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Idle or Stalling Problems - All Vehicles

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  • 19901990 Member Posts: 2
    anybody have this problem? i have a 1990 cadillac brougham with a 307 olds motor
    and when i start the engine it idles perfect, after warm up it has a little shuttering when im in drive, if i shut it off and restart it idles perfert again. after a while its back to shuttering again, i changed the carb and the plugs. the wires and cap and rotor are only 2 years and 20,000 miles on them. please any answers would be greatly appreciated. thank you.
  • zbreezezbreeze Member Posts: 1
    I have the same problem and I have owned the car for 14 years. I just recently started having the stalling problem and I also have black smoke coming from the exhaust. I have a friend that told me to replace the coolant sensor, but I can't find it. Do you have a diagram? :surprise:
  • 24towin24towin Member Posts: 4
    I have a '89 honda accord which I ran out of gas. When I put gas in it and started it the idle went immediatly to 4000 rpm and will not idle down. It looks like a spring load pin hooked to the idle is out of whack. Anyone one know the correct position of this spring loaded pin is suppose to be in? :confuse:
  • cirrus1cirrus1 Member Posts: 1
    Help! Does anyone have any previous experience with a 99 Cirrus with an unidentified stalling problem. It has been at the dealer for almost 2 weeks with no identifable computer code. The mechanics cannot identify the problem. It stalls intermittantly, nothing has been replaced except for the exhaust system.
  • sid_jr08sid_jr08 Member Posts: 3
    Hi everyone. I am new at this and just found this site by trying to find out what the heck is wrong with my sunfire. I own a 1998 Sunfire GT. Everything on it has been great till the last month. First the heater module went on me. $110. Then a week later...my car stalled while I was waiting at a red light. For no reason at all. It has never done this before. So I started it up again and had no problems startin it. Then a week later it did the same thing. Started again no problem. So I took it back in and they said I needed a tune up. So I got a $450 tune up. Now after that $450 tuneup...I have a clunking noise when I turn the steering wheel, and it still stalls. I took it back in and they put it on the computer and entered the codes and did what they could and can't figure it out. So now I am goin in for an oil change tomorrow...and yesterday and today it stalled again . Starts right up no problem...but it keeps stallin more and more now.

    Does anyone out there know what the problem is? Any suggestions? I was thinking the fuel injection? When I try to not let it stall and I give it gas, it doesn't want to go.

    I love my car so much, and have only owned it for a yr. I really want this car to be good for another few yrs...what can I do?

    Confused in Ontario Canada
  • grimyfacegrimyface Member Posts: 27
    I've been reading through these posts, and most of the idling anomalies (too fast or too slow) seem to be traceable to a vacuum leak. Since your problem doesn't seem to change whether the engine is cold or warm, that makes this even more likely (failing electronic components tend to behave differently at cold than at warm).

    You mention replacing the intake manifold (IN?) gasket and PCV, which are components that could affect engine vacuum, so it appears the mechanic is looking for a leak, but hasn't found the source.

