Could be the fuel pump??
It could be a number of things, at random, may be fuel filter / if your gas tank was not full or 1/2, it may have sucked up some sludge from the bottom of the tank, certainly appears to be fuel related.My 2002 echo just hit 410 000 Km and has never let me down until last night. I was driving home from work and the engine stalled as if it has run out of gas. I coasted to a stop on the side of the road and then turned the key and started it up again. It ran for about 3 seconds and then stalled again. I repeated this several times with the same results. Engine starts, runs for three seconds, then dies.
Has anyone had a similar experience or have any idea what could be causing this?
Thanks for your help.
I had a similar occurrence years ago, I was driving along a highway, and a transport went by creating a giant spray of water, my car died as yours did, I discovered it was a weak coil, and old wires that allowed power loss.Thanks for the replies,
Recent maintenance included replacing the plugs and all 4 ignition coils. Because it ran great for 3 days after that (about 500 kms) I did not suspect this to be the problem. I will reinstall the old coils when I get home tonight to be sure.
I measured the fuel pressure at 60 psi going into the fuel rail while running (for the 3 seconds that it does run) so from what I can tell the fuel pump does appear to be functioning.
I have also disassembled and inspected the air box and vacuum lines and have not found any signs of cracks or leaks. These components appear to be in good shape.
A note is that when the car stalls after the 3 seconds, it shuts itself off instantly as if it has been turned off by the key. It does not chug to a slow death like I expect it would if it was running out of fuel.
Also, I do have to wait for a few seconds before being able to start it again. If I attempt to start it right away after it stalls it just turns over but does not fire.
I currently do not have access to a code reader but I am working on getting one. In the meantime if any one can provide any other ideas on what I could check or any stories of a similar experience and possible solutions it would be greatly appreciated.
Thanks.
We may be all chasing ghosts / Check your coolant level and have the thermal Fan switch tested, if the fan does not switch on at the proper temperature, a heat sensor switch may shut down the engine to protect it.I had a similar occurrence years ago, I was driving along a highway, and a transport went by creating a giant spray of water, my car died as yours did, I discovered it was a weak coil, and old wires that allowed power loss.
I just had a thought, (I don't get many) that you might check out your alternator, it may be breaking down, and nearing the end of its useful life.
Kind Regards,
John.
Would a clog cat not make the car fire? My '03 echo is doing the same as the OP described. I've changed the fuelpump and strainer, no luck. Plugs and coils look fine. I do know that the exhaust pipe right before the cat was leaking a little. Is that the case? No check engine light on either...you should check the cat and make sure it isn't clogged. one fast way of doing this is take a digital temp meter and aim it at the pipe going into the cat write down the temp, then take the reading from after the cat write that down. example if the temp going into the cat is lets say 500F and the temp coming out is 300F this means the Cat is clogged and not allowing the exhaust to run smooth, plus you'll hear a wine line nose out the tailpipe.
Thanks
Have you checked the alternator? Mine would do this a few months ago and it was because my alternator was out.Would a clog cat not make the car fire? My '03 echo is doing the same as the OP described. I've changed the fuelpump and strainer, no luck. Plugs and coils look fine. I do know that the exhaust pipe right before the cat was leaking a little. Is that the case? No check engine light on either...