How to act if the car stalled on the run and does not start
In the life of every driver may happen a situation when the car stalled on the run and does not start. It is especially scary when this happens on the highway, far from populated areas. There is no one to ask for help, you must find a way out of the situation yourself or call a tow truck. The latter option will cost a “round” sum, and therefore it makes sense to try to solve the problem yourself.
The main reasons
When the car stalled on the move, the first thought usually concerns the engine. But the causes of such malfunction can actually be much more, and they will refer to other working nodes. We have collected all the possible and most common reasons why the car stalls and does not start:
- full fuel consumption; (malfunction or full discharge);
- malfunction of the ignition switch;
- leakage of working fluids (oil, toluene);
- malfunction of electrical wiring;
- engine overheating;
- malfunction of sensors that monitor the operation of the car;
- fuses may burn out;
- spark plugs are in a defective state;
- failure of the fuel pump, which stops supplying fuel;
- The air or fuel filters are severely clogged;
- blown fuses.
You see for yourself, the cause of a stalled car can be different.
Poor quality fuel
Let us not talk about the quality of fuel, which Russian drivers have to fill up their cars. It is even difficult to call it satisfactory. One of the characteristics of fuel is its moisture content. With a high indicator, the car will not be able to work properly and sooner or later will stall.
To solve this problem, it is necessary to drain the fuel from the car and replace it with fresh fuel. If the cause of the stalled car on the move was exactly in bad fuel, the car on fresh fuel will be able to continue driving.
Faulty spark plugs
Spark plugs need to be periodically checked and replaced. If this is not done, you are more likely to experience a stalled engine on the go that will not start. The spark is lost in the spark plugs, resulting in the vehicle not working. This happens due to moisture or the end of their service life.
Experienced and conscientious drivers always keep a spare set of spark plugs in the car. In order to make sure that the spark plugs are faulty, it is necessary to perform a number of simple actions:
- fasten the high-voltage wire so that it is a centimeter away from the mass;
- The presence of a click indicates the working condition of the spark plug;
- no click is an indication that the spark plugs are faulty, even a faint click is not a good indicator.
Clogged air filters
These elements must be changed in a timely manner, otherwise you may be left in the middle of the highway alone with an inoperative car. A clogged filter does not allow air to pass through, which is needed to enrich the fuel mixture. The engine feels a lack of air and begins to stall.
Check and replace the fuel filters – a simple task for any driver, even an inexperienced one. If the engine still does not start after the manipulation, then the cause is of a different nature. It is necessary to continue checking the car.
Faults of the fuel pump
Problems with this working unit occur unexpectedly, without any preconditions. Only a suddenly stalled car will be a sign of a fuel pump malfunction. Any attempts to start the engine will be unsuccessful.
If the pump works properly, a buzzing sound will be heard at the moment of starting the car. If it is absent, you can safely blame the fuel pump. What to do if the car has stalled for this reason? Unfortunately, you will have to tow it to the service. There is no other solution to this problem.
Fuel filter clogging
There is a situation when the engine may stall, then the car starts, but after a few revolutions it stops again. This behavior of the car indicates a problem in the fuel filter. It is simply clogged. In such a situation, the fuel supply process is disturbed. Therefore, adding gas causes engine shutdown.
Owners of cars with an injector system should look for the fuel pump under the back seat. In the case of carburetor systems, the fuel system pump should be looked for near the camshaft.
Electrical problems
The engine may stall while driving due to electrical wiring problems. This cause should be checked in case all the above do not fit. The driver should proceed as follows:
- Check the control system at idle, the malfunction of the car will indicate the presence of corrosion on the wires;
- in the case of a recent repair, it is necessary to check the correctness of the connection of the wires.
Most often the electric generator or starter fails. In such a situation, the whole mechanism is powered from the battery, which can not cope with such a load and quickly loses its charge. The starter can fail for a variety of reasons:
- the belt broke;
- contact failure;
- Electric generator malfunction.
One of the problems can be a faulty battery. There can be, for example, oxidized contacts. Modern cars contain a large number of sensors that can also malfunction, thus affecting the performance of the car.
If an onboard computer firmware was recently installed, you may blame it on its incorrect operation. Often such systems work properly only at high revolutions. There is only one way out – to reset all settings to factory ones.
Clogged exhaust system
If the “car’s waste products” cannot escape from the system normally, the vehicle will not be able to continue its movement. The car will start, but after that the engine will “choke” and the next pressing of the gas pedal will lead to a sudden stop. In sub-zero temperatures water may accumulate in the silencer, and when frozen it will prevent the normal exhaust gases from escaping.
Idle Control
The vehicle may refuse to idle as well. These problems are mostly characteristic of injector systems. The idle speed regulator often fails. To verify the presence of such a problem, it is necessary to crank the crankshaft with the starter while adding gas. The engine will start, but will quickly stall when you add gas. The way out of this situation will be a complete replacement of the faulty element.
We hope this information will be useful for every driver, who will find himself in a difficult situation. In the end we can give advice: timely check and replace the working nodes, carry out high-quality preventive maintenance and keep in the car a spare set of basic consumables, and then the machine breakdowns you will not be afraid of.
The car stalled on the move and does not start – what to do?
You get in the car, turn the key and nothing happens. The car won’t start. You keep trying, but you can’t start the engine. Such a situation has happened to every experienced driver at least once in his life.
A car that can stall can create an emergency situation no matter where it happens. And if you stall on a busy highway, there is a good chance of getting into a very serious accident.
