I start the car - a 2001 Ford Focus 4 cyl DOHC. It runs fine for 30 seconds then stops, as if it is no longer getting fuel. I can't start it again for a couple days then the same thing happens over again. FWIW, I parked the car for 8 months before this happened and only started it once in that time. But it ran fine then and before I parked it. What can this be?
View 1 RepliesI have Warn hubs that I have to lock in. All works good. A/C goes to defrost at first when cranking but then runs fine after a couple seconds. So, I was thinking that maybe my pump is running all the time. Who knows. I'm sure all my vacuum lines are dry rotted. What exactly is the need for it exactly and what's the best way to cap? Hoping to do it at the unit itself if possible.
View 6 RepliesHaving some problems with my 92 Nissan NX2000. i just finished changing the clutch on the car now its acting horrible.
When i start the car, it will run decent for like 2 or 3 seconds then the idle drops down till it almost dies, catches itself, idle goes up to about 500 were it will pulse around for a few seconds until it dies. If i rev it it will stay running, kept it running for about 2 mins. but as soon as i let off it will pulse at 500 until it dies
After i changed the clutch it started up fine, it ran great for about 20 seconds before it just died. when i started it after is when the problem arose.
I took a video of the car running, which can be seen here. [URL] .... (It has never caught itself like that before and jumped up to 1000 rpms before. It normally will die at that point)
The video is really quiet, not sure what happened there. if need be i can get a video of the engine bay so its louder, was mainly focused on the RPMs.
Here's a few things i tried: Checked fuses, Changed spark plug wires, made sure they were all seated good, MAF wires were rubbed a bit so i cut the MAF pigtail off one of my other sentras and soldered it on,Changed to a good battery, Changed fuel filter, Added more gas (in cause gauge is broken), Made sure all connectors are plugged in, Checked around for vacuum leaks, found that one of the large hoses coming off the intake going to the engine had separated so i plugged them back in and nothing.
Often, when starting it will run rough and throw different misfire codes. Most of the time it smooths out in short order (a minute or less). When it doesn't smooth out quickly, it smooths out when I clear the code. Also, rarely it will start very hard. I have to wimd out the starter pretty good to get it to start. All that I have done is cleaned the MAF sensor.
View 3 RepliesStarts fine. Runs fine till warmed up. Then dies at idle and runs rough on gear till 1000 rpm. Has only coded iac when unplugged. But would idle with it unplugged. I replaced it. Also got crank can code once while checking it ...
2001 dodge ram 1500 318 engine ....
My 2001 Prius (230,000 miles) is unusable. I can clear the codes. The engine will start up fine. After a few seconds it starts bucking and jerking as if the engine is trying to engage something that won't turn and finally stalls. It is similar to a manual transmission car's action if you fail to push the clutch in when you stop the car. What the engine is trying to engage? I don't have any scanner to read the codes.
View 7 RepliesThis applies to a 2001 F-350 with 73,000 miles on the engine. Engine oil level is good, batteries charged, HPOP reservoir is full and passes Cody test with flying colors. Fuel pump runs for 20 seconds at key on. Start takes about 6 seconds. If I shut the key off and restart immediately it starts in under 2 seconds but if I wait about 30 seconds it's a 6 second start. Here is an AE that I ran on it, it has me stumped. FWIW it seems to start quicker when AE is hooked up. ?? An odd whir type of noise comes out from somewhere under the hood when I first turn the key on and when I clear the codes with AE.
View 14 RepliesMy daughter called me and said her "battery light" came on. I didn't even know there were battery lights. The car still starts and runs fine. What could cause the "battery light" to come on?
View 2 RepliesI have a 2005 Ford Focus zx5, which has been a great car for me so far. I live in DC, and traffic is insane. Over the last year or so, maybe once every other month, my car has turned off when I come to a hard stop (usually braking suddenly at a light/pedestrian walkway). This is my first time owning an automatic, and it's just as if my car had stalled out. The radio will stay on, etc, but the engine dies and I have to put it into park and re-start it.