    One test that is often recommended is first to make a visual inspection of vacuum hoses that are broken, cracked or dried out at the connection. If none can be found visually, the next step is to squirt some WD-40 around the connections while the engine is idling. This will temporarily seal the leak, so as soon as you hear the revs come closer to normal, you have identified one source of the leakage.
  • lulu5lulu5 Member Posts: 1
    In regards to the car not starting...we had a leaky fuel injector- I don;t know which one it was- and when we replaced it, we had the same problem- not starting. Make sure you didn;t have a faulty injector, check to see if both the upper and lower rings were on it, and also that you removed the used lower ring befor putting in the new injector. Sounds like too much fuel entered into evrything, and caused any number of problems. Get thee to a trusty mechanic who can look at it and fix it. If you flood the engine, you can have major damage and alot of work to do. It happened to me, and so far we replaced the starter, and we may have to replace the ring gear- it missing three teeth now- but the replaced starter seemd to do the trick. Hopefully you get it taken care of. - Its a good car though, ain't it? All this because we didn't check for the old lower ring and had a faulty fuel injector too. :blush:
  • sea3sea3 Member Posts: 3
    Hi
    My 98 Jag has stalled on me 4x this year. Twice I was put in a very dangerous situation as a result. I have called Jag and they claim there is no recall and they are unaware of any problems such as this. I do not believe it. Does anyone know what might be causing this problem and what the fix is? Thanks Sea3
  • talonfixerupertalonfixeruper Member Posts: 1
    I have a 94 Eagle Talon 1.8L automatic, the engine dies when I put it in reverse or drive. If I unplug the electrical cable to the transmission it does not die but is now in limp mode(third gear only).The car did not run when I got it, the engine was locked up. Could the torque converter be damaged from the engine locking up while the car was going down the highway. I ahve already checked the solenoids and valve body.
    Thanks
  • darrianlettdarrianlett Member Posts: 1
    dear sir or ma'am,I seriously beleive the problem is the torgue converter clutch sensor(tcc).The plug to your transmission goes to that sensor.
  • rbarber1rbarber1 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 02 and i has the same problems The first thing i changed was the fuel pump, the stalling stopped but it ran a little rough, so i just changed the spark plugs today. I had a fuel pump changed about two months ago and I'm going to finish the tune up next month. My cousin had a 2.4L grand am and it was his coil pack so seeing that you had a tune-up I would check the coil pack or fuel pump.
  • sid_jr08sid_jr08 Member Posts: 3
    Hi thanks for replying to my posting. But when they did the 450.00 tuneup...they did check the fuel pump and everything. They also had to replace the front brakes...they did that two weeks ago..and u will never believe this..it stopped stalling. But they are tellin me that it's the idle motor so they think. They got a "used" one and we tried it today...and it stalled on me twice in the hour they put it on and it idled so rough...so htey have put my old one back on and when I was driving it...it idled better than the "used" new one and it didnt' stall. So they are lookin into a new idle motor and I know they said that it's about 400.00 plus labour.

    Still confused in Ontario. :confuse:
  • jizzie1jizzie1 Member Posts: 2
    I bought a 1996 Grand Am a few days ago and on driving it home it started to what i thought was "a miss" in the engine, but its more like a puff almost? It does this worse on somedays and it seems to do it when when the car is warmed up and stalled on me the first night i bought it jumped started it and it ran fine home, had the battery and altenator checked they are ok and i also put injecter cleaner in . but it is still doing it and the check engine light came on and stays on. need help with this problem.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Start by having any stored diagnostic trouble codes retrieved. AutoZone will do it no charge.
  • rx7solorx7solo Member Posts: 1
    The idle on my '98 Infiniti I30t does not return immediately to a proper low-idle. This happens whether the engine is cold and warm. When I depress the clutch approaching a stop, the engine speed falls to (or speeds up to) and remains at about 1200 rpm for 2 to 4 seconds (time is variable but within this range from day to day). Then it slows to about 850 rpm and remains there, idling just fine. If I rev the engine with the clutch depressed it goes through the 1200 rpm pause again before falling to 850 rpm. This is a fairly recent problem and does not seem to be worsening, but it is aggravating. My first thought is that the problem is electrical because I'd expect a vacuum problem to not go away in 2 seconds. Any suggestions about where to start (other than the service department)?
