Does anyone know what would cause a car to stall randomly... no, it's not an amplifier... but I'm thinking it has to do with the battery.
It's not my car either... it's my girlfriends.
Does anyone know how to test a battery?
Arg. Stupid chevy prizm.
Replies (4)
uochronos on 07/29/2004 17:25:11
what year car is this???? stalling could be caused by alot of things just last night i had to drive a bronco to my friends house that he just bought and it kept dieing thyats because a vacum line or sensor is malfunctioning and flooding the engine at stop lights.
stalling could be sensor malfuntion, vacum line, battery, alternator, extremly dirty air filter, cloged injectors, any number of things all the ones i listed have been reasons i have had for stalling in pastb cars...
to check battery and alternator take it to either a battery shop(these are in phone book) or a place like autozone or pep boys and any of them well test it for free and let you know what or if somet5hing there is bad...
if that is not it next step is a tune up my wifes geo storm used to almost stall before i did a complete tune up.( if this has not been done since she owned the car and you dont know if it was done bbefore it was sold it needs done anyway probaly. that means spark plugs, oil, air filter, sprak plug wires, fuel filoter, and new cap and rotor.... this very likly would fix the problem once the cap, rotor, plugs, or wires get coroded they can cause stalling, so can bad fuelfilter, or cloged air filter on a geo storm which uis similar to a prizim it cost me under 100$ for a full tune up
if it still stalls then check the computer for any codes that well come up you can get this done at a shop, some auto zones, or get a manual for the car and do it yourself if its an older car.
this well tell you if and what sensors are nto working right.
now if it is still not working right then i would say its the injectors this is the last once i listed because those little demons are usualy a pain to install and cost quite a bit usualy.
i'm sure someone else well probaly list something i didnt but these have been the most common problems i have had when dealing with stalling.
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 17:48:07
The car is a 2000 Chevy Prizm, her parents bought it new.
I've asked her before - and she doesn't know that last time she had her oil & air filters changed... so I may have to do that for her.
Thanks for the response.
uochronos on 07/29/2004 18:23:51
if its a 2000 and hasnt ever had a full tune up then that needs done thats 4 years. oil and filter at least definatly. also if she buyes cheap gas may be fuel injectors try running some cleaner threw them usualy runs 5-8$ a bottle for good stuff... chevron texaco and so on that sale there gas for like 5-10 cents more a galon do that because they add injector cleaner right to the gas so this problem doesnt happen as soon.
also if its a 4 year old battery that very likly could be going bad especial if you live in a cliamate that gets really cold or really hot or both.
also new cars have so many sensors that when one goes out it can easily stal on you. a shop well charge you around 50-100$ to check the codes. since its only a 2000 might be able to get chevy dealer to give you a deal on getting the codes pulled.
also do a google search for problems with 2000 prisms. i did this for my ford probe about 2 years ago and was able to get a list of common problems and also a lift of all ford factory defects and recalls on probes. this could be very helpfull.
sounds to me though that from what you said its just dieing this this wouild push me to believe its a battery, alternator, or sensor.
if it was a injector, wire, cap, rotor, or plug. that was bad then most likly only 1 or 2 cylinders would miss at a time idle would fluctuate alot and then it would die. not just die very quickly
swez on 07/29/2004 19:41:48
There is also a common problem in hot climates... "VAPOR LOCK". This can also cause a car to stall out as it acts like the car just ran out of gas. Ususally poor grades of gas and plugged fuel/vent return lines are common to this malady.
If the car has more than 30,000 miles on it, time for a tune up. Plugs, wires, fuel line filter, air filter, PVC valve, and Disty Cap/rotor. All are pretty simple repairs... except some fuel line filters. Some can be a real bugger to get at and remove.
Finally, when the car stalls, will the starter crank the motor well? If yes, battery is probably OK. Check the battery terminals for corrosion and wash with a solution of baking soda and warm water. (some use Coke) Not a paste, but not a watery liquid mixture. More like milk consistancy. Rinse with warm water and apply grease to terminals to prevent future corrsion.
