Ford - Thunderbird :: 1979 V8 Suddenly Not Starting / Engine Turns Over But Stalls When Key Is Released
Aug 20, 2011
I have a 1979 Ford Thunderbird with a V8 5.0 liter engine. Here's the mysterious problem... the engine turns over when I turn the key but stalls when the key is released. Thinking that the alternator died, I replaced it with a new re-manufactured unit and the car's symptoms stayed the same. Also checked the fuses and the fuel filter and found that plenty of fuel is getting to the carburetor. This issue with the car not starting appeared literally overnight after I attempted to install a new radio. Prior to this the car ran reasonably well – always started easily and ran without a problem. Wondering if there is a possibility that I fried some part of the electrical system when I fussed around with all the wiring under the dash. Someone else had attempted the radio installation previously so the wiring there was already a mess of cuts and re-connections and was hard to sort out.
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I have a 79 toyota pick up, that will not run. the engine turns but does not start. It has spark, though not the best should start. The carb is old but there is gas in the engine when i try to start. compression in all the cylinders is fine. A friend thinks maybe the timing chain jumped a tooth. I cant find the bright link on it so im having trouble knowing if that is the problem. What it could be?
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1979 chevy c10.. No start.... 4.1 engine with no spark.... I have replaced everything in distributor including plugs and wire still no spark rotor is turning when engine cranks so I assume timing chain is good
I have replaced Ignition Coil, Distributor Capacitor & Terminal Block, pickup coil, Ignition Control Module, Distributor Rotor, cap, Wires
Seems like I am just wasting money on parts and still no start. Truck only has 50k for miles on it and not driven very much. Just died going down hwy with out any warning.
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I have an 02' Dodge Grand Caravan 3.3L V6 (not flex fuel) .I have replaced the battery, alternator, sparkplugs/wires, fuel pump, fuel filter. All over time and now when i try to start the van it turns over strong sometimes starting then stalls out immediately. When I try to crank it sounds like metal on metal. Check engine light stays on,but i dont have an OBD reader.
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I've got a 89 ford Thunderbird that I've replaced coil and all other things i can think of but still no spark. I pulled the plug which connects to the coil pack and tested the positive side of plug and not hot with key on then i went to back side of plug and got a hot.
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I have a "56 thunderbird with a mid-60"s ford 390 engine w/ 4 bbl holley. I just had engine completely rebuilt and everything else is new: carb, distributor, electric fuel pump, fuel tank, etc.
Problem: car stalls and dies after a few minutes of driving. Generally restarts after waiting about a half hour, but not always. I have a fuel filter with clear bowl in fuel line just ahead of carb. The bowl is usually about 2/3 full of fuel, but general appears empty when the car stalls.
After waiting a while, the bowl refills and the car restarts.
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I have a 92 Ford Thunderbird and it stalls every time I accelerate from a stop. I am a single parent and extremely low on funds. I don't have a mechanic that I trust so I don't know where to turn. How much do you think it would cost to repair? I also struggle when I don't have a car. There is no public transportation close to where I live.
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My mom has a 97 Ford Thunderbird. About 1 month ago the air conditioner stopped working, it wouldn't blow out anything. Knowing that it could be a number of items and not sure of the cost, she decided not to have it fixed.Earlier this week it started working again on it's own. It worked for 1 day and then stopped again. What could've caused this? It seems to me that if it came back on that it may be a simple fix like a fuse.
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I also tried jump starting - get same same result. Engine cranks, turns, and then sounds like it is just about to start up normally but it just dies completely. It seems to want to start but just can accelerate the engine high enough to keep it running. Almost like it's flooded on a carb motor.. 2000 V10..
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My 1994 Thunderbird driver side electric window suddenly will not work. Passenger side works normal. Door lock, electric rear view mirror, and interior lite on bottom of driver side all work. Checked fuse panel and all is normal. Removed black triangle shaped panel where switches for window and door lock and door handle stick through and there are no broken or pulled off wires from the switch. The driver side switch "clicks" when pushed and the voltage guage on the dash "jumps" but motor does not respond on driver side only.
I removed and lifted off the large inside door panel, peeled back the plastic waterproof material and have the door panel balanced on a stool from below. I want to check for loose/or disconnect wires into the motor but at this point the diagram of where the motor should be from my old Haynes Repair Manual for 1989-1997 Ford Thunderbird-Mercury-Cougar does not match what I have. The motor seems to be not accessible so I can check the wiring.
I realize that the problem could be in the switch even though it "clicks" and sounds normal but the connections into the motor or the motor itself could be the culprit in my thinking. I just can't see at the moment how to check that motor. The car has 164,000 miles and obviously that door has opened and closed thousands of time jarring the components.
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I have a 99 F450 bucket truck. I was up in the bucket when the engine died suddenly. It turns over but won't fire. I have no dash warning lights now either but everything else seems to be working. Lights, radio, annoying beeping sound from the key left in the ignition, etc. There are roughly 5 or 6 fuses in the panel to the lower left of the steering column that don't have power to them. Are they all supposed to have power when the ignition is on? I checked the fuse panel under the hood and all of the fuses that have 12V to them are good. There are a few small ones that don't have power to them but I don't think they do all the time.
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Recently, after exiting the freeway, may car ( lexus 1995 SC400) suddenly stalls. After a moment of panic, i placed the emergency blinkers on,. coasted to a stop, and re started the engine. It started right away and I continued driving home. The engine sounded perfectly fine, no hesitation, no roughness. After a few days it happened again....again after exiting the freeway and slowing down for city traffic. The Garage that serviced my car for many years has checked the electrical system, replaced the spark plug wire set, cleaned " throttle body". These seemed to fix the problem. The car was fine for 6 months and then it happened again last week.
