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car stalled while getting of the highway!

D

Daves95Contour

CEG'er
Joined
Feb 2, 2005
Messages
96
Location
Cleveland, Ohio
I just had a viper alarm system installed on my svt. I have an optima red34r battery and it fits great however to get the cables over the top posts they cables are now real tight! For some reason my gas gauge will mess up and it will go from say a half tank of gas all the way down to E and the low fuel light will come on! If i turn the car off and on again it goes back to the correct amount of gas and the light goes off... Bad?? I dunno. Well today i was driving and i got of the highway and while turning to the left going about 20 mph my car just STOPPED running! O NO! Luckily i was able to pull over and I let the cars that were getting off go around me! My car fired right up after the shutdown. What do you guys think i should do to try to solve what happened? Do you think the battery cables being so tight had somthing to do with it? Or the alarm system that I had professionaly installed? I would really hate to call the place that installed the alarm last week and tell them about the car stalling! Any help will be awsome!
 
My car has done that to me one time - I passed a semi on a two lane highway only to have him pass me while I was sitting on the shoulder after about a mile. All of a sudden the car just died - left the ignition on and the car in gear hoping it would start with no luck. I shut the car off - let it sit a min and it fired up like everything was fine and I've never had the issue again. My car is also a 2000 - but a 3L swap too.
 
Bad Fuel Pump???

Bad Fuel Pump???

I had the exact same thing happen to me. My 00' just died at a light and i had to push it off too a parking lot. My CSVT is still under warranty from CarMax, so I called them from the Parking lot. They asked at what level was my gas gauge... i said about 1/4 full. He told me that if I run the tank under 1/4 regularly, that it can cause the Fuel pump to overheat, cause the gas in the tank actually assists in cooling. If it gets too hot, some switch goes off and the fuel pump will shut down!

After sitting in the lot for about 10 minutes... it started right up! I've been meaning to take it in and have the pump looked at, but I haven't had it happen since, so I guess I haven't gotten around to it. I HAVE been a little more careful of how long the gas tank is under 1/4 full, so that could have something to do with it.

Since you're having other issues with your gas gauge, I'd recommend having the fuel pump looked at, as well as whatever component measures the fuel level as they may be related. Hope this helps.
 
Pull out the rear seats to find the gas tank access panel. Pull the pump and get yourself a Focus SVT pump. Cut the connector off the old Contour pump and wire it up to the new Focus pump. I havn't had a fuel issue since.
 
Had this happen to my Pontiac Grand Prix. I was under WOT at the time when it cut out. My battery was dying and the alternator was on the outs as well. I think it just failed to deliver the spark under load and stalled. I replaced the battery and everything has been fine.

You might also have a short that only grounds in a hard turn, or bad plug wires, etc. I would still investigate the battery. Make sure the connections are free of corrosion and that they are snug.
 
thanks

thanks

thanks for the help! However, It shut down on me again today while i was on the highway moving forward at about 65mph. I felt the power steering not working and sure enough my car was NOT RUNNING! Everything electrical was still on and working properly. Even my pioneer radio and the lights but the car was not running!!! I pulled over to the median and sure enough it started right up first try AGAIN... I have a brand new Red TOP OPTIMA red34R battery.. So i do not think that its the battery. I also installed brand new Motorcraft ignition wires so I really do not know??? I wonder if it has somthing to do with the place that installed the alarm system? Any help would be so awsome! Its really bothering me that my car just turns off BY ITSELF... I have been having a problem with the fuel gauge and i wonder if they are DIRECTLY related??? For example i will have like a half tank or a quarter tank and the gauge will drop down to E (by itself out of nowhere) and the low fuel light will come on. If I turn the car OFF and then back ON the guage reads at the correct level and the low fuel light turns off!??? THe gauge malfunctioned before I had the alarm installed. PLEASE HELP ME GET DOWN TO THE BOTTOM OF THIS!!!
 
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I was having this issue with my 98. I found out that the wire in the fuse block under the dash for my Fuel pump relay was loose, not much room down there for a size 17 shoe. Rewired that and have not had the problem. Do the wire "wiggle" test under the dash with the car running. If it shuts off then you have bad wireing under.
 
hummm

hummm

Sounds like a crank positioning sensor.... the connectors get wallered out and cause stalling and no starts...
 
man o man

man o man

Well I took the car back up to the place that installed the alarm and they removed the "brains" of the alarm unit under the dash. I am going to drive it around for about a week and see if it does it again.. I did upgrade the grounds under the hood also. I really hope that it had somthing to do with the alarm system. I do not think that its the CPS because It starts up right after it stalls... I was driving on the highway yesterday and It turned off on me! I put the car into nuetral while moving about 65 mph and turned the ignition and it started up first try without hesitation. I hope i can figure this out!
 
ok do me a real quick favor. CHECK THE CONNECTOR!!!!!!everytime i hear about peoples cars stalling i always read these far fetched ideas on cps's going bad, or those who say spend a lot of money on a new fuel pump. ive always learned check the free things first. mine did this right around the time i bought the car, the guy said if it stalls just hit the pump with this. he hands me a 1 ft long metal bar. "just tap the metal plate, it needs a new fuel pump, it sat for 2 years so theres crap in the tank". well to cut this short one day while i was at work after dealing with this on and off for a while the car stalls while im sitting idling in my spot. i reach back under the seat and un plug the harness. the ground wire in the bundle connector was chared. i scrapped off the burnt plastic with a small knife, pluged it back in and havent had a problem since. its been 2 years. check the pin connectors for corrison, burnt terminals, or anything that could cause a loss of connection while driving. mine was because my seat was moving a little bit while driving and was moving the connector just enough to lose connection.
 
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