Why is my car stalling when I start it?

Why is my car stalling when I start it?

Stalling problems trace back to three primary causes: a lack of fuel, not receiving enough air, or insufficient power. Common reasons include an empty gas tank, a faulty fuel pump, a bad ignition coil, fouled spark plugs, water in the fuel, or a failing sensor. An engine stall is never fun.

Can a bad thermostat cause stalling?

Like older carbureted engines, a defective thermostat may be preventing the engine from warming up quickly or reaching normal operating temperature. Any of these conditions can upset the fuel calibration of the engine and cause a stalling problem.

What does it mean when your RPM goes up and down?

It sounds like you have a dirty or failing air control valve. The job of the idling air control valve is to bring this deceleration down to a slow and smooth idling rather than cutting off the fuel supply and causing the motor to die. …

When does a car stall at low rpm?

The RPM goes to 0 and the engine shuts off. This only happens when travelling at low speeds (e.g. slowly accelerating from a stop, braking, moving in stop and go traffic) This NEVER happens when I’m travelling above 10 mph (e.g. if I’m coasting at 40 and let my foot off the gas, the RPM can go to 500 RPM but it will never stall in this case).

What to do when your car runs rough and stalls?

If I increase the RPM’s it will smooth out for a little while, but after a couple of minutes with higher RPM’s it will sputter again and finally stall. After it sits for awhile I can start it up again and it runs fine for another 10-20 minutes. No check engine light is on and the car is OBD 1.

How long does a car run fine before it stalls?

Car runs fine for approximately 10-20 minutes and then starts to sputter and cough and if I don’t increase the RPM’s it will stall. If I increase the RPM’s it will smooth out for a little while, but after a couple of minutes with higher RPM’s it will sputter again and finally stall.

What causes a car to stall and not start?

There are quite a few possibilities – loss of spark, loss of fuel, or too much fuel. My money is on fuel given the fact that you can keep it running longer with some throttle. But try to find out which. Pick up a spark tester and can of starter fluid at an auto parts store. When it stalls and won’t start check for spark.