my car turned off unexpectedly...

darkstar_one

Registered User
hey.... my car turned off unexpectedly for like about 1 second then came back on by itself. what can it be? i know the relay is messed up already and i have kind of rigged it to work. when i was at a stop light it turned off too. I think it might be that Starter Relay? Can it be that it was hot also? it was like around 90 somethings today? well i think its the relay? what do u guys think? i have been having problems with the relay and like i said i have rigged it to work. let me know. it turned off and on all of a sudden.
 
Hey dark, im having the same problem with my 94, but it didnt start back up on its own.:mad:
 
yeah man.. i was driving my bro home... at a stop light the car turns off unexpectedly.... again.. this time it doesnt come back on.... we go into a drive thru to get some food .... and i noticed the RPMS dropping and coming back up... i put it in NUETRAL and let it IDLE... like 5 minutes of waiting ... the car tries to turn off.. but doesnt..... i drop him off... i try to pull a 3 point turn.. and while going in REVERSE the car turns off... after i turn it back on ... i shift into DRIVE and finish the turn and i come to a stop sign and the car turns back off... i turn it back on and quickly drive home...

can it be that my IAC??? because it is an AFTERMARKET from PEP BOYS AUTO PARTS STORE? ima pop in the scanner first thing in the morning..
 
Starter relay will not effect a running engine.

Also, the IAC will not cause your car to stall if you are driving, it will only cause it to stall when idling or coming to a stop.

Do you get a warning tone with a shift light when this happens?

Your symptoms point to a crank sensor issue in the first stage of failure.

Does you harmonic damper/main pulley have ANY wobble in it?

Is the crank/damper bolt intact?

Have you recently had any issues with a water pump leaking or a run through deep water?

Aaron
 
well i popped open the hood today.... and all the pulley seem fine. i popped in the scanner and the only code i recieved was TPS VOLTS TOO LOW during the KOEO test. Well how can i check to make sure that it is the crank sensor... and that i can replace it before im left stranded.
 
Its probably the TPS then.
Does the car seem not quite right at low throttle settings, maybe a little mushy feeling?
 
Personal experience suggests your concern is caused by the crank sensor.

No way to check it unless it's dead, and then you're stranded. At this point you just have to hip-shoot the problem and hope you got it.

eidt: hold it! re read Dark's second post and that doesn't quite fit the crank sensor failure pattern. As Mike has said it looks more like a TPS situation.
 
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well ok check this out..... i was in the car with the scanner.... and the door open... the stereo was playing but i didnt noticed... i ran the test... got the code for TPS VOLTS TOO LOW. I closed the door turned off the stereo and re ran the KOEO test and it didnt bring it up. Dont know? but what im also noticing is that i think my battery is leaking some liquid? like redish. dont know man.. i think it might be the crank sensor. can the crank sensor make the car turn off and on unexpectedly? the car turned off for a second and then back on u almost dont notice it but then again u see the FLUID LEVEL INDICATOR reset itself like when u turn on the car... how those lights blink... yeah...

also... before i went to drop off my bro.. i popped in the key... and nothing... it was in the ON position and nothing. NO lights.. no nothing. No DOME LIGHTS. NOTHING. I pulled the lever to pop the hood and everything came back on. dont know what it is
 
Your last post describes some kind of problem with the battery or the battery cables. Take a look at the cables, make sure that the battery posts are clean and that the cables are securely attached to them. Also, if the battery is leaking, it's time to replace it.

-Rod
 
well i replaced the battery.... and i went to pick up my bro a while ago... and on the way over there the car ran smooth. on the way back... the car jerked itself and the stereo turned on and off. the fluid level indicator thingy reseted itself. the car turned off and on. it did it about 3 times before i got home. the car turns on and off unexpectedly. when u feel the car turn off the CHECK ENGINE light comes on for about 1 second and then goes off... can it really be my Crank sensor? please tell me other symptoms so i can replace it as soon as possible....
 
Now I'm starting to think ignition switch since interior items are affected.

Fords of the period used an ignition switch that would literally come apart at the seams. This would create a poor connection and intermittent problems, sometimes even fires. there was a recall but a lot of cars were missed as they were quite old by the time the recall came down. I've got two out in the garage that didn't undergo the recall repair and my mother has an 87 that was missed/ wasn't done.

Get the covers off the steering column and you'll see the switch on the right side. Look at the switch's assembly seam and it should be tight with no cleance between halves. If you don't see anything start the car and wiggle the wire harness. If the car hiccups then you know you're on the right track. If it runs fine then we'll have to keep looking.
 
John Shelton was havng a similar problem earlier this year. Drop him a note on the Southern California board and maybe he can describe his symptoms to you.

Alex
 
ok ok... somebody.... any ideas what would make the car turn off and on unexpectedly and cause it to jerk itself? i dont know what it is. please i need everyones suggestions... anybody ... dont care how much knowledge.. just drop a line...
 
I have had the same problem with my car cutting on and off. Check out the Engine Quits Running thread that i posted.
 
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