Car Keeps Stalling

[EvianBaby]

For the past few weeks I've had a problem with my car stalling randomly. It's normally when I'm slowly down to stop, in second gear. When it happens the engine warning light comes on, stays on for a few days then goes off again.

I had a mechanic run a diagnostics check on it and he said it just came back with some generic fault code and that it's probably just down to the weather but I don't know any other people who's cars do that frequently just because the weather is pants.

Should add its not when the engine is cold. Often happens after I've been driving 10-20 minutes.

Car is a 2003 Golf 1.6 petrol.

Any ideas as to what the problem is?

[tonyav]

Evian, if you can get the fault code from the mechanic it would help a lot. Stalling could be caused by quite a few things.
You need to get the code, could be something to do with the damp weather we have had lately though.

[decmangan]

Have ur battery checked, it might not be holding enough charge to keep the engine firing. If it is OK then the alternator might be at fault or the belt needs retensioning. This would account for the red light. Halfords will check it free.

[EvianBaby]

I might have to get him to do it again then, doubt he will have a record of what it was.

If it's just down to the damp is there something simple I can do to remedy it?

[EvianBaby]

Might pop to Halfords and get the battery checked tomorrow then. Thanks for the suggestion.

[tonyav]

Yes Evian, open the bonnet and give your electrical leads a stray with WD 40 ( especially the HT leads ) the HT leads are the ones on your spark plugs.

[tonyav]

Engine warning light or engine management light shows, Evian ?.

[Jeza]

When this kept happening to me it was a cracked distributor cap. Do cars still have distributor caps? It was a few years ago.

[tonyav]

Don't have them these days, Jeza.

Evian, do you mean ignition light ?.

[EvianBaby]

Eerr, god question. Its an orange one in the shape of an engine. (Sorry, I know I'm useless).

Will get one of the lads at work to do the dw40 jobby if they're in at work tomorrow.

[tonyav]

Thats the engine management light, Evian. When that shows it will register a fault code on the ECU ( the electronic brain that runs the engine ). Your car will need to be plugged into a diagnostic computer for the code to be read, the fault will depend on what code number comes up.

[EvianBaby]

Sorry tony if I confused it by calling it the wrong thing. That's what the mechanic did the other week but he said whatever the code was was pretty non specific. Going to have to get him to have another go. Thanks again.

[tonyav]

I wouldn't bother going back to him, Evian. If I were you I would use a diagnostic specialist, there are plenty around just look in your Yellow pages or have a look on line for one local to you.

[Hopkirk]

When this was happening to my old Astra (J reg) it turned out to be the coil pack. I don't think I got the engime management light though.

This was only confirmed by the mechanic replacing it on a hunch.

[tonyav]

Sometimes a faulty coil pack will put the light on, Hopkirk. Think it mainly depends on the make of car.

[Hymie]

I doubt very much that the vehicle has HT leads, my bet is each spark plug is fitted with an HT coil.

Even so, spraying the general area won’t hurt (and will drive away moisture) – but keep the spray away from the cam belt (if fitted) and other pulley belts.

What precisely was the generic fault code?
The term ‘generic’ in this context refers to a common code, that is common across all vehicle manufacturers – rather than certain codes that are specific to particular vehicles.
Get the vehicle fault code read again – and ask what the fault code is (means).

[EvianBaby]

Thanks all, I'll give him a call today and ask him to redo it then let you know what the code is.

[Clickmechanic]

I have had this happening to my previous Golf 1.4 IV from 1999, time and again. It drove me crazy, and I noticed I am not the only one. The problem in my case was that, in the engine bay, there is a multi-connector plug just underneath the windscreen (water/damp gets in somehow). The metallic points of the plug corroded, hence problematic communication between ECU and rest of car. In essence easy fix as points need to be cleaned but takes lots of time to get to (windscreen wipers have to be removed etc. etc.), a mechanic with good ideas might be able to help.

Hope this helps,
KS @ clickmechanic.com

[jomifl]

You can rule out the battery and the charging as if the battery was low enough for the engine to stop you wouldn';t be able to start it again. Ignition coil problems usually only show up under hard accellerationas the gas under pressure in the cylinder inhibits a weak spark. Possibly the engine speed sensor or the connection between it and the CPU is faulty.