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never heard of vapor lock or flooding, i'll look it up. if it was from the heat then that would happen everyday down here. i had previously driven to miami from tampa and back a few days before with no issues and temps in the 90s...this has happened in the winter when temps were as low as the 30s and 40s at night and mid 50s during the day.
I had the catalytic converter break up in a '78 Colt, probably because i drove it through Mexico, which had no unleaded gas in those days. The mechanic pulled all the broken parts out to unclog the manifolds, and put it back together and said There, now you can use all the leaded gas you want. Since I lived in a state/county that had no vehicle inspection, I drove it for about 5 years that way. I did not consider it to be a moral issue.
The symptoms were the same as yours. It would start right up, and sound like it was running perfectly, but at about 20 mph, it would flatten right out because the exhaust was plugged.
For those of you who thought this was a really dumb answer, it was misplaced, and I intended the response to be in the "Limp Mode" thread, which was about catalytic converters.
OK, vapor lock or maybe flooding. See if putting your foot on the gas just a bit improves things next time this happens.
I highly doubt vapor lock on a modern fuel injected engine, with high pressure pumps and return lines. Flooding could still happen, but so could things like bad crank angle sensors or cam position sensors (both of which can sometimes set off the check engine light, as well). Either going bad can allow the car to crank over but not start randomly.
I saw vapor lock in a late 90's ford v-8 truck 2 weeks ago, and in NH. The insulation and sheet metal baffels were all broken down. While checking for spark and then fuel, there was no fuel in the carb like injector body. Went on to check for power at the fuel pump, and it ran fine.
With in 30 minutes with the hood open the truck just started again. It was a Sunday and traffic south bound was heavy, and that truck was in that slow traffic.
Nothing else was found wrong, it had to be vapor lock. I instructed the truck owner to get the fuel lines insulated again, he called to say he did, and nothing since has stopped that truck yet.
For those of you who thought this was a really dumb answer, it was misplaced, and I intended the response to be in the "Limp Mode" thread, which was about catalytic converters.
I saw vapor lock in a late 90's ford v-8 truck 2 weeks ago, and in NH. The insulation and sheet metal baffels were all broken down. While checking for spark and then fuel, there was no fuel in the carb like injector body. Went on to check for power at the fuel pump, and it ran fine.
With in 30 minutes with the hood open the truck just started again. It was a Sunday and traffic south bound was heavy, and that truck was in that slow traffic.
Nothing else was found wrong, it had to be vapor lock. I instructed the truck owner to get the fuel lines insulated again, he called to say he did, and nothing since has stopped that truck yet.
How would you get vapor lock in a fuel injected car at 35-60 psi, with an in-tank fuel pump (that's submerged) and a return line keeping the fuel circulating and cool? Simply put, you can't get vapor in the lines.
but so could things like bad crank angle sensors or cam position sensors (both of which can sometimes set off the check engine light, as well). Either going bad can allow the car to crank over but not start randomly.
why cant any mechanic i go to figure out this issue? 2 mechanics have told me unless the car doesnt start when u bring it in then they are just guessing. this is so frustrating and nerve wracking not knowing when the car wont start or what kind of underlying problem exists. the dealer just installed a new battery 3 months ago so i would assume all cables and connections are ok. if it is a bad sensor what is going to eventually happen, car will never start? could the starter be bad? ive beent told that is rarely the case. if i bring it to another mechanic should i instruct him to look into these matters?
I highly doubt vapor lock on a modern fuel injected engine, with high pressure pumps and return lines. Flooding could still happen, but so could things like bad crank angle sensors or cam position sensors (both of which can sometimes set off the check engine light, as well). Either going bad can allow the car to crank over but not start randomly.
I would lead to this, I also wouldn't rule out a fuel pump on it way out. They can get tempramental after starts after recent shutdowns and can sometimes be temp sensitive.
why cant any mechanic i go to figure out this issue? 2 mechanics have told me unless the car doesnt start when u bring it in then they are just guessing. this is so frustrating and nerve wracking not knowing when the car wont start or what kind of underlying problem exists. the dealer just installed a new battery 3 months ago so i would assume all cables and connections are ok. if it is a bad sensor what is going to eventually happen, car will never start? could the starter be bad? ive beent told that is rarely the case. if i bring it to another mechanic should i instruct him to look into these matters?
Man up and develop the skills yourself. No one is as interested in fixing YOUR car as YOU are. The assumption, Grasshopper, that if the stealer put in a new battery 3 months ago means the battery and both battery cables are 100% satisfactory to aerospace standards and beyond is incredibly naive. The most skillful mechanics in the world once were as you are. As they now are, you can one day be.
A decent first move would be to get a factory shop manual, a good VOM, and if you don't have many tools, whatever Craftsman set you can get for about $100 is a decent place to start.
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