  • jizzie1jizzie1 Member Posts: 2
    since my last post why i dont know but had a friend look at my car and the dumbass did something and now my transmission is shifting hard , it was fine before the shifted great real smooth before he messed with things What could he have done to make the transmission do this?and also contacted pontiac about the recall on the loose steering wheel and said it was under warrenty for the ignition but not for the loose steering anymore , dont they have to fix the loose steering wheel since they recalled it in 1997 or how does the recall work is it only good for a certain amount of time? please help im so frustrated with this car and only had it a week....
  • jmojardinjmojardin Member Posts: 3
    All the time when I clean the throttle body. it work better. but then come back.I went to california like 3000 miles round trip. ALL THE TIME at low speed like 40-65 miles the minivan feel really bad. after you get more than 65 miles it run perfect. do you have any idea what can be the problem?? is there any relation with the camshaft position sensor?? I have been looking for some help in this forum. hope you can give to me some ideas.. Thanks :confuse: :confuse: :confuse: :confuse:
  • crappysentracrappysentra Member Posts: 1
    My car keeps sputtering. It used to just sputter a little when it start, but now it does it all of the time. I can't get it passed 30 mph. The diagnostic said "bank 1 fuel system fault". I am overseas and nobody knows how to fix it around here (Nissan Europe does not try to understand US cars). Any ideas?
  • the_ferg_crewthe_ferg_crew Member Posts: 2
    its running very rough,
    im no mechanic but kinda get the idea its not getting fuel!
    it stalls out at stop lights,i did a minor tune-up(plugs,wires,rotor,distributor cap new air filter)gapped the plugs to .35inches.And it still runs horrible.........im scared to drive it..........i never know when it will die out...........very hard starting as well!
    any help would be nice!
  • the_ferg_crewthe_ferg_crew Member Posts: 2
    its running very rough,
    im no mechanic but kinda get the idea its not getting fuel!
    it stalls out at stop lights,i did a minor tune-up(plugs,wires,rotor,distributor cap new air filter)gapped the plugs to .35inches.And it still runs horrible.........im scared to drive it..........i never know when it will die out...........very hard starting as well!
    any help would be nice!
  • bandit4207bandit4207 Member Posts: 1
    I have an 86 Chrsyler 5th Ave and it wont start since it has gotten cold. Ive redone the exaust,and Im getting spark and fule,it acts like its flooding out. And also acts like its deseiling when you press the pedal to the floor it won't start all the way. Would it be the computer or the voltage regulator,or what else can I check?
    Hope to hear from you soon!
    Thanks,
    Thomas
  • dmaljunkdmaljunk Member Posts: 160
    I have a 2000 GLE with 75K miles on it and for a while I've had cold start problems. On mornings with temperature outside below 45F or so, the engine will stall or will not idle evenly until it was warmed up by keeping the foot on the gas pedal for 3 to 5 minutes. This happens on cold mornings only and the colder it is the worst is the problem. I read many forums and thought it was an air intake or a computer problem and so the following parts were replaced: idle air control valve, mass air flow sensor, engine computer module (ECM), air filter. In addition, car has relatively new plugs, oil changed regularly, pcv valve replaced. The problem still persists and computer has no stored error codes, dealer says that computer doesn't need to be reprogrammed as per an FSB, because I got an upgraded version with all latest programming already done. I am completely lost and now I think it's not sensor related or air related. Dealer has no clue either. Can this be related to oil pressure or oil filter or anything of the sort? Gaskets? Internal oil leaks? If so, what needs to be fixed? Any knowledgeable advise will be greatly appreciated.
  • redline109redline109 Member Posts: 2
    I am not a mechanic, but I had a similar thing happen to me in my 98 Honda Civic and it was a simple fix, just a loose sparkplug wire. I don't know if that's the problem, but seems to be in the spark area of the engine cycle.