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I have an 00 Accent 1.5 liter 5 speed with about 192000 miles on it. I have put about a tank of gas through it since I've owned it, so I can't give a lot of background on it. When I got it the previous owner told me it was popping out of fifth gear and the clutch fluid leaked.
Upon driving it around a while I noticed it would pop out of fifth and third gears almost at random, but seemed to happen more when I applied throttle. I assumed it was an issue with the shifter not fully engaging the gears, and checked out the bushings under the hood and in the console. All looked good, and I didn't see any extra play.
I drove the car for about 30 miles straight and had to downshift and wasn't able to get the car to go into any gear but fifth. I was moving about 20 mph when this occurred. I was able to limp along to a parking lot where I let the car sit for about ten min and I shifted through the gears when stopped. I headed back home with this problem throughout the trip. There is a sound that happens on occasion (that stops when I press the clutch pedal) that sounds like a bad bearing in the clutch area.
When I'm stopped with the car in neutral and I release the clutch the car stalls like it's in gear. I was able to get the car to move some, but it really doesn't want to it acts like there is something jammed in the gears and popped really loud when I backed it up.
There is fluid for the master cylinder, and I can see the slave cylinder moving when the pedal is pressed. I jacked it up and removed the plug to check for gear oil, and it came pouring out, so I think it has fluid in the gearbox. I'm pretty sure it needs a clutch at the least. I think there may be some internal damage in the tranny, and I'm only into the car for the time it took to power wash a house and don't want to get involved in a big mess.
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When I'm in a garage and start the car, with the headlights on 'AUTO', they go on immediately, even before the engine turns on and starts running. Is this bad for the wiring in any way?
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Our 1985 Volvo 740 GLE sedan will intermittently not start. The engine turns over, just won't go. Let it sit a bit and it starts right up again. No rhyme or reason or pattern to the failure.
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My wife couldnt get her 2011 SE to start this morning. It engine turns over strong but it wouldn't start. Brake lights worked. Brake pedal very hard. Tried several times but would not start. Finally I jumped battery just in case and it cranked. Don't know if this was coincidence or not. Car is two years old and only 30k. I checked for interior lights being left on or other things that might drain the battery.
Could a low Fob battery cause this? Brake switch? No codes thrown. Taking in to dealer but wanted to rule out a simple fix.
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09 corolla. Wife said it was hard to start this morning and when she got off work. it started fine right after she got home. i waited a few hours, after dinner and went out to start it and it takes the engine about 3 seconds to start.
Normally when I turn the key the engine cranks up and starts. today it cranks or turns over about 3 times before starting. and there's no error/engine lights. tested the battery, full charge. not sure what else to check.
We are in Houston TX, with about 95'F day temps, you could call it a cold start since the engine has been resting and cooling off. but not cold like freezing temp.
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I have a 1995 Ford Thunderbird with the 4.6 V8. I have owned it since it was a year old, it now has 70,000 miles on it. A couple years ago it developed a problem while driving. Hard to explain, but seems like it is misfiring or there a fuel restriction somewhere. This shows up when i floor it, the transmission kicks down and the engine struggles to accelerate, you can feel when it clears up, the car shoots forward. It seems like if i smoothly step on the pedal it is better, but not always.
This problem is also noticeable when the revs are low, like just before the transmission shifts down, like when climbing a hill, you can feel a shudder, if i accelerate and the transmission shifts so the revs are higher the problem goes away. Also, shutting off the overdrive so the revs increase works too. It really feels like the engine to me, although it does not go as far as to backfire.
2 years ago i replaced the auto transmission and torque converter with a factory one direct from Ford.To diagnose what i think is an engine problem i have: replaced the fuel filter (wasn't dirty) removed the injectors and had them cleaned and tested (they were fine) checked the fuel pressure (fine) checked the vacuum (fine) removed the exhaust to look for cat blockages (nice and clean) replaced the plugs, wires, and coils checked that the timing was in spec, although i don't think there is a way to adjust it
The car has the early version of OBDII - it does not have any active errors.
The car starts and idles fine, cold or hot, and when it is not acting up, still has excellent power. It does sit inside all winter though.
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I get an intermittent spike in RPM with a lurch in the engine when I'm holding anywhere from 1500-1700 RPM. I say it's intermittent because it might happen three or four times over the span of a few seconds, and then nothing for a minute or two. I don't think it's the transmission because it doesn't happen during shifting, and I can duplicate the problem in D, N, and P. What could be causing the problem?
1991 Ford Thunderbird SC, 3.8L 6 cyl with supercharger, 4 speed automatic transmission172,000 miles
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I'm working on a 93 thunderbird with a 3.8 in it and no check engine lights are on.The engine races at about 2500 rpm in neutral, I changed out the TPS but the idle still was way too high.
My first thought was a vacuum leak and I did find one hose that was rotted away. I then tested for vacuum leaksby spraying some brake cleaner around the intake and all the lines and fittings, but the engine stayed at a constant rpm.
My next guess is the Throttle Air bypass valve.
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My 2006, 4.2 has been really erratically not starting. Turns over fine but will sometimes fire up and tries to run on maybe 2 cylinders, then stalls. Now it won't even do that, nothing. No check engine light or codes. Guess what the thing started up this morning 7 degrees out and running like a charm. Turned off and nothing again. Replaced relay for PCM ,no change, still no codes.
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