Engine shutdown during extended idle

Digitalchaos

Registered User
Was inside a store today while a friend waited inside my vehicle. Due to the temperatures, I allowed it to idle.. around 10 minutes. The fan cycled 2 or 3 times during this period. Sometime after the end of the third cycle, the engine simply shutdown. Idle was about 600 rpms, smooth. It started normally, immediately after this event.

Suggestions?
 
i would have 3 guesses 1 crank sensor 2 fuel pump and filter 3 dis module or one time mine quit battery terminal was touching the hood
 
were you low on gas? maybe pump choked for a second.

Did the passenger shut it off or rock the car back and forth? I wouldn't worry about it.
 
I was actually in the drivers seat when it shut off. I was looking for an item in the console & thought I touched a pedal, but otherwise nothing. It has never done this before or after. Just a random glitch perhaps..
 
There is an automatic shutoff if the engine becomes too warm-as in extended idle situations. What was the temp gauge showing?
 
If you had the defrost or heater/defrost on, then you may not know that the A/C compressor kicks on occasionally and will pull the idle down for a moment. The EEC is supposed to adjust it, but if the idle is low, possibly due to bad engine mounts, that could be just enough to cause it to die. Try running just the heater and see if if it runs OK..
Something else I've noticed is that if the coolant isn't completely full and the air purged out, my car is slow to warm up, the heater is lame, and the engine temp tends to stay real low on a cold day.
 
Temperature was just over half way 30 seconds after a fan cycle, nothing unusual. Vent was on, A/C not cycling, heat @ 90 and is adequate. Coolant is up to normal levels and retaining, regaurdless of a slight thermostat drip.

Can't really think of anything, except that car idles lower when warm anyway and some spontanious electrical or fuel glitch shut it down. Nothing else strange, so I will set the event aside for now.

Thanks for the suggestions.
 
Slight thermostat drip hummmmm,

Could be that coolant got on the crank sensor and is causing problems. More than likely, the IAC just didn't catch the idle fast enough causing the engine to stall.


Fix the t-stat, anti-freeze kills cam and crank sensors.


Don
 
Birdman93 please explain

There is an automatic shutoff if the engine becomes too warm-as in extended idle situations. What was the temp gauge showing?

i've never heard of this. how does it work, just part of the computer?

jim
 
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