Official Engine Stalling Thread

mbresee · Post by **mbresee** » 01 May 2006, 12:12

Have a 1993 850...same symptoms as others...stalling without notice in well maintained vehicle. Replacing the fuel pump is NOT the solution. Replace both relays (fuel and the one by the radiator {injection??}, and both cam sensors.

This was done 4 weeks ago and have had no further incidents of stalling. For what it's worth, car would run fine, then while turning, slowing to a stop, or moving approx 40-45mph, the car would suddenly die. Quick restart once gear selector put into either Park or Neutal.

Hope this is of assistance to others (and save some $$ with an un-necessary fuel pump replacement).

Miles

nbz · Post by **nbz** » 08 May 2006, 13:46

In my 9 month quest to find a solution to periodic stalling issues with my 850T, I finally figured it out once and for all. I noticed that the stalling was more frequent in warm/hot weather, and had been told it was likely due to the fuel relay getting hot and cutting out. (relay checked out). I was also advised that it could be the cam position sensor, (nope). Changed the fuel filter, cleaned the throttle body, cleaned the injectors, the flame trap, changed the plugs, etc., etc....
Then about a month ago, my wife said it happened more often when the car was below 1/2 tank of gas. Hmmm...
Okay, so when it's warm and there's less than half a tank of gas, is when it would cut out and usually after a short stop.
Turns out all I had to do was to stop tightening the cap cap until it "clicks" and just make sure it's "snug". My guess is that the warm air in the tank was venting thru the unseated cap and drawing fuel back away from the injectors creating a vacuum or fuel gap. I've seen a lot of similar posts on various sites, and since I saw the majority of them here, I thought I should register on this site and post what worked for me. I hope it's this simple for you.
Armie

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 08 May 2006, 20:22

Armie,
Nice to see you found a solution. My question is, were you getting a CEL when your car wouldn't start? My car does if I don't "click" the gas cap and I start the car...actually in a few minutes after driving off. It's a P-400 or something (like that) on my scan tool. I can reset the CEL or just tighten the cap....the CEL goes away either way. But still with the cap loose I don't have a "non-start" condition, so it appears there are probably different reasons for the non-start for specific cars....very idiosyncratic behavior in my opinion.

But...your solution may help some people here....hope it does.

nbz · Post by **nbz** » 10 May 2006, 10:37

Hello Made in Japan,
Nope - no codes or CEL. I am almost positive that the majority of stalling issues relating to warmer temps on the 850s are related to air mass in the fuel tank. Kinda like when you leave a half full 5 litre plastic gas can in the sun and come back to it an hour later and see that the sides are all sucked in.
Make sense to you?
Nice hearing from you on this site too.
Armie

MadeInJapan wrote:Armie,
Nice to see you found a solution. My question is, were you getting a CEL when your car wouldn't start? My car does if I don't "click" the gas cap and I start the car...actually in a few minutes after driving off. It's a P-400 or something (like that) on my scan tool. I can reset the CEL or just tighten the cap....the CEL goes away either way. But still with the cap loose I don't have a "non-start" condition, so it appears there are probably different reasons for the non-start for specific cars....very idiosyncratic behavior in my opinion.

But...your solution may help some people here....hope it does.

l33tDad · Post by **l33tDad** » 10 May 2006, 11:00

If that indeed fixed the problem, why not drill a small hole in the cap to act as a vent? Wouldn't that work just as well but allow you to fully tighten the cap?

Post by **MadeInJapan** » 10 May 2006, 18:49

A pressure vent/nipple might be better. Isn't that what the fuel line purge valve (I believe that's what it's called) is suppose to do isn't it?

nbz · Post by **nbz** » 11 May 2006, 11:14

I think I'll opt for replacing the gas cap and seeing if that works. This problem seems almost exclusive to the 94's and I have a suspicion that
there is some design flaw with the cap itself.
Thanks

l33tDad wrote:If that indeed fixed the problem, why not drill a small hole in the cap to act as a vent? Wouldn't that work just as well but allow you to fully tighten the cap?

BFE · Post by **BFE** » 21 May 2006, 09:17

Hi, I'm a hard suffering "me too".
Only difference is, the engine now won't start at all (after a 2 weeks with the problem), as if ignition is missing or fuel nozzles don't activate.
I

MV850T · Post by **MV850T** » 29 May 2006, 16:32

I hope someone can help.

9/10 times when I turn on my car, I let it idle for about 60 seconds. Around the 20-30 second mark, the car sputters for about 3 seconds, then goes back to normal and I can drive away. Today the same thing happened, but it stalled 3 out of 5 times, then went back to normal.

My first instict was due to the high heat here near Toronto, any other ideas?

Edit*

Today it happened with a 30c temp, sometimes it wouldn't even start, but open the hood and let sit for a few minutes and it works, still with the sputter.

Any freakin ideas?

MV850T · Post by **MV850T** » 29 May 2006, 18:49

Me too, same thing exactly. Does this still happen?

Frails wrote:I have a 1994 850 with 127k miles. If I take my car a down the road for say a trip for lottery tickets, It starts right up when I leave the store. BUT, if I take it on a longer trip, say home from work and on the highway and stop at a store, it will not start if I run right in and out. If it sits for an hour or more no problem. ut if I try to start the car soon after I turned it off, I always have to wait a few minutes for it to start. During this time, t tries to start but appears starving for fuel and never actually starts. Just simply chugs a little and not enough to put the car in drive and go. So many of you have had similar problems and changed fuel pumps, etc to no avail. So while it's never stalled while driving, it's annoying enough on a 110 degree day in Arizona.