    Hope this helps,
    Chad
  • redline109redline109 Member Posts: 2
    My 2004 Sentra Spec V has recently been having a problem more and more often. It will start and initially the revs go up like normal and then they go low (100-200rpm) and it almost dies and today it did die. I checked the air filter and it was semi-clean. I don't want to take it back and forth to the mechanic and pay loads of money so if anyone has an idea of what it could be, I would love the info.

    Thanks,
    Chad
  • virg5410virg5410 Member Posts: 2
    My caravan has the same problem but I still have dash lights. It stalls when it pleases and restarts runs for a a while then stalls. Sometimes for a long while some times a few seconds. My mechanic has no idea, the same here. Any ideas
  • bfloguybfloguy Member Posts: 1
    My mazda 626 is stalling after the car is warmed up and I am idling or in park. any ideas?
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    Easy check first, remove the air intake ducting between the airflow meter and the throttle body, and inspect it for any cracks or other damage that could let unmetered air into the engine.
  • steven1225steven1225 Member Posts: 2
    My Toyota Celica 89 has just been changed alternator two month ago, These days (cold winter) it has a problem, when I am driving, it sometimes happens engine stopped , especially on waiting the red light or traffic jam on the roads and I have to restart engine. Also sometimes the signal light for turning left or right doesn’t work or sometimes I see the battery warning light is on when driving, I like to know if there is a particular reason caused these problems. Thanks! :cry:
  • Mr_ShiftrightMr_Shiftright Member Posts: 64,481
    You might check the tension of the alternator belt to make sure it isn't too loose. How old is your battery. About 4-6 years is long enough for a battery, especially in cold weather. Also clean your battery terminals thoroughly and inspect the cables for corrosion inside the insulation as it meets the battery itself.
  • steven1225steven1225 Member Posts: 2
    Thank you very much!
  • rcluvrcluv Member Posts: 1
    ok i have a 1990 ford tempo with a 4 cylinder engine. the car has about 206,000kms on it. i was going to work and all of a sudden it started to jerk back and forth like it was staving for fuel, but it idled fine from a stop. then it got worse, could'nt hardly touch the gas pedal then idling got worse aswell. i just bought the car just to get to work and back. any iedas? i'm thinking maybe it has bad gas in it, i hope thats it is. please help
  • klarkklark Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2000 GLE also, with 117,700 miles. I'm having the same exact problem starting the car in the morning. I'm also hearing a whining grinding noise, when you turn the key. Like when you turn the key and the car is running. Anyway I've had all 6 ignition coils replaced, the idle air control valve replaced, the air filter replaced, all spark plugs replaced, and a sensor (forgot the name) located left front on the engine right behind the radiator. The problem still persists. It's driving my mechanic crazy, and me too. We're still troubleshooting this problem, I'm bringing the car in tomorrow morning... more diagnostics!! If you've already found the problem please post a reply. I will do the same.
  • catamcatam Member Posts: 331
    My son recently bought a 95 Kia Sephia with 1.6L SOHC 5 spd manual. We did a complete tune, (plugs, wires, cap, rotor, filters), after he bought it.
    The car will not idle consistently. At times the car will idle at 1000, other times 2000, other times it surges at idle from 1800-2300. My son also now tells me it has also idled low to 500 and died a couple of times.
    There is no real pattern I can find. The car does have what appears to be a solenoid that the idle adjustment screw rests against. This solenoid would clearly be able to affect engine speed, but it does not move when there is the surging idle problem.
    Anyone have any insight on this vehicle or this type of problem, it would be greatly appreciated. Thanks, Catam.
  • dmaljunkdmaljunk Member Posts: 160
    Actually no, the problems still persists for me too. The last advise I got was to replace the Engine Coolant Temperature sensor and it got better after I did but when temperature is below 32F(freezing point), the car can't keep the idle steady and stalls. I think it has to do with coolant and so I replaced that sensor and just flushed antifreeze - no affect. I am still investigating but would like to hear from you too when you get it nailed. Thanks
  • tammyd2tammyd2 Member Posts: 1
    Not sure if gas problem. Filled up this morning, got 21 miles down the road and my SUV just turned off. All interior, radio, windows, sunroof etc.. still work fine. Can not get the truck started now. Will not turn over and does not make a sound when trying. 2 people have looked at it and are at a loss. Any one had this problem??
  • jamesm0913jamesm0913 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 96 GT that is displaying the same problems. Right now, it will start, idle, and drive, but when I need to accelerate hard, it will die immediately. It will then restart after about 30 seconds and drive away. The problem started after I washed the car and drove it to dry it on a cold day (15 degrees). It was given new plugs, wires, coils, and coil tower and the problem went away for a week when I washed the car again. I've seen on some sites that the ECU is located inside the passenger side wheelwell, and it is not very well protected from the environment. I think that Pontiac even has a recall to fix the problem of the computer getting wet, but I'm not positive. Please let me know if you have found a solution yet, because I cannot trust my car in its current condition.

    Thanks,
    Jamie
  • bama43bama43 Member Posts: 2
    No help but I have the exact same problem.
    I also have a 2000 GLE and it has about 90,000 miles on it. This is the second winter that I have experienced this issue so I was determined to get it fixed. I found a TSB regarding this issue, and even though my car's vin # was not included I figured that it would be a quick computer update and I would be on my way. Well, I soon realized Nissan was more interested in my wallet than fixing my car. plan on going to another local mechanic and I will share any info I gather to a fix for our problem.
  • nosienosie Member Posts: 1
    Short version...car has 140,000 miles. For two weeks my car keeps stalling while idling. I have taken it to the dealership. I had a leak in my radiator hose, front crank seal, valve cover and by pass hose. I had all of that fixed as well as replaced all my belts. Still stalling. We then replaced the fuel filter, spark plugs and battery ourselves. The second spark plug had oil all over it and we didn't change the wires, just the plugs. My car still stalls often and drives very rough. There doesn't seem to be a difference how my car jerks and jumps between accelerating or letting off the gas. The biggest puzzler is that the car only stalls with me and it's always after 3:00 pm. I don't have any problems in the morning or at lunch; It is only in the evenings. The stalling occurs while idling. Before stalling, my RPMs jump all over the place. If it hits 500, than my car dies; if I can give my car a little gas or let off the brake, the the RPM will pick back up and it doesn't stall out. Other times, I idle at 750 RPMs and have no problems at all. Can anyone help tell me what might be wrong with my car? I just paid it off in August and don't want or need another car payment and I also don't have a lot of money to invest in fixing it. Please help me, I'm desperate.
  • alcanalcan Member Posts: 2,550
    If the spark plug wires are original, they're way past due for replacement. Can't guarantee that it'll correct the problem, but the least you'll be doing is getting caught up on maintenance.
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    We have just read your problem and we're in Africa, so cold mornings like those you tell us about are outside our experiance. What we would like you to try however is to change your thermostat, as if it has become defective in operation you will have the problems your reporting. Let us know how you get on?

