Help! Stalling problem the mechancs can't figure out. (I'm desperate!)
gera...@earthlink.net
stalling problem. The problem is chronic stalling even when driving
at highway speeds. The car is a 1995 Ford Probe (Mazda hybrid). It
has had a recent full tuneup, alternator belt, gasket valve,
distributor coil, battery boost, and they tell me the engine wires are
not corroded. The battery is only 2 years old. Two different service
stations spent lots of time on it and couldn't find the problem.
The computer codes are gibberish, I guess because the car is old. The
check engine light can't be coded because it is never on while the car
is idling.
SYMPTOMS:
1. The problem usually starts after 30-40 minutes of normal driving.
2. The first sign is that it starts choking up, but will still run
after letting up on the gas. However, once that begins it won't be
long before the car starts stalling, and the stalling will become more
and more frequent until the car won't even restart.
3. It happened this morning although the weather was warm and dry.
4. On Monday it wouldn't restart at all. The shop said that no
electricity was reaching the spark plugs. They tried all day and
couldn't find out why the electricity was not reaching the spark
plugs. The next day the electricity was back.
5. There is a delay between electricity sufficient to start the
lights & radio and electricity sufficient to start the engine &
blower. The engine will not start no matter how many times you turn
the ignition unless the blower is ready to blow. Over the past
weeks, when this problem was getting worse and worse, the gap between
the two stages of electricity has gotten longer and longer -- from a
few seconds to minutes, sometimes many minutes, and on Monday it took
a day. Now the first thing I do, before trying the engine, is to
check the blower. When the blower finally blows, I turn it off and
the engine starts.
6. The battery doesn't seem to get more charged by long drives as it
should. Just the opposite, it's getting drained. After driving
close to 200 miles on Saturday & Sunday, by Monday the battery was
very low (so they tell me). It's as if something is draining the
electricity.
Any ideas? I'm desperate!!!!!
cse...@mts.net
wrote:
>I'd be very grateful if someone could suggest a solution to my
>stalling problem. The problem is chronic stalling even when driving
>at highway speeds. The car is a 1995 Ford Probe (Mazda hybrid). It
>has had a recent full tuneup, alternator belt, gasket valve,
>distributor coil, battery boost, and they tell me the engine wires are
>not corroded. The battery is only 2 years old. Two different service
>stations spent lots of time on it and couldn't find the problem.
>
>The computer codes are gibberish, I guess because the car is old. The
>check engine light can't be coded because it is never on while the car
>is idling.
If this car were mine, I'd start by disconnecting all the
plugs(connectors - not spark plug wires) under the hood from the
distributer to the engine module. Inspect them for any white or green
corrosion, pack them with dielectric grease and reconnect. Then I
would look for all the ground connections, unscrew them, sand the
metal down that they screw into, clean the wire ends, smear them with
dielectric grease and reconnect.
Sounds like a bad connection somewhere that is either dirty, corroded
or vibrating loose.
The computer codes are not gibberish. They will tell,you which
circuit is acting up. They may be pre OBDII but they are still valid.
Maybe you should post them for a better idea of where to look.
P
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Bill
> stations spent lots of time on it and couldn't find the problem.
>
Were these Ford dealers?
If not, try Ford. They would have the factory service documentation,
the test equipment to read the computer codes, and the training to
work on the car.
TE Cheah
| should. Just the opposite, it's getting drained.
Connect a voltmeter to ( e.g. cig lighter socket ) see alternator*'s output
voltage which if too low ( <13v ) @ >1000 rpm, then * is bad.