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Car is randomly dying. Why?

A

adam102487

CEG'er
Joined
Feb 13, 2012
Messages
100
Location
Hamilton, On
So what started out as excitement when I purchased this 3L Contour has become a nightmare. Pulled the car out of storage and would randomly die. I was told because the battery died over the winter that the car had forgotten its tune and need 100 kms to reset. So I did just that. Car ran great for 2 days and then started dying when idling but would fire up most of the time no problem. Other times I had to give the car gas to get going again. Now the car dies after it runs for a few minutes, and when I use just about anything in the car (Headlights on, A/C, Defrost, etc.) it shuts the car off immediately unless i stay on the gas. I was told already by a mechanic that it is not my alternator or battery. Is the tune still out of whack? I have driven a total of 400+ kms to try and get this car back to normal. It is also throwing the code P1120. Is that any possibility it could be messing things up? I need all the help and answers I can get Please and thanks. If you need any more info I will respond ASAP.
 
Throttle position sensor and/or wiring between throttle position sensor and ECU are bad (p1120). That would explain all of your problems. You brought it to a mechanic and they didn't tell you that? Did they even read the codes?
 
Thanks for your quick answer. Ill have to take a look tomorrow at it. I really hope that's the problem. And yea for the mechanic not switching the sensor or even addressing as the primary issue is a bit odd and beyond me.
 
Make sure to get a TPS from a SVT if you are going to change it. It is different than the other 2.5s.

Do you have an SCT X2 or X3? You can monitor TPS voltage that way, otherwise you can use a multimeter on the pins.
 
Use a TPS from an SVT even though I have a Mustang GT throttle? And yes I do have a SCT X2.
Your help is greatly appreciated.
 
Update: Got the sensor switched out. Car runs better but still dying when i stop. Car might die twice every 10 complete stops sort of thing. Am I looking at a tune issue here now? Or something else? All electrical was checked and was good.
 
Any other codes? Probably not a tune. Do you know what injectors are in the car? Full 3L or Port Matched? Sounds like fuel pump, MAF, or IAC. Does the car have the "copper cap" throttle hang fix? If so pull it out and see if that helps. Also try resetting the KAM (keep alive memory) in the ECU by pulling fuses #4 and #11 from the underhood power box for about 5 min.

Set up your X2 to log IAC Duty Cycle, MAF Flow, TPS absolute value, and RPM. Get a log where the car dies and email it to me.
 
I got 3 codes that popped up P1000, P1401 and P1409. Car has #39 Cobra Terminator Injectors and not sure if full 3L or port matched. And if I can even open the fuse box ill try pulling those fuses. And ill see what i can do tonight to get those readings.
 
Is it a turbo car? WTF are 39# injectors doing in there??? Do you know who tuned it? Do you have a wideband on the car?

In any case those codes are related to the EVR and EGR which would also make sense as far as stumbling and dying.

In order to test the EGR:

Disconnect the vacuum hose when the car is idling and suck on the nipple on the EGR (I would just get a short length of vacuum hose so you aren't sucking directly on the hot metal). If the car stumbles/dies the EGR is good.

As far as the EVR, it's PWM controlled so it's difficult to test, the AutoZone procedure is garbage. Your best bet there is to check the wiring/plug to make sure it's all good. Are you sure the car has an EGR valve on it still? With the modifications to that car it seems like that may be something that was deleted. The tune should have it removed if that was the case, but you would just be getting a CEL, not any drivability symptoms.

It SOUNDS like the EVR is sticking open and allowing vac to pull on the EGR every once in a while at stop lights.
 
There is no turbo sadly. As far as tuning goes I believe a local shop here did it, but not entirely sure. There is no EGR according to the mechanic that had looked at my car. I just started my car and when I left it at idle and turned the a/c on, it died. Restarted the car kept my foot on the gas idling at 1000-1300 rpms max turned on the a/c, let off the gas and ran fine. That was just in my driveway though havent drove it like that. Dont know if that helps.
 
adam102487 said:
I got 3 codes that popped up P1000, P1401 and P1409. Car has #39 Cobra Terminator Injectors and not sure if full 3L or port matched. And if I can even open the fuse box ill try pulling those fuses. And ill see what i can do tonight to get those readings.
Click to expand...

iirc cktour's car is a full 3l and has the egr delete. My stock 98 svt did the same thing. It would stall sometimes at red lights. I think it's the IAC valve.
 
I think you are right about the full 3L. He told me when I bought it, but it was a long winter lol. And I will definitely look into the IAC valve.
Can't thank you guys enough though for all the help thus far.
 
bgrogan01 said:
iirc cktour's car is a full 3l and has the egr delete. My stock 98 svt did the same thing. It would stall sometimes at red lights. I think it's the IAC valve.
Click to expand...

Yeah, if the car has an EGR delete that would be my guess as well. Those injectors worry me too though, ESPECIALLY because codes that should have been tuned out with the EGR delete are popping up. I have never heard of a car "forgetting" a tune because the battery was disconnected but the fact that those codes are popping is worrying to me with the enormous injectors in the car.
 
So do I get an IAC valve for a Contour or Mustang? Isnt it connected to the throttle?
And for the injectors should I get a smaller number and if so any recommendation?
And also Should I look into getting a proper tune set on this car? As far as I know a local shop did the tune and could be why it takes 100kms to reset when battery is disconnected.
 
The battery reset thing is normal. The ECU needs to relearn its fuel trims. This will happen with or without a tune. There is nothing wrong with the injectors if the car is tuned for it and they have the same spray pattern as the injectorsthat the motor was designed for. Get the IAC for whatever motor is in the car but the IAC for the contour sill probably work fine. There have been slight variations in the IAC over the years though. Before you go and replace it try an log the IAC duty cycle. You can also try cleaning it before replacing it as well.

If it was my car I would work out ANY AND ALL mechanical issues, then drive the car to a tuner with a set of 24lb injectors and new UIM gasket in the trunk, swap the injectors, have them put a base SCT file in with the correct injector flow rates, and then get a full street/dyno tune done.

Normally I would just tell you to contact Brenspeed and have them write you a mail order tune since you have an X2, but it sounds like there are a lot of "unknowns" with the hardware on the car. NO good tuner would/should write a tune for it without having their hands on the car to slowly adjust timing/fueling until peak power/drivability is reached. Do you know who built the motor? Can you get in touch with them about the hardware?

Good luck, keep us posted!
 
I had the same issue.. Idle was unstable, sometimes even dying when I came to a stop. The local Ford dealership, where I work, diagnosed it as bad intake gaskets. $500 later, the car runs like a dream again.
 
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