After driving down the interstate at 80-85 mph for approximately 45 minutes, when I get off at the exit ramp and begin slowing my vehicle down (not downshifting, just clutching to the stop sign), my car dies. I’m usually watching the red light at the end of the ramp to time it so I can pop my car in second gear and keep it rolling enough to get the engine firing. I was once advised by my mechanic to always rev the engine right before shutting the car off to clean out … I don’t know … whatever it is the heck I’m cleaning out in there (spark plugs maybe?) so it doesn’t get all gummed up. I do that pretty religiously, but when I do it after I’ve been driving fast like this, it is VERY SLOW revving. It’s like after driving fast and then quickly slowing down to 30, Margaret just doesn’t want to do. If I plan then to shut my car down, I’d better be planning to stay awhile, because it does not want to start AT ALL until it’s damned good and ready. Sometimes 15 minutes, sometimes a couple hours. What do you make of it?
You do have spark plugs, but I am guessing they are talking about cleaning out some sort of air or exhaust passage. Why don’t you ask them what exactly they are talking about?
They’ve told me before but I just can’t remember. I just know it’s something I need to do to keep the engine cleaned out in some form or fashion. And I don’t think at all that that practice has anything to do with the problems I’m dealing with now as far as its performance after fast driving. It’s mind boggling. And to add to the mix, I live in western Nebraska, land of cattle, corn and cowboys, and my Mazda dealer is GONE. Closest certified Mazda mechanic is three hours west or east. Argh.
When I was a kid living in L.A. in the 70s some of the car club guys would rev their engines before shutting them off, I thought I was just show-off kid stuff maybe not.