Why Does My Car Keep Dying

Why Does My Car Keep Dying?

Have you ever been driving along and suddenly your car just dies? Or maybe you come to a stop and it wont idle. It slowly chokes or sputters and then goes dead. Its a very unsettling feeling. And if youre in the middle of rush-hour traffic it can quickly become a major problem for you, and everyone else on the road behind you. Your vehicle can stop running for a lot of reasons. But mainly it all comes back to two things. Either you have an issue with your fuel, or you have an issue with spark.

Two Common Reasons for a Dying Vehicle

Most of the time, when your car slowly starts to die its because it has lost fuel pressure. In other words, youve run out of gas. Of course, if you have a full tank, your car can still die. You could have a bad fuel pump or a clogged filter, for example. These issues will prevent you engine from getting the proper fuel and your engine will stop working.

On the other hand, when your engine suddenly dies its usually an electrical power issue. That could happen for many reasons. Your spark plugs could be bad, or they arent getting any power. You might have a bad coil somewhere, or no electric signal. Your battery might be bad, too.

Other Possible Reasons

There are other reasons why your engine can die. For example, you could have a bad timing belt. Your vehicle could also have a damaged head. You might have a misfire or you EGR valve could have an issue as well. Here are some other common reasons that your car keeps dying.

  • Blocked Fuel Filter over time your vehicle's fuel filter gets clogged from built up gunk from the gas. You can test this by removing the fuel filter and blowing air through it. The air should flow through. If it doesnt, you probably need to change the filter.
  • Catalytic Converter some exhaust systems include a catalytic converter. They help remove toxic pollutants from your emissions. Your vehicle can die when the catalytic converter gets blocked, which would back up the car's emissions and cause it to stall.
  • Dirty Fuel Injector if your vehicle has a fuel injection system, the injector also gets dirty. And when its dirty, it will affect your vehicles performance, including how well it idles. You can usually fix this problem by simply using fuel injector cleaner and adding it to the gas.
  • Idle Adjustment another common cause of a dying vehicle is that the idle air control valve (IAC) is improperly adjusted. The IAC regulates the RPM speed during idle by controlling airflow. But you might need to adjust it. It could also be affected by extra carbon buildup.
  • Faulty Sensors theres always the possibility of a bad sensor, too. If the "Check Engine" light comes on, one of your sensors could be working wrong. For example, the Mass Air Flow sensor measures how much air is entering the engine. It then adjusts idle speed as a result. If its off then your vehicle could die.
  • Give Your Car More Life With Help From Hoesly

    If youre car, truck, crossover, or SUV has been having issues with sputtering or dying, then you need to get a check-up. There are several possible causes for this issue. Thats why its important to get expert help from our ASE certified technicians. Dont get stuck in a terrible situation because your car wont keep running.

    The bottom line is if your car keeps dying you need to get it fixed. It doesnt really matter the reason. At Hoesly Automotive, well pinpoint the problem and fix it, so you can get back on the road and wherever you need to be.

    And if your car, truck, crossover, or SUV needs any other type of auto repair in Vancouver WA, You can trust Hoesly to help you with that too. Just give us a callor click here to set up an appointment online, if you need any kind of auto repair in Vancouver.

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    Written by Hosely Automotive