The RPMs have seemed to fluctuate a bit as well, usually on start-up or on hot days.
So far I haven't been motivated enough to get it taken care of, since it happens so infrequently and things seem great otherwise. What could be causing this?
My son drives a 2003 Ford Focus with 183,000 miles on it. At random times when he starts the car, the engine runs very rough at idle speed but when he drives away, it runs fine until he slows for a stop sign/turn, etc. and the engine is at idle speed again. When this happens, the engine runs so roughly, that he loses vacuum to the brakes and his brakes stiffen dangerously. The car may not do this at all for a couple of weeks of driving, and when it doesn't do it, it runs beautifully.
Also, it only runs like this if it does it from start-up; it never idles roughly in the middle of a drive in which the car started normally. I have changed the spark plugs and wires, PCV valve, fuel filter, and air filter, but it still goes through this about once a week. I bought the car used just a few months ago and it had just had the valve cover gasket changed because the valve cover was leaking.
I have a problem with my 2003 Ford Focus ZTS. It has a 2.0L ZETEC engine and is automatic. I recently replaced the Starter, Alternator, and battery cable because the car was having some current issues. All parts are brand new, non-refurbished. The car cranks fine but is now sputtering. When I drive it, it seems like it has a hard time switching out of first gear and and will hit 3-3500 RPM before the gear shifts.
View 1 RepliesI have a 1999 ford escort 4 door sedan, when the car is cold I can get it to start and it will run just fine, after it starts to warm up, it starts to make a misfire/ sputtering noise when it is starting to die when idling. when I am driving it, there are no signs it is going to die.
I took it to the ford dealership today and they said that I need to replace the fuel pump, and the relay control module.
I just replaced the fuel pump a week ago because I thought that was the problem. So I am thinking it is the Relay Control Module- only problem is I don't know where it is located, where it is?
My car makes a grinding/popping noise when driving that worsens when I go over bumps and that completely stops if I even touch the brakes. When I accelerate, the noise speeds up as well. I took it to a mechanic about three months ago and he said it was a loose bumper and that he secured it. After leaving, the noise got louder and happened more often. Sometimes the noise doesn't happen, while other times it does. My dad changed my front brake pads about a month ago so it can't be those. Is it possible that it is still my bumper making the noise? If so, I don't understand why it would stop when I brake.
View 1 RepliesThe check engine light came on again after coming on about a week ago and then shutting of by itself. Everything seems to run normal with the car so I don't know if I should ignore the light and just keep driving or what. What would you do? My car is a 2011 Ford Taurus.
View 1 RepliesAlmost everytime I drive the car for more than 2 consecutive it acts as if it drops a cylinder..running rough. The next day it will run fine until 2 hours go by...and so on. I have changed plugs wires and coil pack.... 4 cylinder .. automatic
View 2 Replies2010 Escape with 74,000 miles. Backstory: This is my daughters car who is away at college about 300 miles away. About a year ago the engine started hesitating when driving and would stall to idle at highway speeds. She took the car in to dealer and they replaced the Throttle body under the CSP that had been issued just prior to the dealer visit. All was fine for about 3 months, then she reports that the car is doing the same thing. Check engine light briefly illuminates and goes right back off when this occurs. She is able to slip the car into neutral and it seems to correct the malfunction. Unfortunately she has gotten so good at this that she keeps her hand on the gearshift when driving. It seems to happen at various speeds with no warning and no lasting effects.
She came to visit for Christmas and I was able to replicate the problem after about 30 minutes of city driving, but not quick enough to take a picture of the wrench that illuminated briefly. I slowed to the edge of the road, put it in park and turned off the key (engine ran the whole time at idle). Cranked back up and good to go! She had the oil changed about a thousand miles ago, I replaced the air filter last night and she had to return to her house for work in the next couple of days. She said it happened 5 times on the way home last night.
Car has always been serviced regularly and was a certified pre-owned when we bought it in March or so of 2012. I also bought the extended warranty although that may be expired by now.
