just died all the sudden

[leveliv]

so this morning I went out to drive to work...started my car...it started fine, Then the idle just went down and down till finally it just died...It was really rough idle...(like the feeling of a v8 with a heavy cam ) What could this be?

It was rather wet..and dewy this morning. ..and a bit cold...

I ended up just starting it again and running it at 2000 for a bit to warm it up then It idled just fine...but I would rather not have that happen again.

[leveliv]

Bump




It did it again this morning...same conditions...Dewey and wet.

[Lord Stanley]

What year? Earlier years have an issue with the wire insulation of the wire harness cracking and falling off, so maybe the dew is getting some wire wet and the car is not liking it

[AliasJerk]

mileage?

Sounds like your timing belt jumped, and your VCT is trying to compensate (assuming you have a 98-00), but doing a poor job of it.

if thats the case, its time for a new timing kit. belt, tensioner, idler pulleys.

Edit: however, another possibility might be an ignition problem, dewey and wet is a dead give away, how old are your plugs wires and coil pack? more importantly, is your check engine light on?

[leveliv]

not sure I just bought the car...its a 97

Im going to replace all that stuff within the next week though...see how it helps.

[AliasJerk]

not sure I just bought the car...its a 97

Im going to replace all that stuff within the next week though...see how it helps.

that means VCT doesnt apply the pre98 I4 contours didnt have VCT (variable cam timing), that makes it less possible that your timing belt is bad, however, pending upon service history you might want to do it anyways, on the pre98's they have a tendency to go right around 80-90K miles. I got lucky with my 96, it went till 102K.

But start with the basics, plugs, wires, and ignition coil are inexpensive, and regular repairs you should do those anyways. I also will note that timing belts are considered regular maitenence as well. 80-90K miles is standard to have them replaced.

[amc49]

He said it idled just fine. Jumped timing doesn't do that, and it won't self correct itself to start fine the next morning. The presence or absence of VCT has no bearing either on timing belt life. Earlier 'tours belt change recommended around 60K? I know the later ones with Hypalon in them change at 120K, thinking that change occurred sometime between '97-'98.

[zorrex]

He said it idled just fine. Jumped timing doesn't do that, and it won't self correct itself to start fine the next morning. The presence or absence of VCT has no bearing either on timing belt life. Earlier 'tours belt change recommended around 60K? I know the later ones with Hypalon in them change at 120K, thinking that change occurred sometime between '97-'98.

QFT. Timing belt? Gimme a break.

Start with the basic maintenance stuff. Seeing as you just bought the car, it is recommended to change the air filter, spark plugs (Motorcraft of Autolite Double Plats recommended, gapped to .050"), and spark plug wires. Do you have a check engine light? It could be possible that your car is running lean. It might just be coincidence that your car stalled while it was wet out. Just a few of these simple, cheap, do-it-yourself things can keep the car running in good shape. And something else you might want to do is run a bit of fuel injector cleaner for a few tanks of gas. Lucas puts out some good stuff that only costs $4 per bottle.