car shut off while driving and wont start back up what could cause this

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Did you check the ECU fuse? Terminals tied town tight? Loose starting/charging system wires? Bad plug wires? Make sure your timing is correct.... Going out on a whim here... maybe your ignition switch is faulty?
 
Ignitor in the distributor, would be my first thought if its not firing. I had a car a month ago, the owner had siminlar problems, they replaced the main relay and thought they had fixed it. It started because the car had sat. as soon as it ran for a bit it cut off again. We replaced the distributor and no problems since. A main relay pronlem will in most cases prevent the car from starting. This happens when they get old and the solder joints inside them crack and break the connections going through them.


if the ignitor was bad would i still have spark at the plugs?
 
i tried just starting it just to see it must not be the alternator
it makes that ah ah ah ah ah type sound when you try to start it not the tic sound when the battery is dead
 
try to get it to fire on some starting fluid i assume its not geting fuel or fuel is bad if you have spark and it fires on starting drain gas and put in fresh fuel if no start on startingfluid start checking mecinical timing and thats about all you can check
 
i tried just starting it just to see it must not be the alternator
it makes that ah ah ah ah ah type sound when you try to start it not the tic sound when the battery is dead

The clicking sound you hear is your starter. Just because it is working doesn't mean it is working at the proper rate for it to turn the engine over. If it is a fuel issue, try spraying 2+2 into the throttle body when the engine is off. Move the butteryfly on the throttlebody open and closed while spraying a good amount in. Than put your intake pipe/tubing back on and try starting it again. IF it starts and then shuts down shortly after it is a fuel issue. Other than that it would have to be brought to a shop and be diagnosed as a no-start.
 
Alternator man.. test the battery. Its free at autozone or advance autoparts. But def sounds like an alternator prob..

If it was battery it prob wouldnt have started to begin with. The alternator is draining the battery so dont go buy another battery, It'll just die again.
 
open one end from the fuel filter, turn key on to see if gas is being pumped.
 
if the starter cranks strong and doesnt start, then its not the starter, but also not the battery because alot of power from batter, so no alternator issues. Its probably a fuel problem, or bad injector signal, someone could of put sugar in your gas tank? head gasket could of blew and flooded some cylinders
 
the car does have fuel at the injectors
and power to the injectors
im flat broke and about to move i dont have a timing gun on hand
and no money to take it to a shop
can anybody think of anything else i can check
its looking like im going to have to put the car on ebay for sale
 
Have you checked for spark yet?? Stick a screwdriver in the end of a plug and ground it. Have someone turn it over and see if the plug wires are firing. You need to get a good charge first though. Jump the car off and leave the cables connected while you do this.
 
i just ordered a new distributor i think it might be the ignition module in the distributor that went bad

iv checked everything else
fuel at fuel filter and injectors
checked spark
check main relay solder
fuel pump works
timing belt is good
had no major problems when the engine died and it was just rebuilt so nothing major should have happend
i gave the starter a few hits incase it was demagnitized
there is gas and new oil
new battery
altornator tests fine

ill let you guys know in a few days when i get the distributor if that fixes it
advanced auto told me a new distributor costs $400.00 thats a damn rip off
i ordered a brand new one for $158
 
Yeah, I had the same exact problem with my car and it was the dizzy. Good luck! :D
 
A lot of people misunderstand how the battery actually functions. You can have a car battery put out 12.4v not running and they think it is good. If your battery does not have enough amperage available it will not start the engine. If extremely low it will not even turn the starter. I would take the battery to an AutoZone or the such and have them use their battery tester on it. They usually test them by their CCA rating (cold cranking amperage). If it is lower than specified than you will need to charge the battery which is something they can do for you. This is just basic checks but can be misunderstood by many.
 
If you take it to a shop they can perform many diagnostic tests for one hours worth of labor time. I say go for it since your time in limited.

1) Battery output test
2) Alternator output test
3) Starting system test

...just to name a few.
 
HEAD GASKET BLEW, COOLANT IN CYLINDERS, drain oil and check for water, or check radiator for oil
 
did you check to see if you have spark at the plug...if you dont have spark pull of the distributor cap then the two wires on top of the coil . put a test light between these two wires and crank the motor over..if the test light lights up it is the coil if not it is the ignitor
 
you didnt have to order a new dizzy the ignitor and coil are both replaceable parts..whered you get that dizzy from for $158?
 
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