Car dies while driving
Sorry
to hear about your vehicle. First things first. When you say driving, what
are you ding and where are you? such as; on the highway, at a stop light,
making a left hand turn, coming to a stop. Second, when you say dies , do you
mean your driving, your cars "shuts off" and your stuck in the
middle of the road? and when you say stays dead do you try to start it? does
your radio come on? are your light on or are they dim? all these are very
helpful in diagnosing the root cause of this concern. also was there any work
done recently to the vehicle? if the car is running and it dies a few things
could be the cause. one, not that common, your engine could be starving of
fuel, fuel pumps, filters and injectors and throttle body could all cause a
fuel starvation. two spark cuts out. I work for volvo and i see coils
(devices that increase spark) on 98+ vehicles literally crack in certain
areas and cause rough idles, choppy acceleration (stuttering while getting on
a freeway) but third and most likely battery/ charging system (these are just
three common flaws there are lots of other little things associated with the
electronic fuel injection system and monitoring that could and may well be
the cause). the way your vehicle works is the battery stores a charge and
your vehicle draws from the charge what it needs. on start up its battery
power until your alternator reaches a certain speed (or the computer tells it
to turn on) that supplies the power to the vehicles electrical system. now
that i know you have an understanding i can suggest what, giving the limited
info i have, i would look for first. if there is no rough idle apparent when
the vehicle is warm that suggests fuel probably is ok and so is spark. now if
your alternator cannot keep filling the battery up with an electrical charge,
your car could just plain turn off. now this could cause a slow cranking when
trying to start the car again and it may not even start. but as to why it
will come back to life after a few mins or few days is interesting. check
connections at the battery because that will prevent the flow of electricity.
make sure its clean of dirt and paint too. take a wire brush and clean it.
also is there anything white or powder-like on the terminals? oxidation
causes a poor connection. that can be cleaned with spray cleanser from auto
parts stores or scrubbing with baking soda and water but thats my guess
without having the car to test. please post what you find out about your car.
