to stall for no reason also. It seems to get worse the warmer the engine is. It will just die and I'll go to start it and it will start right back up and run for a while and stall out again. It feels like I just loose spark or the fuel pump just stops, but I can't pin point it because it will start right back up and run.

Mr_Shiftright · February 2005

If you are experiencing "surging" at idle, and you can see the tach going up and down, up and down, that is usually indicative of an overly rich fuel mixture.

nonnaca · February 2005

My check engine light is on and I have noticed that the engine will sometimes stall with the ac on.
Help
Aaron

alcan · February 2005

Have it scanned for trouble codes and post the code numbers.

rickac · February 2005

stalls happens often now? seems to be getting more and more?

dialm4speed · February 2005

Two cars, different models, years and brands both suddenly start stalling after warming up. They ran fine until they got warm then they just shut off. And wouldn't restart until they were stone cold. I never figured out why, they were both commuters and I just sent them to the junk yard. Anybody got any ideas?

amaoer · March 2005

After driving the car for like 30 min, the car would start its first stall. It can't be turned on until two minutes later. Then about every 5 minutes or more it will stall. We went to see the Honda dealer today, they couldn't locate the problem. And my car stalled several times on the way home.

PLEASE help. Thanks in advance!

pat6 · March 2005

Hi did you ever find out what is causing your problem. My mom just spent 1000 dollars on her car and it was running fine and I drove it yesterday and on the highway at a light it stalled and the idle started surging and I guess you would call it dying down almost to a stall again. they did just about everything to the car except the oxygen sensor and trans sensor. Its a 1981 lincoln towncar but its dong the same as yours. It starts rite up after it stalls but the mechanic cant figure out what it is. Please let me know what you found out about yours. thanks Pat6

pat6 · March 2005

ladytempo · March 2005

as you said in older cars it usually happens, mine is a 91 ford tempo, and i am trying to figure this out myself. i have learned to work on my cars that i have had, and my best reply when asked if i know what i am doing (since i am a female) is...i would rather mess up my own car than pay someone else to do it. and if they can do it, right or wrong, why can't i. the problem is at times, my brain gets in over load and doesn't have the time to recoup as one would like, so we have to depend on others to do their job as well as they might depend on us to do our job.........

there is one suggestion, and one i need to do for myself, is replace a better thermostate that opens at a lower temperature. it is only a few dollars of 10 or less, and in my car, it is simple to get to. i had no choice than to put the same type of thermostate that was in my 91 ford tempo, time before last as i was told that is all they had......sure, oh well. when i changed it the time before last, i was sold a low temperature thermostate (if that is what they are called) and found my engine and air conditioning to run much better.

i hope this may help in a way, and maybe get the repair book on your car and learn its components before relating a problem to the dealership.

ladytempo · March 2005

this problem is getting worse and i soon have to have my car pass smog. i do my own repair work, or have so far. the car will start for the first time in a 24 hour period with no problem, but when it warms up, the idle is eratic and eventually stalls. also when i start the engine i hear a suffeling of liquid that sounds like it is comming from just behind the dashboard. it has been a while since i changed and flushed out the radiator. can it be water or is it gas? it sounds too light to be oil. the plugs were recently changed and i have kept normal maintenance such as oil changes and spark plugs, except the radiator.

i would greatly appreciate if someone can give me some insight to these problems and what i may not be aware of when repairing them that may not be mentioned in a repair manual?

94altimaguy · March 2005

Hi all,

I have a problem with my '94 altima gle, I dont know much about cars and need some help! I was driving today and out of nowhere my car starts shaking/vibrating and when I hit the gas the engine sounded like it was going to blow, The Rpms were also all over the place. The car eventually stalled but when I started it again everythign seemed fine. Any idea what it is and if it will happen again? Im thinking maybe the timing belt or distributor from other posts ive read but Im not sure. Any advice would be helpful, thanks

silver81 · March 2005

Like the earlier poster with the 87 Accord, my beloved 95 Mitsubishi Mirage (just under 160K mi) has started stalling on turns or at stop lights.

This only happens in the first 5 minutes or so that I'm driving, but it happens no matter how long I let the car warm up. I have a remote starter, so it usually gets to warm up for about 5-10 mins. I have noticed it's more likely to happen if I don't let the car warm up.

It will stall when I am stopped with the wheel turned as I about to make a turn (right or left); when I am turning while backing out of a parking space; or just when I am stopped at a light.