Her local dealer said they can't fix it if the CEL is not on or the problem is not occurring at the exact time they have it in the shop. Now, I am not sure but was under the impression that the computer would record any codes and store them even if the light went off and the car returned to normal.
97 aerostar rear ac stopped working. Blower runs fine. Checked solenoid has power and clicks when plug pulled and refitted.
Liquid line is hot to solenoid and somewhat warm after the solenoid. Return line from evap is at room temp.
Front is 40f at register. Am I looking at bad solenoid or blocked orifice tube. Solenoid is nla. Orifice not so. Still on original evaps comp etc.
I have a 1999 Ford Escort SE wagon with 112k miles on it. Last week when leaving work my car started very rough. This was unusual so I killed and restarted the car about three times before letting it run it's course (~30 seconds), after which the car ran fine. About a week later on my way to work the car seemed to 'sputter' (for lack of a better word) when I pushed down on the petal looking for some power on two separate occasions. On each side of the sputters the car seemed to respond fine, but when it did sputter there was a severe lack of power. I got to and from work just fine, but while letting the car idle in the parking spot of my apartment for a minute before shutting off the engine the check engine light finally came on. The following morning the car again started rough (as if it were misfiring/running on 3 of 4 cylinders) and this time it took a good minute before smoothing out. However, after the car smoothed out I experienced no issues on the way to work, no sputtering, no loss of power, nothing. Doing some initial online research I feel that the problem may be one (or more) of the following:
-Fuel pump
-Vacuum lines
-O2 Sensor
-Spark plugs (they are original)
-Fuel Filter (it is actually past due for replacement)
I plan on getting this checked out ASAP, but that still may be 2ish weeks away with my schedule. Some similar reports say that I may be having a 'lean mixture' issue (not getting enough fuel), but I haven't had the time to check the code. My question is, how "safe" is it to continue driving my car with the current situation? Is it at a super high risk of failure/random stalling during rush hour? Will it cause any damage to the engine if there is a cylinder misfire upon start up? I was also wondering if the car would be reasonably reliable to drive on a ~400 mile road trip on an upcoming weekend, but I am making plans as if it is not.
Additional Details:-Tried charging the fuel lines (car to 'ON' then 'OFF' position 3-4 times), had no effect on the morning start-up-Commute to/from work is about 20 miles
I have a 2003 F250 with a 5.4L V8 automatic transmission with 64,000 miles. The truck runs and drives well, but occasionally while driving, it acts like it shifts into a higher gear, slips a bit, then downshifts and runs fine. The duration of this "acting up" is about 1-2sec. It seems to do it when going up a slight grade at cruising speed about 40-50mph. (Not towing when it does it) It doesn't do it all the time. I'm planning to change the filter and fluid but am doubtful that will work. The fluid color is nice bright pink and does not smell unusual.
View 1 Replies2000 F350. Starts great. Idles fine. After it warms up a little, it will run rough and lose power like it is only hitting on a few cylinders. It will eventually stall unless I push the clutch in and bring it back to idle and then it smooths back out. I figured it was starving for fuel but I can rev it with the clutch in with no issue. I ran it up to 2500 rpm and held it there with the clutch in and ran perfect.
I let the clutch out and start rolling....missing again. The check engine light does come on but my scanner says that there are no codes stored. If I idle it, it will smooth out, and the light goes off. All I have done so far was change the fuel filter which was almost plugged shut and the housing was full of rust looking debris which I cleaned out. BINGO! Nope. Same issue.
I am really at a loss as to where to start. I bought this with 120k on it and it now has 170k and I have not had to do anything other than routine maintenance.
I have a 2000 F-250 Diesel that has started acting strangely. It starts and runs well, but every once in a while the peddle just stops working. Might be a second or so and then the RPM will go up. Or you may be running down the road and all of the sudden it just stops acting like it is getting enough fuel. Same thing it might last a second or so. Sometimes it might happen 4-5 times in a row over a few minutes and might not happen again for a day. Truck does not stall when this happens. It just does not go like it should.
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