Swez
PS If the battery is more than 4 winters old, a new one is pending soon.
It's not my car either... it's my girlfriends.
Does anyone know how to test a battery?
Arg. Stupid chevy prizm.
Replies (4)
uochronos on 07/29/2004 17:25:11
what year car is this???? stalling could be caused by alot of things just last night i had to drive a bronco to my friends house that he just bought and it kept dieing thyats because a vacum line or sensor is malfunctioning and flooding the engine at stop lights.
stalling could be sensor malfuntion, vacum line, battery, alternator, extremly dirty air filter, cloged injectors, any number of things all the ones i listed have been reasons i have had for stalling in pastb cars...
to check battery and alternator take it to either a battery shop(these are in phone book) or a place like autozone or pep boys and any of them well test it for free and let you know what or if somet5hing there is bad...
if that is not it next step is a tune up my wifes geo storm used to almost stall before i did a complete tune up.( if this has not been done since she owned the car and you dont know if it was done bbefore it was sold it needs done anyway probaly. that means spark plugs, oil, air filter, sprak plug wires, fuel filoter, and new cap and rotor.... this very likly would fix the problem once the cap, rotor, plugs, or wires get coroded they can cause stalling, so can bad fuelfilter, or cloged air filter on a geo storm which uis similar to a prizim it cost me under 100$ for a full tune up
if it still stalls then check the computer for any codes that well come up you can get this done at a shop, some auto zones, or get a manual for the car and do it yourself if its an older car.
this well tell you if and what sensors are nto working right.
now if it is still not working right then i would say its the injectors this is the last once i listed because those little demons are usualy a pain to install and cost quite a bit usualy.
i'm sure someone else well probaly list something i didnt but these have been the most common problems i have had when dealing with stalling.
aposynthesi on 07/29/2004 17:48:07
The car is a 2000 Chevy Prizm, her parents bought it new.
I've asked her before - and she doesn't know that last time she had her oil & air filters changed... so I may have to do that for her.
Thanks for the response.
uochronos on 07/29/2004 18:23:51
if its a 2000 and hasnt ever had a full tune up then that needs done thats 4 years. oil and filter at least definatly. also if she buyes cheap gas may be fuel injectors try running some cleaner threw them usualy runs 5-8$ a bottle for good stuff... chevron texaco and so on that sale there gas for like 5-10 cents more a galon do that because they add injector cleaner right to the gas so this problem doesnt happen as soon.
also if its a 4 year old battery that very likly could be going bad especial if you live in a cliamate that gets really cold or really hot or both.
also new cars have so many sensors that when one goes out it can easily stal on you. a shop well charge you around 50-100$ to check the codes. since its only a 2000 might be able to get chevy dealer to give you a deal on getting the codes pulled.
also do a google search for problems with 2000 prisms. i did this for my ford probe about 2 years ago and was able to get a list of common problems and also a lift of all ford factory defects and recalls on probes. this could be very helpfull.
sounds to me though that from what you said its just dieing this this wouild push me to believe its a battery, alternator, or sensor.
if it was a injector, wire, cap, rotor, or plug. that was bad then most likly only 1 or 2 cylinders would miss at a time idle would fluctuate alot and then it would die. not just die very quickly
swez on 07/29/2004 19:41:48
There is also a common problem in hot climates... "VAPOR LOCK". This can also cause a car to stall out as it acts like the car just ran out of gas. Ususally poor grades of gas and plugged fuel/vent return lines are common to this malady.
If the car has more than 30,000 miles on it, time for a tune up. Plugs, wires, fuel line filter, air filter, PVC valve, and Disty Cap/rotor. All are pretty simple repairs... except some fuel line filters. Some can be a real bugger to get at and remove.
Finally, when the car stalls, will the starter crank the motor well? If yes, battery is probably OK. Check the battery terminals for corrosion and wash with a solution of baking soda and warm water. (some use Coke) Not a paste, but not a watery liquid mixture. More like milk consistancy. Rinse with warm water and apply grease to terminals to prevent future corrsion.
Swez
PS If the battery is more than 4 winters old, a new one is pending soon.
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