I changed the cap and rotor on my truck and put everything back the same and it wont run for more than 10 seconds?
I changed cap and rotor on my dodge. The firing order is correct and it will start fine and run for 10 seconds rough then die. I didnt turn the distributor.
My car has 173000 miles.
My car has an automatic transmission.
Experienced mechanics share their insights in answering this question :
Hello. It sounds like you may have gotten defective parts. If the cap or rotor are defective then this will occur. I would remove them and have them warrantied. You also need to make sure that the pick up coil in the distributor was not damaged as it is common for the wiring to get crushed or broken when replacing these. If you want to have this checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your stalling issue.
How to Identify and Fix Common car Problems ?
Our sources include academic articles, blog posts, and personal essays from experienced mechanics :
The most common reasons a Ram 1500 engine stalling are the fuel system, the air intake system, or the ignition system. Search our network of RepairPal Certified shops near you to speak with a technician about your issue.
Fuel injector nozzles can become clogged over time, which can lead to a sputtering engine, slow acceleration and the car not having enough power. Fuel injectors can be cleaned if the problem is caught early, but as the conditions worsens, the injectors may have to be replaced.
When the actuator malfunctions, the engine gets no signal for idling speed and stops working. Clogged or restricted EGR Valve: If your EGR valve is clogged, dirty, or defective it can cause your car to stall, idle erratically, or sputter, depending on whether it is stuck open or closed.
Some of the most common sensors that lead to engine stalling include the mass airflow sensor (MAF), engine coolant temperature sensor (ECT) and manifold absolute pressure sesnsor (MAP). The idle air control valve (IAC) and exhaust gas recirculation valve (EGR) are also well known for causing engine stalling.
There are three major causes for a stalled engine: A lack of fuel, a lack of air flow and improper ignition. Running out of fuel is one of the most common causes of engine stalling, but dirty fuel injectors or a plugged fuel filter can also be the culprit.
Your vehicle could have dirty fuel injectors, a damaged fuel pump, a blocked catalytic converter, a faulty mass airflow sensor, broken spark plugs, or even an accumulation of moisture.
One of the most common causes of jerky acceleration is a dirty fuel injector. Your fuel injectors are responsible for pushing fuel into your engine`s cylinders. This means they control the timing and amount of fuel used to keep your engine running.
When your engine shuts off when you slow the car down its often as a result of a: Malfunctioning transmission. Low fuel pressure, dirty or defective fuel injectors, or broken fuel pump. Bad oxygen sensor or mass flow sensor.
Engines usually stop suddenly only if they suffer from a lack of fuel or sparks . An engine that stops dead without prior warning has probably had a sudden ignition failure – although if it locks solid it`s more likely to have seized.
Car doesn`t start
When the distributor cap isn`t on tightly or is malfunctioning, the engine is unable to send the spark through the entire circuit required to move the cylinders – which ultimately make the car run.
Issues with the cap—including worn terminals, corrosion, cracks, and carbon tracking—can prevent voltage from reaching the spark plugs as it should. As a result, the engine will misfire, run rough, and exhibit an overall lack of performance.
Distributor caps and rotors are responsible for passing the voltage from the ignition coils to the engine`s cylinders in order to ignite the fuel-air mixture inside and power the engine.
Common signs include lacking power when accelerating, rough or slow idle, stalling, inability to shift up, and the Check Engine Light coming on.
A failing camshaft position sensor begins losing its ability to quickly transfer data. Mismatched fuel delivery and ignition timing, even if off by a few milliseconds, will cause your vehicle to sputter, accelerate poorly, lack power, stall or even shut off.
If the engine stalls while idling or driving, the engine may be running out of fuel or not receiving enough fuel pressure to keep it running. The most likely cause of this kind of stalling would be a fuel pump that is not spinning fast enough or is intermittently cutting out.
A loss of power is most apparent when you`re accelerating, and can be due to a number of reasons including air flow into the engine, fuel flow and even faults with the exhaust system.
Engine Surging Can Be an Early Warning Sign of Ignition Problems. Engine surging is usually a warning sign that your car or truck is having combustion problems. Since a vehicle`s ignition wires and spark plugs play a major role in proper engine performance, it is likely time to check your engine`s electrical components …
Finally, as mentioned above, if your oxygen sensor is going out you may experience engine performance problems such as sputtering and surging. The sputtering is caused when the engine control unit puts too much air in the combustion chamber.
The most common reason for a car to shake is related to tires. If the tires are out of balance then the steering wheel can shake. This shaking starts at around 50-55 miles per hour (mph). It gets worse around 60 mph but starts to get better at high speeds.
Typically it`s from a damaged inner CV joint. These are located on the end of each axle. They both have an inner and outer joint that could be damaged and shake when you press the gas pedal. Another cause could be a broken motor mount.
Malfunctioning spark plugs can make an engine stop for a while and resume its normal functioning. It can happen when you are driving. The engine can also sound rough when idle. The misfires affect the proper functioning of your car`s engine due to failing spark plugs that have no power to ignite the fuel-air mixture.
Common causes of intermittent stalling may include a bad idle speed control (ISC) system, low fuel pressure, loss of ignition, vacuum or EGR leaks, or other problems we`ll get to later in this article.
