Who hasn’t had their car engine suddenly stop while they were driving? It can be annoying and even scary. You might be curious about what went wrong and how to fix it.
If your car’s engine stops working all of a sudden, this piece will explain what could be wrong and how to fix it. We will also tell you how to make sure it doesn’t happen again.
Possible Reasons Why Your Car Engine May Stop Abruptly
There are several things that could make your car’s engine stop and refuse to start. Here are some of those that are most common:
- Failure of engine: If your fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel injectors, or fuel lines are clogged, broken, or not working right, they might not be able to get enough fuel to your engine. This could starve your engine and make it stop. Before your engine stops, you might hear sputtering, see a drop in fuel pressure, or feel the engine slow badly.
- Failure of the ignition system: If your spark plugs, spark plug wires, ignition coil, distributor, or ignition switch are worn out, rusted, or broken, they might not produce enough spark to light the mixture of fuel and air in your cylinders. This could make your engine fail and stop working. Before your engine stops, you might hear a clicking sound, lose power, or see a check engine light.
- Electrical system failure: If your battery, generator, starter, or wiring are broken or low on power, they might not be able to power your engine and its parts. This could make your engine stop working and not start again. Before your engine stops, you might see the lights dim, see a warning light, or hear a spinning sound.
- Breakdown of a mechanical system: If your timing belt, timing chain, valves, pistons, or other parts inside your engine are broken, loose, or not lined up right, they could stop the engine from working properly. This could make your engine freeze up and stop running. Before your engine stops, you might hear it grind, knock, or rattle.
How to Diagnose and Fix Your Car Engine That Stops Abruptly
The first thing you should do to figure out why your car’s engine stopped working suddenly is to look at the lights on the panel. They might be able to tell you what’s wrong with your car. As an example:
- The oil light is on when the oil pressure or amount is too low. This might hurt your engine and make it stop. You need to check the oil amount and add more if it’s low. Also, check for oil leaks and change the oil filter if it needs it.
- If the battery light is on, either your charger isn’t working right or your battery is running low on power. This could kill your battery. The terminals and wires on your battery should be checked for corrosion and to make sure they are tight. A voltmeter or multimeter should also be used to check the voltage of your battery and generator.
- The check engine light means that something is wrong with your engine or one of its parts. If you do this, it could slow down or stop your engine. An OBD-II scanner or a code reader can help you read the trouble codes. Then, you can look up what they mean online or in a guidebook.
The second thing you should do is check the basic parts of your car that are needed to get it going. Some of these are:
- Fuel: Check to see if your tank has enough fuel and if there are any fuel leaks. Make sure your fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel injectors, and fuel lines are all in good shape. A noise light or a fuel pressure gauge can be used to check them.
- Spark: You need to check to see if your cylinders have enough spark and if there are any spark leaks. Also, check the spark plugs, spark plug wires, ignition coil, distributor, and ignition switch to see if they are in good shape. A screwdriver or a spark tester can be used to check them.
- Check the compression: Make sure that your cylinders have enough compression and that there are no leaks in the compression. The timing belt, timing chain, valves, pistons, and other parts inside your engine should also be checked. You can check them with either a compression tester or a leak-down tester.
Any of these parts should be fixed or replaced right away if they start to give you trouble. For help, you can talk to a professional mechanic or use a fix manual.
Conclusion
Several things could go wrong with your car’s engine and cause it to stop and not start again: the fuel system, the starting system, the electrical system, or the mechanical system. You can figure out what’s wrong and fix it by looking at the dashboard lights, your car’s basic parts, and using some tools and methods. You can also avoid these issues by doing some repair before they happen.
