Ok, so let me start with I love my little green 98 ford escort. I drive about 10 miles to work, 2 miles getting to the highway and the rest going highway speeds depending on traffic.
As I get off the highway at my exit my car will just stall. The off ramp has quite an incline (for flat Chicago) and my car stalls out. I put the car in nuetral and then re-start or coast to the gas station on the corner.
This has happened 4 times now. My mechanic told me he can not find anything wrong with the car. Does my car truly know that I do not want to go to work?
The first time it stalled I assumed ahh cold weather and my gas light had just gone on…so i filled the car and did not think much of it. With gas my car still will stall…any ideas? Or does my car know my true dislike for work? It happen no other time or other exit ramps.
Does it start back up immediately? Could be a lot of things, all electrical in nature I think.
You can do some research and learn how to test for spark and fuel pressure right there when it’s misbehaving.
That would narrow things down.
One of many possibilities is that the torque converter is not unlocking, causing the engine to stall once you slow down enough.
Yes it will start right back up again once it stalls.
Thanks fo rthe help!
If my car(s) knew what I wanted they would all stop at the beer store. But seriously . . . since you have replicated this problems exactly several times . . . it’s time you did this with a mechanic. I suggest that you park the car at the mechanics place overnight, drive it 2 miles to an interstate, drive it on the interstate for 10 miles, then return to the mechanic and have him check it immediately. Circuitsmith seems to have hit upon it . . . sounds electrical . . like something has enough time to warm up just enough to shut it down. A decent mechanic could pick it up from experiencing it with you upon warm-up. Rocketman
Does it always stall?
It has happen 4 times in the past 5 weeks. 1X below zero temps and my fuel light had just gone on. 2X temp was about 32 (nice day for Chicago) and 1/2 tank of gas, 3X about 25 degrees out and more than 1/2 a tank and 4X about 30 degrees and 1/4 tank. If it stalls I keep coasting, put it in neutral and re-start it right away. It feels like I have run out of gas but the car does start, I coast into the gas station on the corner and fill up each time. I am able to restart my car right away at the gas station. Today I had a full tank and no stalling…My mechanic took a look and said they test drove it in the AM but he found nothing, said to wait till it happens again, or once it becomes a “real” problem.
It stalls on no other exit ramps or any other time. I was wondering if it could be the incline of the off ramp? Clogged fuel line? I really need to take cars 101…I appreciate the help!!!
They way you describe it, plus the amount of fuel you have in your car, I’m leaning towards a fuel pump not getting the fuel it needs. The placement of your tank, and shape of it, could be causing this to happen as you head down the ramp. Changing the fuel filter might help too.