Sometimes it's fine - but I would say I stall out maybe five times a week (I have the normal there-and-back 5-day commute).

The car always starts right back up, and usually I can complete the turn or start going again although sometimes it takes a couple tries or it will act like it's going to stall but doesn't.

The car idles fine; the spark plugs, fuel filter and gas tank have all been recently replaced. When I had the gas tank replaced I believe they checked my fuel line as well.

Any ideas as to what could be causing this? The car's got an automatic transmission if that helps. I at least want to educate myself before I stumble into a mechanic with my poor little sick car....

thanks!!

Mr_Shiftright · March 2005

I would check the EGR valve and also check for vacuum leaks. These are likely candidates but of course it could be a lot of things. But given the age of the car, the EGR valve should be tested and the pipe that services it should be checked for clogging. A good shop can do this, and if they have a smoke machine checking for vacuum leaks is easy.

aspen · March 2005

My wife has an 93' Mitsubishi Eclipse 1.8 liter. Which recently blew a head gasket that I repaired. The car drives about 10 miles before it starts stalling, acting like fuel mixture is way too rich and then the timing is way out of whack. I let it sit about 20 minutes, then it's ready to go for another 10 miles.
I Have ruled out: Catalytic converter, fuel pressure, fuel pump, ECM, have done complete ignition systems check and I get NO codes! Can Someone Please Help!

camaro · April 2005

I have an 88 Camaro it shut down on me now it runs but will stall again The module was changed the coil plugs were checked new computer and distributor cap. What could be the problem?

issleeping · April 2005

Did you figure out the problem with the stalling (Altima)? I'm gonna try the distributor and throttle plate like someone suggested earlier. But I have the same problem on a 95 Altima.

sspielvogel · April 2005

did you ever find out what caused the rough idle?

sspielvogel · April 2005

no! I must have the only one that does this!

lmp098 · April 2005

Hi,
The check engine light on my 1996 cavalier has recently come on. It stays on for a period of time and then goes off for a while and so on. At about the same time this began, my car has been shaking really badly at stop lights and at low speeds. I have no idea what this is. When it first started, I thought it was from bad gas that I had gotten or something but since then I have had about 10 new tanks of gas and have used fuel injector cleaner. I am looking for some ideas because I just got my car back from the garage today along with a 700+ bill for work done on the steering column.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks!!

alcan · April 2005

Start by having the stored diagnostic trouble codes retrieved and posting them. AutoZone will do it no charge.

atvdragger · April 2005

I'm not Mr. goodwrench but I am an electronics tech. turned mechanic. Sounds to me that the problem is just intermitant. With todays automotive electronics if it where an intermitant sensor it would certainly show a code. You MAY be fighting a bad ground wire or possibly corrossion under a chassis or engine ground. Also has anyone actually checked what the fuel pressure is coming straight of of the pump before it hits the fuel filter? I have found both to be the problem in my old '89 mustang GT vert.

captg · April 2005

Have you solved problem? I have similar problem with 93 civic
CaptG

mckeveny · April 2005

Have a 96 Twn&Cntry Lxi 193,00 miles. Everything tuned 1500 miles ago, plugs,wires pcv, filters, air cleaner, the whole 9 yds.. Suddenly, after starting-up and driving,say 1/4 mile, the oil light comes on and car stalls. Restart, put in gear while on the brake to keep revs up and the car never stalls for the rest of the day. Happens just on start-up when engine idle for the night. Had put in the Motor Silk treatment but can't see why that would cause a problem. :confuse: Any suggestions, Thanx

shutch · April 2005

I have an Audi 100 that stalls and then won't restart when I pop the clutch or turn the key.

The car has stopped while going down the interstate, sitting at an intersection, slowing down to make a turn and just going straight down the road.

I have replaced the spark plugs, the spark plug wires, the rotor, the distributor cap and the coil wire. The coil seems to be getting electricity when I crank the engine.

It was suggested to me that it could be the ignition control module that is intermittently acting up. It's been a problem with Fords in the past.

Does anyone have any helpful advice about this car and its problem? In particular, how do you get at the ignition control module to replace it? Does this sound plausible?

Mr_Shiftright · April 2005

If you're getting a spark, no it doesn't sound plausible. It sounds like a fuel problem, either pump or faulty relay.

Idle or Stalling Problems - All Vehicles

Comments

Helpful Tools

Most popular vehicles