Car shut down while driving and won’t start again
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5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2023
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Car shut down while driving and won’t start again
So today i was driving normally down the road when my car just randomly shut down and does not start anymore. Before this happened there was no problems with the car. Has this happened to anyone here before i would like hear anystories or theories what it could be.
Last edited by sami55; Jun 12, 2023 at 03:25 PM. Reason: Grammar errors
Pole Position
Joined: Nov 2010
Posts: 2,088
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From: Brooklyn
Shutting down while driving and won’t start again? Sounds like your alternator. I can’t think of anything else that would do that. You should have seen a battery light flashing on the dash before it happened or noticed sluggish performance or a whining sound. What happens when you try to start it? Which GS and how many miles?
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5th Gear
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From: .
Thread Starter
5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2023
Posts: 5
Likes: 0
From: .
Shutting down while driving and won’t start again? Sounds like your alternator. I can’t think of anything else that would do that. You should have seen a battery light flashing on the dash before it happened or noticed sluggish performance or a whining sound. What happens when you try to start it? Which GS and how many miles?
Racer
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,536
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From: Utah
It’s likely a fuel pump, but it’s not easy to verify what the fuel pressure is at the rail in these cars. You could get a can of starting fluid and see if it starts to sputter when it’s had some ether sprayed down it’s throat. A Fuel pump won’t be expensive or particularly difficult to replace in your car. See if the starting fluid gets it coughing and if it does, i would source a replacement fuel pump. You should be able to install it in less than an hour and without much difficulty
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10th Gear
Joined: Apr 2021
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From: TX
Car won't start
Could be short to ground. Check your fuses and see if any are blown
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Racer
Joined: May 2017
Posts: 1,536
Likes: 356
From: Utah
Usually a bad ecu sensor will generate a DTC before it just up and dies while driving down the road. The reason for doing the test I mentioned above using starting fluid, was to isolate whether the problem was a lack of fuel or a lack of spark. If it doesn’t cough after you spray some starting fluid in the intake then it’s likely your not getting any spark, so you could assume it is getting fuel and you need to start diagnosing a lack of spark which could be caused by countless things. However if it does start to cough and sputter after you spray starting fluid in the intake, then you’ll know it’s not getting fuel and can diagnose that. More times than not, a lack of fuel in a 20 year old car is going to be a bad fuel pump. This can be confirmed further by testing for 12v at the pump, and also by powering up the fuel pump directly and seeing how it responds. Although these tests need to be done with a repair manual, there are specific procedures for doing them on this vehicle.
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5th Gear
Joined: Jun 2023
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From: .
Usually a bad ecu sensor will generate a DTC before it just up and dies while driving down the road. The reason for doing the test I mentioned above using starting fluid, was to isolate whether the problem was a lack of fuel or a lack of spark. If it doesn’t cough after you spray some starting fluid in the intake then it’s likely your not getting any spark, so you could assume it is getting fuel and you need to start diagnosing a lack of spark which could be caused by countless things. However if it does start to cough and sputter after you spray starting fluid in the intake, then you’ll know it’s not getting fuel and can diagnose that. More times than not, a lack of fuel in a 20 year old car is going to be a bad fuel pump. This can be confirmed further by testing for 12v at the pump, and also by powering up the fuel pump directly and seeing how it responds. Although these tests need to be done with a repair manual, there are specific procedures for doing them on this vehicle.
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