# 2004 Corolla Died, Starts then Dies again

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-corolla-died-starts-then-dies-again/163030>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** corolla, toyota\
**Created:** [April 18, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-corolla-died-starts-then-dies-again/163030 "2020-04-18T14:47:55Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 3\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![James\_Brandt](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/bc8723/32.png) [@James\_Brandt](https://community.cartalk.com/u/James_Brandt)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 2:47pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-corolla-died-starts-then-dies-again/163030/1 "2020-04-18T14:47:56Z")

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As I was driving, doing about 70 with cruise control on, the car lost power/died with a brief spike in rpm, as I pulled over to the shoulder, the engine when completely dead. When I tried to restart it immediately, there was almost no reaction, maybe a slight turn or two and a subtle whirring noise with the dash lights going dim as I cranked. If I wait an hour or so the car will barely start up with some rumbling then quickly die soon after. At most I can get it to go a hundred yards or so if I pump the gas a bit, but then rumbling and dying out happens soon after. Oil was low. Any ideas? Thanks

-Hopeless Commuter

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**Author:** ![VDCdriver](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/vdcdriver/32/30_2.png) [@VDCdriver](https://community.cartalk.com/u/VDCdriver)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 2:58pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-corolla-died-starts-then-dies-again/163030/2 "2020-04-18T14:58:51Z")

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> [@James\_Brandt](#):
>
> Oil was low.

**How low was it?**  
If it was down “only” a quart or two, then this might not be too bad a situation.  
If the oil was extremely low, then it is entirely possible that the engine is now… toast.

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**Author:** ![Tester](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/tester/32/15976_2.png) [@Tester](https://community.cartalk.com/u/Tester)\
**Post date:** [April 18, 2020, 4:25pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/2004-corolla-died-starts-then-dies-again/163030/4 "2020-04-18T16:25:41Z")

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> [@James\_Brandt](#):
>
> the car lost power/died with a brief spike in rpm,

The problem may be a bad crankshaft position sensor.

The tach gets its signal from the crank sensor. And what you might have seen was the crank sensor giving up the ghost.

> **[Bad Crankshaft Position Sensor Symptoms & Problems](https://www.1aauto.com/content/articles/bad-or-failing-crankshaft-position-sensor-symptoms)**
>
> Problems with the crankshaft sensor will often present as problems with engine timing. If you think your sensor has failed, here are some common symptoms of a bad crankshaft sensor that can help you in determining whether or not it has failed.

Tester