There can be many reasons, from the simplest, such as a lack of fuel in the tank or due to a dead battery, to serious malfunctions – requiring immediate repair. Depending on the type and extent of the problem, you can try to deal with the problem yourself or take the car to a repair shop.
In this article, we will describe how to behave in an emergency situation and what to avoid.
The most common causes of problems when starting the engine
Faulty alternator . Alternator problems are among the most common of those that cause a car to stall on the go. Most drivers assume that if the alternator is out of order, the car won’t start. In fact, everything is a little different. If the battery is in working order, your car can be started, and it will run even with a problem alternator. At that point, the auto will not be powered by the alternator, but by the battery. This means that the car will stall later, on the go.
Faulty spark plugs and glow plugs – like the battery, have an unlimited shelf life, but must be replaced after a certain period of use. They often fail either one at a time or in groups. Efficient glow plugs are very important in diesel engines, where they are a key element in starting the car.
Electrical malfunctions – The cause of car starting problems can be wiring damage, such as improper battery connection, a faulty connector on the cable that feeds current from the battery to the starter, or a starter failure altogether. The first thing you should also check the idle control system for corrosion on the wires. If corrosion is found, it’s time to replace the wiring. Another option to solve the problem is to check that the wires are connected correctly, especially if there has been any tampering.
Damaged fuel system – The fuel pump, located in the tank, affects engine starting. There is no indication that the fuel pump is about to fail, and a failure of this element (due to overheating, for example) means that you won’t budge. A faulty fuel pump can be identified by the characteristic light buzzing sound when you start the engine. If you did not hear any similar sound when you tried to start your car, it is likely that it is the pump that has failed. The cause could also be a dirty or faulty relay that starts the fuel pump. Then it is necessary to bring it in proper form or replace it altogether.
Poor-quality fuel – as a rule, the problem concerns diesel cars, which are not adapted to low winter temperatures. Fuel begins to thicken and paraffin settles, which clogs the system, as a result of which the car is immobilized. A towing is waiting for you.
The next possible case is that there is too much moisture in the gasoline, then this mixture, getting into the combustion chamber, does not work efficiently and the engine does not work properly. If you have refueled not long ago and the car worked well before that, the problem is probably the fuel.
What to do. Drain the gasoline from the fuel tank and fill up with quality fuel. Or continue driving, which is worse, but next time refuel at another gas station.
Low fuel pressure
If your car stalls when driving on hilly terrain, during descents or ascents, the problem may be low fuel pressure. If this is the case, the vehicle will not run reliably.
Typically, the car will start and drive smoothly on a level road, but will probably stall when going up a hill. Fortunately, this is one of the easiest problems to solve, try adding some injector cleaner to the fuel tank.
Problems with the ignition distributor cap
The distributor cap performs an important role in engine operation. The cover is needed to protect the distributor and its inner rotor. From the distributor cap, voltage is supplied to the spark plugs, if the cap is defective, the engine will stall. Signs of cover malfunction:
- Presence of a breakdown in the cover;
- Wear or corrosion on the contacts;
- Cracks in the housing, etc;
- Condensation in the housing itself.
If the cause is in the contacts or cracks, it is often enough to simply clean the contacts and seal the cover, of course, it is not very reliable and not for a long time, but as a temporary measure quite suitable.
Remember that the car is the interconnected mechanisms, and to stall on the run the car can not only because of the problems in the engine, but also because of problems in other parts.
The list of malfunctions, which also will lead to a standstill of a car while driving:
- Engine overheating;
- Fuel or air filter clogged;
- The coolant temperature sensor is faulty;
- Crankshaft position sensor is defective;
- Fuse blown;
- Oil or antifreeze is leaking;
- Plugged spark plugs;
What should I do in an emergency?
The problem with starting the car can occur at the most unexpected moment. It is worth keeping calm and not doing anything that can make the situation worse. Therefore, if you turn the key in the ignition:
and the lights don’t come on – it’s possible that some kind of power receiver was left on overnight. If you are sure that you have turned off all the lights and lamps that can consume electricity, and after starting with external battery cables or recharging the battery the situation will repeat, the cause will probably be in the electrical system.
the lights are on, but the starter does not turn – it could be a dead battery. If all the electrical components of the starter system are working properly, it is very likely that the starter is broken.
If the battery is faulty, you can start the engine yourself by getting power from another vehicle with connecting cables. However, it is worth remembering that:
Make sure that the electrolyte present in the battery is not frozen – if it is not, you can try to start the battery through the cables.
connect the cables correctly – red wire to the positive terminal, black to the negative terminal. Also remember that the red cable should be connected first to the battery that is working and then to the one that is not. Secondly, connect the black cable to the functional battery terminal and then ground it on the powered car by connecting it to an unpainted metal part of the engine or in a specially marked location.
In other cases, it is worth returning the car to the service so that specialists can diagnose the cause of the problems with starting the car and fix it.
This article describes the reasons why the car won’t start or stalls for the following makes of cars:
Audi, Toyota, Honda, Nissan, Bentley, Bugatti, Lamborghini, Porsche, Seat, Skoda, Volkswagen, Volkswagen, KIA, Ford, Chevrolet, Hyundai, Renault, Mercedes, Opel, Mazda, LADA, VAZ, GAZ, UAZ, Volvo, Alfa Romeo, BMW, Fiat, Infiniti, Peugeot, Mitsubishi, Mini Cooper, Jeep, Geely.
