Bloody F-ing Hell....

[collwen]

I got the car home last night. While it was idling, the engine was doing this surging thing, but seemed to even out by the time I turned it off.

In fact, it started this morning, but stalled when I got to a stop light. I was on Route 9 in Poughkeepsie (just north of the IBM Poughkeepsie campus- at the lights by the Price Chopper and shopping plazas).

The bleeping car won't start again. At least this time it tries to turn over.

Marnen came and we switched cars. I am so lucky that he has a job where he can take the train if I'm having car problems.

He did find one thing that would get the car to start- call AAA for a tow and then the car will start.

So it is back at the garage, with 2 voice-mails telling them to FIX it. To look at the car/engine even if it starts for them. Because it should NOT be doing this.

The keys happened to fall on the envelope that contains the payment from getting the starter replaced.

Comments

[ioldanach.livejournal.com]

A stalling engine can't possibly be related to the starter.

[tomatoe333.livejournal.com]

...unless the mechanic who changed the starter happened to knock loose a vacuum line or two...

[ioldanach.livejournal.com]

So the question is... was it stalling before?

[collwen.livejournal.com]

Yes... it was stalling before. That's what I brought it in for the first place.

Remember the night I was with you guys at the Mexican place?

[ioldanach.livejournal.com]

wasn't sure if marnen had just stopped somewhere to eat and it wouldn't start again. I forgot.

One of the most common...

[seawasp]

... causes of something like that is worn or wet wires. Morning gives high chances of dew condensation, which wets the wires down and makes stalling or hard starting much more likely.

Re: One of the most common...

[collwen.livejournal.com]

it was stalling in the afternoons too.

[auntiero.livejournal.com]

I think my car was communing with your car this morning. I stopped at CVS before work. Got back in the car and it wouldn't start right away. Not good for a car I just got. *grrr*

I have no words of wisdom on your car troubles, though. I hope they figure it out.

(Although... now that I think about it, a previous car I had used to do that engine surge/rev thing. That particular problem was related to the transmission. The car was pushing 200,000 miles at that point.)

[collwen.livejournal.com]

Someone else also pointed out that since they had unhooked the battery it takes some time, particularly with a GM, for the computer to relearn regulate the settings.

You just got your car... *hugs*

[lilianafriendly.livejournal.com]

I doubt it's either of these things, but with my old car there had been a problem with the idle which caused the car to rev unexpectedly and occasionally stall out. I also had a problem where the car would unexpectedly die on me while I was driving for no apparent reason. The mechanic finally figured it out - there was a defective part that had a metal piece on it - when the engine warmed up the metal would warp away and cut the electric signal to the engine, causing the car to die. The car would then refuse to start again until the metal piece cooled and went back into place.

[whildbill.livejournal.com]

I had a problem with surgin in the Prelude... Turned out that the idle set screw had worked itself out a turn or two. They fixed it... A couple months later, same problem again.

They set the screw again. This time they used Lok-Titie on it....