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Think I'll pitch in on this thread.
My van is having a problem with turning over even though it has power, I could imagine it's the spark plugs or the starter itself, but I just got a call back from the garage and they're telling me they can't find a problem with it. I mean it's starting up now, but I was having to turn the key a couple of times before anything would respond.
WTF should I do now, take it back from the garage and see what happens?
Moisture in the distributor cap?Quote:
Originally Posted by voltz
I drive a shitty shitty car. Websters defines "shitty shitty car," as "1997 Ford Escort." Mine's an SE.
Here's the problem. When it starts, it's fine. It sounds moreorless normal (but it may not, it's been shitty for a while, since 1997 I belive), and drives pretty much ok for a little bit.
Once it's had a chance to run a while, the engine starts to surge, applying gas maks it go away of course but after a little more time, it gets worse and worse untill, usually at a long light or in a turn I have to slow down a lot for it cuts out comepletely. Throwing it back into park and restarting it is no problem (i.e. it restarts fine but still surges a lot).
I have tried fuel injector cleaner and I use premium gas (which is hurting more and more by the day). I've filed the gas tank up with super 5 times each time with a bottle of STP FI Cleaner, and once (on the fifth time with one fifth of a bottle of Transmittion Fluid, this was not an accident but advice from a mechanic who said xmission fluid is a good solvent). This has not helped. Another thing to note: My check engine light is on, my parking break light is on (despite my parking break most defintily being off). I think the car overheats easily but I'm actually not sure since - well - I don't trust my thermostat no more than I trust my fuel gauge (the latter has proven to be disasterously inaccurate).
Does anyone know what this might be? I'm sure it could be a number of things. I'm not so concerned about the sensors or the misleading lights as I am the surgeing and the fact that I really can't drive in traffic or for long distances in it. Any help would be appreciated.
The signal to get a new car! The fucking gas gauge doesn't even work right? Must have been a bitch realizing that.Quote:
Originally Posted by Tracer
Wow, I made a useful thread.
Cool.
It was December 23rd, at night, in traffic, in 29 degree weather in humid Houston. I was on Highway 90, I had to push the car 4 miles into a shell station with people honking and shouting at me to get my pos off the road. I was driving to meet a friend who was about to leave for basic training, we we're to meet at a pub. I literally had frozen snot hanging off my nose by the time I got it up the incline at the shell station. I thought my car had just broken down, but I decided to give it gas any way. One gallon couldn't hurt, so I tried it and the car started. The guage said I was half full.Quote:
Originally Posted by Rumpy
Yeah, I need a new car but I don't exactly have the money for that. The guages I'm aware of now and it hasn't stoped me since, but the surgeing and all that is an issue. If someone could help me with that I would appreciate it.
No, something like that would cause an engine to backfire or idle rough.Quote:
Originally Posted by JMET
So that part ended up being from the fuel injection system? Wow.
Well I'm gonna put some heet in just to be on the safe side.
Tracer:
I don't know what's causing the surging, but since it's throwing the check engine light, you might take it up to an Autozone, Advance Auto, etc and they can hook up device that will tell you what codes it's throwing so you can figure out if that's causing the problems. And they do it for free, beats paying a mechanic to do the same thing.
Also, you shouldn't be putting Premium into your car. At best, it's doing nothing. At worst, it's making the internals of your engine dirtier since it can't burn all the fuel, leaving fun carbon deposits. The only REAL reason to use higher octane gas is if you have a Turbo/supercharged car, V8, or other high-performance engine. Additives in the gas is usually the same across all grades.