The first time in 14 years of owning this car, it broke down on me twice yesterday on the same journey. While cruising at 40mph and then at 60mph the engine just cut out, I didn't even realise it had until I tried to accelerate. No jerking or jolts, it was a very smooth cut out. It did start again straight away the first time and then took a few seconds to start the second time.

I put the scan tool on when I got home and nothing really showing, no codes and everything on live data looked ok. Fuel pressure was correct when running at 55psi but dropped to 34psi when I switched the engine off, not sure if that's normal.

Also, a few weeks back I posted about my tacho under reading by about 300rpm, could that be connected to the crank position sensor?

Any help appreciated.

 

topanga, I do not think the RPM reading and your latest problem are related. As for the fuel pressure, I would call what you are seeing normal for that age of vehicle.

What you are experiencing I would relate to a loss of electrical power. Based on what I have seen on the forums, what I want you to try is starting the car and then grabbing on to the key and without turning it, wiggle it around. Did the motor cut out? If yes, tada, there is your problem. If not, then this is where doing some wiggling of wires with the engine running is going to be your best bet. I would reach up under the dash and find the wires going to the ignition switch and wiggle those and then access the ECU and wiggle the wires there. Again, if the motor cuts out, you now know you are in the right area. Unfortunately, if you are looking at a wire that is causing this, you are going to have to pay attention to the details as you are looking for a burn mark in the wiring from where it has gotten hot, a funny bend in the wire indicating that the wire is broken inside the insulation and is making intermittent contact, or other oddities like that.

If you get to having to inspect wiring, let me know. I will have to think on things and see if there is something else we can do.

 

Thanks for your help again Thermo, I have taken the steering column cover off and wiggled the key, the wires going to the ignition switch and nothing, the car kept running. I have wiggled the wires to the ECU in the engine bay and under the dash, again nothing, all the wiring looks to be in good shape, no signs of burns or bends.

 

topanga, well, this is going to be one of those things that you are going to need to pay attention and see if it is something that you can relate to hitting a bump, making a left turn, etc. I guess one last check you can try is start the engine and then go back by the right rear tire. You will see the gas tank there. If you look, there is a half moon indention in the middle. This is where the fuel pump sits. Make a fist and give it a few good whacks. See if the car cuts out. If so, then you are most likely looking at either a bad fuel pump or the wiring for the fuel pump has issues.

 

The worst type of fault Thermo, I wish it would have just stopped and not started again, at least it would have been easy to track it down. I've swapped my key for the spare as the other seemed to have slight wear on it, might help if it is ignition switch. Thanks for your help though.

 

Just an update to my cutting out problem. It has cut out 3 times this year, always on the motorway when cruising along. I've had my OBD scanner connected constantly and finally managed to catch it. The car loses power, the revs gradually dropped to zero before the engine cut out and the fuel pressure dropped to zero at the same as well, no codes show and no engine light. Would you say fuel pump? I'm also reading about fuel pressure sensors and fuel pump modules, could they give these symptoms?

 

topanga, if your fuel pump is stopping and not supplying fuel, yes, you will see these indications. Odds are it is the fuel pump itself that is failing. So, replacing the fuel pump will require dropping the fuel tank.

If this does happen as you are driving, simply shift the J-gate over to neutral (N) and then restart the car. From there, you can shift back to Drive (D) and all should be good.

 

Thanks Thermo, I went in through floor under the back seat. I drilled around 30, 5mm holes in a C formation, then used a 10mm drill bit in each of the small holes so they joined up. I then lifted the 'flap' up to get to the pump unit. I just replaced the motor itself inside the pump unit. I didn't dismantle or cut any pipes, just lifted the unit out of the tank and laid it on the car floor. Undo 3 small screws to open the unit up and then replace the pump. All quite straight forward so hopefully that's sorted out my problem. Thanks again for your help.