    Best regards
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi Guy,
    Try checking your Ignition Timing. That will include the breaker point gap if you have a non electronic system. We are not too familiar with your type of vehicle as we're in Africa, but we think it will make a big difference
    Best regards and let us know how you get on.
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi Redline,
    We have a few suggestions for you, but believe that your going to need your mechanic to carry them out. You may be able to save yourself some cash by asking him to look in the following places.... the fuel pump pressure, If Its lower than 3.2 bar then think of changing the pump.... Next check the auto idle control and the thermostat, both if defective can cause your problem.... Lastly ask him to check the fuel pressure regulator
    Best regards, hope you don't have to spend too much.
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi Steven,
    You forgot to say if your vehicle is injection or has a carb? We can suggest that you try the following.... First thing to do is set the ignition timing (if we're) dealing with a petrol engine?....Ign. timing should be 10 degrees
    BTDC....Second, if you have an injection eng. you'll find an idle up screw on the the throttle body (where the cable from the gas pedal comes to, put in a flat screw driver and turn it outwards.... We have to rush off to a meeting now Steven, but let us know if you have any improvements,
    All the best
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi rcluv.
    May be a good idea to check your fuel filter and pump pressure.That you'll be better off leaving to your auto mech.
    Regards.
  • a1n2h3a1n2h3 Member Posts: 1
    I have a 2001 Jetta Wolfsburg that I have been having problems with. When I start it in the cold it will stall once or twice. If I don't rev the engine and hold the rpms to about 3000 it won't respond to giving it gas and it barely idles. I will have to wait a minute for it to respond when I give it gas. Then, finally the turbo spools and I have normal acceleration. I already put in new spark plugs and coil packs. Any help would be appreciated.
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi Nosie,
    When we replied to you during the holiday period we may have been a little too fast with our reply. There are several points that you talked about that I didn't pick up on the first time around, the most significant being the oil on the number two plug. If the plug has become so oiled that it fails to fire on number two piston, that will give you the low and erratic idle speed. When the plug begins to miss fire the engine will be running on three cylinders instead of four (or one less than it's supposed to in the case that your vehicle is a six). You can try changing the plugs or getting oil burn plugs, but the truth is that you'll have to have that part of the problem sorted out before you can solve the problem for good. Oil burn usually results from worn or broken rings or hardened valve stem oil seals, which will result if the engine has been over heated for a long period of time. Considering your damaged radiator hoses and your oil seal leakage (probably also hardened due to over heating) the probability is that the head or heads will have to be removed and the state of the engine inspected. Before doing any of that though, have someone check the ignition timing and the fuel delivery. ( I don't hold much hope that its either of the two though.
    Sorry to be so negative but I think your problem is a serious one. Feel free to email me if you'd like to.
    Regards
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi Harry.
    We're guessing that your vehicle is a gas powered engine. If it's diesel the problem could be completely different.
    We suggest that you ask your dealership guys to inspect the injectors for leakage, as the symptoms seem very similar to flooding. Another place to check would be the cold start circuits, as most vehicles require an additional start pulse on the injection during start up (no matter if hot or cold). There are also the other common faults which occur just by chance.... Have the ignition coil(s) checked out,the system may be breaking down.
    Hope this is some help
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Cold start idle bypass ( on the throttle body may have become defective) If this is the case it's going to be more than $50....But first check for disconnected vacume hoses..... Best of luck.
  • johngeejohngee Member Posts: 11
    Hi Jason.
    We believe that your problem may very well be a disconnected vacuum hose... take a close look at the plumbing.... By the way your regular idle speed seems too high and you'll be wasting gas.
  • dmaljunkdmaljunk Member Posts: 160
    sounds like a reasonable assumption and it's along my suspision of the coolant system problem. One thing I noticed recently - when the car warms up in the cold morning, I started hearing a suspicious sound, like water running down the drain or more like a rattling. The sound goes away once the car finally warms up and never comes back until next cold morning. It kind of seems to be on the passenger side of the engine but I may be mistaken, will a defective thermostat produce any suspicious sounds?
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