"Can
you help me fix my car?"
There are many things that could cause a car to stall.
Fortunately, this usually does not signal a major repair to your
vehicle, and it can generally be fixed through some relatively
minor adjustments or repairs.
Steps
- Consider the complexity of your car before beginning and take
your car to a trusted repair shop. Modern cars (mid-nineties or
later) are often computer controlled, and it will be difficult for
you to make any adjustments. You will want to take it into the shop
to address this problem.
- The stall is likely caused by either a problem in the
electrical system or in the fuel system. Your engine stops running
because it is not igniting gas in the cylinders, this occurs either
because there isn't gas to ignite, or because it lacks the
electrical charge to ignite it.
- Drive the car up and down steep hills. Does this change the
performance of the engine, or cause it to stall? This might
indicate a clogged fuel filter. Replacing the fuel filter is
relatively cheap and easy once you find out where it's
located.
- Does the car idle roughly and stall when at idle? If your car
has a distributor, you may need to adjust the timing. With the
right tools and know how, this is an easy and free task. If your
vehicle has fuel injection, you can check the injector by using a
screw driver or mechanics scope. The injectors will make a
clicking/snapping sound if working. No sound would indicate a bad
injector available at most DIY auto parts stores. Also check the
ICM, idle control motor that controls the air mixture.
- If your car has a distributor, you might consider changing the
cap, rotor, wires and plugs. This is effectively a tune up. This
can usually be done even by a relative novice to car repair, and
take a couple of hours with the right tools. It seems
counterintuitive, but even the wires and distributor decay over
time, and transmit less electricity. This tune up may solve your
stalling problem -- even if not, your car should run better and get
better mileage.
- If your car diesels when you turn off the ignition, it often
signals the need to replace the spark plugs. Dieseling describes
the situation where you turn off the key, yet the car continues to
run for a few seconds or longer, eventually sputtering to a
stop.
- In rare cases, your car may stall due to what is commonly
called a "vapor lock". It is actually a vacuum in the fuel line
that causes fuel to eventually stop reaching the engine. Try
opening your gas cap. If you hear a "whooshing" sound, like when
you open a can of coffee, it's vapor lock. Now try starting the
car. It should work after a couple tries. This is usually found
only in older cars. If you have it, this will probably happen
again, so your fuel line should be checked for blockage. A cheap
fix is to drill a small hole in your gas cap to allow air in and
prevent the vacuum from forming, but it should not be left this
way.
Tips
- If you can find a friend who knows how to work on cars, ask
them to teach you how to do these things.
- HOWEVER: Just because a "friend" supposedly knows how to fix a
car, take care to get as much information as possible to determine
if they have only done certai
