Car Stalling on Acceleration

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Deleted member 1043

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Hey all,

Been having a few problems with the Lancer the past couple of days. I'll start from the start so it gives you guys a better idea of what might be the problem.

I just recently put a full tank of petrol in the car. The car was running same as always. A day or two later I was at the same servo just grabbing a few things. I started the car and it work perfectly, chucked it into reverse and backed out of the parking spot, then put it in Drive. As I was about to take off the car surged/chugged then grinded to a halt. Engine died and the only lights on the dash board were the check oil and battery light. Tried starting it again and it would tick over as in it made all the normal sounds when you try to start the car but wouldn't run. I tried a few more times, still nothing. Waited a minute or two then tried again and it started up normally. I pulled off into a wash bay and let the car idle a bit. It was running but slightly rough. Managed to bring it home again.

Later that night I got home, started the car [was still warm] and it started straight away. Put it in reverse and it chugged and conked out again exactly the same. Tried starting it a few more times but it sounded like the engine wasn't getting enough power [sort of like when you're battery is dying]. I removed the battery and tried checking it with a charger [unplugged to show the stats of the battery]. The charger wouldn't read it [kept clicking off and on] which lead me to believe it was a faulty battery.

Today I bought a new battery and spark plugs [cos when I checked them they were black]. Installed the new battery and plugs, tried starting the car and it worked perfectly. Threw it in reverse, neutral, drive, park, then reverse, etc through all the gearbox and it was running but was just a little chuggy. Turned it off and left it thinking the battery solved the prob.

Came back just now, started the car and it started first try. Let it idle for a bit then put it in reverse. All was good. Got onto the road then put it in drive. Still good. Pressed the accelerator then the car chugged and stopped. Same thing as the servo.

I popped the bonnet and thought if the car stalled on Acceleration maybe there was a blockage with the CAI [Stock btw]. Took the air filter out to check it [checked it about a week ago and it was still clean] and noticed smoke coming from the CAI housing. Lifted half of the housing slightly and more smoke came out of the pipe.

So now I'm stuck with what might be wrong. I'm thinking either A. Throttle body needs cleaned B. The exhaust is clogged with something and it's venting the gases back out through the system or C. I'm clueless and somebody else might know.

Any Ideas? and Sorry for such a long post, thought the more details you guys have the easier it would be to troubleshoot.
 
Haven't checked that yet although dirty fuel was my first guess when it conked out.

Reading the Gregory's book now on how to do it.
*Edit: Also as a side note I can hear the fuel pump whining when the car is shut off after stalling [and when I try to start it again and it won't budge]
 
After a car has stalled, it's normal to see some smoke come from the inlet. So don't worry about that.

Filter is worth a try.

When it dies, does it just cut out? or does it splutter for a few revolutions of the engine first?
 
You have an automatic - what year is the car as i am starting to lean towards the auto ecu... reason being is that the car is starting ok... and your problems are when you put the car under load... do your basic maintanence jobs and then see were you are at if no difference I would look at the trans ecu
 
81gl said:
After a car has stalled, it's normal to see some smoke come from the inlet. So don't worry about that.

Filter is worth a try.

When it dies, does it just cut out? or does it splutter for a few revolutions of the engine first?
Click to expand...
It splutters before shutting off. Sort like the system is clogged or restricted by something.

chowetime said:
You have an automatic - what year is the car as i am starting to lean towards the auto ecu... reason being is that the car is starting ok... and your problems are when you put the car under load... do your basic maintanence jobs and then see were you are at if no difference I would look at the trans ecu
Click to expand...

The car is a 99 1.5l. I'm goin to check the fuel filter today once I get someone that can give me a hand. Then work onwards from there. Thanks for the suggestions though.
 
The oil is still good. I change it regularly.
 
Both engine and transmission oil look and smell ok or a bit burnt? Just go over the basics and you might fix it up as people have already said. New plugs, check leads, oils, cleaning the throttle body can help sometimes but might not be the problem. Just give it a wipe out with some sort of carby cleaner/metho/whitespirits and a rag. Check for air leaks too possibly.
 
o0pz83 said:
It splutters before shutting off. Sort like the system is clogged or restricted by something.
Click to expand...

If the engine splutters before it dies, then more than likely it will be fuel system related. Checking fuel pressure when the fault is present would be the first step.

(yes... low fuel pressure can be caused by the filter)

If the filter doesn't resolve, I'd be thinking about handing it over to someone with the equipment to diagnose. Changing parts one by one to eliminate can become more costly if you don't guess it correctly to start with.
 
Ok just an update

Changed the fuel filter today. It eliminated the stalling but the car is still chugging/spluttering but only in certain conditions.
Did a test drive around our area and worked out the following.

1. At low speeds the car runs fine
2. Accelerating harder leads to a chug/splutter
3. Switching gears is fine when standing still
4. When accelerating then stopping, then putting the car into reverse the car would splutter/chug until the car is in motion again then the chugging/spluttering would stop.

Friend has suggested changing the ignition leads as they haven't been changed since we've had the car [has done 215k on the speedometer]. But I think 81gl is right, taking it to someone who can diagnose the problem might be more beneficial in the long run. At least at this point I am able to make it to the garage/mechanic without it stalling.

As a side note, I noticed the fuel filter hadn't been changed since the car was new. It still had the factory stamping on it and was off colour inside.

Will keep you all posted on happenings as they go on. Thanks for the help guys.
 
Sounds like your car had never had a major service if the filter hadn't been changed...
 
It has had a major service. Maybe it wasn't a factory filter but an oem replacement.

Another update. Today I let the car idle for a bit in the driveway to burn off some fuel. It was idling great. Left for a good 20-30 mins then let it rest.

Just took it for a test drive the same way we did yesterday so I knew where and when the problems would occur. This time round there was no spluttering or chugging.

Thinking three things
A. The ecu has relearnt
B. The fuel pressure is up to optimum and yesterday it wasn't
C. The cars burnt off some of the bad fuel or the injector cleaner has had time to mix with the fuel better.

Going to take it for another test drive later and keep an eye on it.

Edit: took it for a drive to the car wash and it didn't have any problems except one chug while reversing down the driveway.
 
If it's only when under load I would think maybe fuel pump or ecu, does this car have a coil pack or dizzy? Have you tried disconnecting the battery for an hour then reconnecting and letting idle
 
Emailed nulon to ask which product would clean out the fuel best. They recommended octane boost and clean. Bought a bottle today and threw it in the tank.

I'm 100% sure it's bad petrol that's caused the problem. Just a matter of running it through then refilling once it's all gone.

Thanks for the help all

Update: took the car for a drive today. It conked out completely and wouldn't start. Called racv roadside assistance. He checked the ignition leads and wasn't getting a spark. He put it down to a dodgy distributor. The cars been towed to the mechanics to see his final diagnosis.
 
Final update. Got the car back from the mechanics. It was a faulty distributor that was causing the problems.

His replaced it with a new one and the car ran fine on the way home.
 
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