Common causes of intermittent stalling may include a bad idle speed control (ISC) system, low fuel pressure, loss of ignition, vacuum or EGR leaks, or other problems we`ll get to later in this article.
It may have been damaged by overheating or by dirty automatic transmission fluid. They can also be damaged if the engine`s computers fail and attempt to engage the transmission at too low or too high an RPM level. This RPM level is known as the engine`s “stall speed” and can be tested by any certified mechanic.
Relevant Questions and Answers :
the most relevant questions and answers related to your specific issue
I changed the cap and rotor on my truck and put everything back the same and it wont run for more than 10 seconds?
ANSWER : Hello. It sounds like you may have gotten defective parts. If the cap or rotor are defective then this will occur. I would remove them and have them warrantied. You also need to make sure that the pick up coil in the distributor was not damaged as it is common for the wiring to get crushed or broken when replacing these. If you want to have this checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to your home or office to diagnose your stalling issue.
I changed the fuel pump and truck ran great for 3 days. Now after 3 days, the truck dies. It will start running for a few minutes, then dies like before.
ANSWER : Hi there, thanks for writing in. I’d be happy to help. It sounds like you should disconnect the connector to the fuel pump and inspect it for any signs of getting hot. The female connections may be too loose on the fuel pump and lose contact after running and getting hot. If there are indeed any signs of problems, then I’d suggest replacing connector and adding dielectric lube to pins before installation. This should solve the problem, but if you continue to experience issues, feel free to reach out to us for help again.
I put new throttle position sensor on now the car wont start i connected everything back on correctly so why wont it crank now ?
ANSWER : Hey there. Replacement of the throttle position sensor on your vehicle is pretty straight forward. There is no adjustment to be made – just remove and replace the sensor and you should be done. If the vehicle isn’t starting, you left something disconnected or there is a separate issue all together. If all of the work has been double checked and you still can’t get to the bottom of it then it is likely another problem that is occurring that is causing it to fail. You’ll want to see if the computer is still indicating a bad sensor even with the new one on. There are other sensors that could be causing the car to go into limp mode, such as a problem with the fuel system or another sensor on the vehicle. I recommend having another expert diagnose the starting problem so that this can be addressed properly.
I changed fuel pump and truck ran great for 3 days. Now after 3 days truck dies. It will start runs few min then dies like before
ANSWER : Check the bottom of the fuel tank for sediment. Age and mileage could have accumulated a lot of it at the bottom of the tank. If you did not, check and change the fuel filter. Rule of thumb – replace the fuel filter any time you replace a fuel pump. Also, check the wiring for any chaffing on the fuel pump when you remove it. While your problem is kind of unique, I have seen many GM truck fuel tank baffle loosen over time, occasionally rubbing against the fuel pump can intermittently short it out and/or block the fuel pump pick up. To have this diagnosed, consider having a certified expert from YourMechanic inspect the stalling issue to have this corrected.
My truck won’t allow me to change gears even when pressing the clutch. No gears go in at all. Makes it impossible to drive.
ANSWER : Hello, this concern is possibly the slave or clutch master cylinder failure. These two components use brake fluid to apply pressure for movement of the clutch system. This fluid breaks down in time and causes the seals to fail (leak). A low fluid level would cause this concern as well as internal leakage. Replacement of components would be necessary. This type of concern would need to be inspected. If you’d like, a certified technician from YourMechanic can come to your location to diagnose your vehicle, and possibly replace your clutch master cylinder if need be.
I parked my truck for 5-10 mins. Tried to turn it on, now it wont start, called a tow tow truck 15-20mins later my truck turned on
ANSWER : It is very likely that you have a powertrain control module failure. This can happen often on many GM vehicles. I would recommend having the powertrain control module tested and replaced as necessary in order to resolve this issue. After the powertrain control module is replaced, a reflash procedure will be required so that the vehicle can relearn all of its primary engine data. Once the reflash is completed, your vehicle should no longer have this issue.
truck wont start , changed distributor cap and rotor
ANSWER : Hello. I would need to know what size engine that you have in your truck to be able to pinpoint what the issue may be. If it is getting spark then I would usually start by checking the fuel pressure. If the fuel pressure is not within specifications then this will occur. If it has good fuel pressure and spark then the ignition timing may be off. It may be an issue with the engine speed sensor or an electrical issue. It may be a failing module. I usually use my scan tool to identify if there are any sensors not working correctly. If the sensors are fine then the electrical system will need to be inspected. It can also be an issue with the valve timing if there is an internal engine problem. A compression test would identify this. If you want to have this starting issue checked, consider YourMechanic, as a certified mechanic can come to you to [diagnose why the truck will not longer start] https://www.yourmechanic.com/services/car-is-not-starting-inspection
Truck won’t start
ANSWER : Hi, thanks for writing in. I’d be happy to provide my insight. There are a variety of potential issues that may have caused this. The oil light coming on should not have anything to do with the truck stalling unless the oil level is severely low and the truck’s computer may have gone into "safe mode", which is a safety feature of the truck that is engaged when something goes wrong with the truck that may be catastrophic in terms of engine failure or safety. When this happens, the computer simply shuts the truck down and will not allow it to move in an effort to preserve the engine and safety of the passengers.
If you would like help, consider having an expert automotive technician from YourMechanic come to your home or office to inspect and diagnose this no-start issue for you, and make or suggest any repairs as needed.
