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car dies

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BrApple

No Life But CEG
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95 contour zetec, mtx, most likely high miles, its a friend of mine

he say the car has started randomly dying on him. when the car dies it will stop running but anything run off the battery will continue working. he says the longer he waits to start the car again the longer it will run.

I have suggested checking the health of the battery and to check the fuel filter, plugs, extra, the basic stuff. also amount of fuel in the tank doesn't have an effect.

any thoughts or other questions I should ask him about the car?
 
Maybe a heat issue with the wiring/sensor somewhere? As it heats up, something moves just enough to short, then once it's cool, it the contact is re-established? Just a guess.
 
Has a crank position sensor ring to it. SHOs used to exhibit similar symptoms. In their case, it was often because the water pump was leaking onto the CPS right below it, shorting it out. Might be worth a look.
 
getsum111 said:
Maybe a heat issue with the wiring/sensor somewhere? As it heats up, something moves just enough to short, then once it's cool, it the contact is re-established? Just a guess.
Click to expand...


yeah I was thinking about that some since its a 95 and the wiring harness is most likely shot ...
 
Check the fuel relay too (if it has one)...see if there's another relay that can be switched w/ it in the car (save buying a new one for the time being) & check if that remedies it. Mine was bad on the KIA, when I let it sit a while it would reset & start again, eventually dying when it got hot (the circuit would stick open) & starting the process over again.

I don't even want to discuss the parts that were replaced before I figured on the $17 relay :blackeye:
 
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PeppermintPatty said:
Check the fuel relay too (if it has one)...see if there's another relay that can be switched w/ it in the car (save buying a new one for the time being) & check if that remedies it. Mine was bad on the KIA, when I let it sit a while it would reset & start again, eventually dying when it got hot (the circuit would stick open) & starting the process over again.

I don't even want to discuss the parts that were replaced before I figured on the $17 relay :blackeye:
Click to expand...

On this note, feel for a hole in the driver's kick panel, just to the left of where your left foot would fall when you're sitting in the seat. There's a spring loaded pressure switch in there that releases when the car is in an accident, shutting off the fuel pump. If there's a problem with the switch, perhaps it has triggered erroneously. Might not cost anything to find out, though. Press the button, and see if that helps.
 
BrApple said:
95 contour zetec, mtx, most likely high miles, its a friend of mine

he say the car has started randomly dying on him. when the car dies it will stop running but anything run off the battery will continue working. he says the longer he waits to start the car again the longer it will run.
...?
Click to expand...

Check alternator.
 
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