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View Full Version : What's wrong with my car?


frogsthatmoo
06-21-2009, 10:40 PM
The car randomly dies sometimes, as if I were turning it off, but none of the electronics go off. I can watch the RPM's drop. If I'm at a light it will just turn off, but if I'm driving the RPM's will drop but the motor will come back. It's almost as if the fuel pump is cutting out. It's not the ignition switch because I've completely bypassed it with a previous mod. So I'm thinking that it's something electrical and maybe something to do with the fuel pump. I also thought it could be something with the coil pack?

Somebody suggested that it's a vacuum leak so today I went and fiddled with all the vacuum hoses I could find. Nothing I did to them made the car shut off, albeit it did run a little pit poorly. BUT, I made my way over to the MAF and bam, the car shut off. I repeated it two more times. I didn't have to do much, just touched or lightly moved the area of the intake and it would shut off.
Plays_with_Toys
06-21-2009, 11:01 PM
MAF was going to be my first guess. Maybe put some dielectric grease in there?
frogsthatmoo
06-21-2009, 11:26 PM
Could a bad MAF cause the car to completely cut out at any speed though?
Huffer
06-22-2009, 09:49 AM
^^ yup, it could. It's an airflow sensor.
frogsthatmoo
06-22-2009, 10:47 AM
Oh, ok, I didn't think that it could have such drastic effects on the car.
geckoboy86
06-22-2009, 10:53 AM
Oh ya...they do.
My Civic didnt have a MAF but it did have an Idel Air Control Valve (IACV) which was bad. Idle would be crazy low at lights (to the point of stalling). Anytime you turned the car off, after being warmed up, and turned it back over and the idle would be sometimes higher or lower then what it was. very annoying.

Im new to the boxer engine, do they have a IACV as well?
frogsthatmoo
06-22-2009, 11:25 AM
Is it possible to clean a MAF sensor?
Huffer
06-22-2009, 11:51 AM
Im new to the boxer engine, do they have a IACV as well?

yep.


Is it possible to clean a MAF sensor?

yep. Some brake or electrical cleaner can be sprayed onto it, but you have to be extremely careful not to damage it.
dodik
06-22-2009, 12:43 PM
well, what abour MAP sensors? my car dies randomly as well in the past two years maybe 5-6 times total all happened while coasting at low speeds and since its auto it doesnt restart on its own i have to shift into neutral and start it, starts just fine but its a bit dangerous to not have power to brakes/streering while moving. (by coasting i mean letting go off gas pedal but still being in drive and not pressing brakes or anything else)
Huffer
06-22-2009, 01:23 PM
well, what abour MAP sensors? my car dies randomly as well in the past two years maybe 5-6 times total all happened while coasting at low speeds and since its auto it doesnt restart on its own i have to shift into neutral and start it, starts just fine but its a bit dangerous to not have power to brakes/streering while moving. (by coasting i mean letting go off gas pedal but still being in drive and not pressing brakes or anything else)

Do you know it your MAP sensor? It could be your TPS because you have an auto.
dodik
06-22-2009, 03:56 PM
No i have no idea what it is what is TPS ??
frogsthatmoo
06-22-2009, 04:00 PM
Ok, well, I don't think it's my IACV because my idle is perfectly fine. I have a feeling that I still have a little vacuum leak somewhere though because when accelerating from a stop (in first gear only) the car begins to run real rough, and it sputters a little. This only happens around 750-1000 RPM, after that it's fine.
Huffer
06-22-2009, 04:15 PM
No i have no idea what it is what is TPS ??

Throttle position sensor.