Intermittent Stalling

[MattsLincoln]

well starting this week my car starts stalling when ever it feels like it. I will be able to drive it for a good while then it cuts off no shudder or roughness just cuts out. It will do it anytime including accelerating, and idling in park or any gear(Happened to me going uphill). When it stalls it wont start again unless i wait about 10 minutes then it fires back up.

I have both spark and fuel. My shop teacher thinks it's the egr valve position sensor as i am using a 1984 Lincoln Town car egr valve that plugs right into mine though i also forgot that 1984 is EEC-IV do they have different voltage references from EEC-III. What's the problem?

[gadget73]

egr valve will not cause it to just shut off. Sounds more like ignition problems to me, or wiring problems to the ignition system. Swap the old duraspark box on to see if anything changes. Coils can also get hot and die like this. I remember having a coil fry on our boat years ago. We used a bag full of ice around the coil to get us back in.

[MattsLincoln]

egr valve will not cause it to just shut off. Sounds more like ignition problems to me, or wiring problems to the ignition system. Swap the old duraspark box on to see if anything changes. Coils can also get hot and die like this. I remember having a coil fry on our boat years ago. We used a bag full of ice around the coil to get us back in.

swapped the old duraspark box over when it did this. Did not change still wouldn't start.

[MattsLincoln]

also when the car died again i did disconnect the egr valve position sensor and the car turned over.


NOTE: This cant be an ignition problem as i am getting spark. To the point where my spark plug wires are hot at the boots but that's normal.

[gadget73]

leave the egr sensor unplugged and see if it gives you trouble then.

[Lincolnmania]

check all the wiring for loose/broken wires
replace the ignition coil if you dont find anything

[MattsLincoln]

leave the egr sensor unplugged and see if it gives you trouble then.

can't leave it unplugged or the car doesn't idle and will just not run without holding the gas.

if this is ignition related then why am i getting spark.

[86VickyLX]

can't leave it unplugged or the car doesn't idle and will just not run without holding the gas.

if this is ignition related then why am i getting spark.

You got some problems then if you can't run your car with the EGR position sensor plugged in. That has nothing to do with it idling. AT ALL.


Sounds like an ignition problem to me. Just because you have spark doesn't mean that the car will start. Spark might be there, but jumping the gap of the spark plug inside of the engine is pretty hard. If that spark isn't strong, it won't do shit. How did you verify you had good spark?

[MattsLincoln]

You got some problems then if you can't run your car with the EGR position sensor plugged in. That has nothing to do with it idling. AT ALL.

no i said with the EGR position sensor disconnected it won't stay running.


With it plugged in it runs. But for some reason it runs for a while then dies then won't start up right away but the engine is still getting spark and fuel. What with that. I the coil was bad i wouldn't be getting spark right.

[MattsLincoln]

You got some problems then if you can't run your car with the EGR position sensor plugged in. That has nothing to do with it idling. AT ALL.


Sounds like an ignition problem to me. Just because you have spark doesn't mean that the car will start. Spark might be there, but jumping the gap of the spark plug inside of the engine is pretty hard. If that spark isn't strong, it won't do shit. How did you verify you had good spark?

used a spark plug tester attached it to the wire and check it while the engine cranked. Was quite strong of a spark as you could feel it in the wire. NOTE: I am using Ford Racing High Performance Spark Plug Wires.

[1987cp]

Sounds like an ignition problem to me. Just because you have spark doesn't mean that the car will start. Spark might be there, but jumping the gap of the spark plug inside of the engine is pretty hard. If that spark isn't strong, it won't do shit. How did you verify you had good spark?

This is an interesting thought. No known harm in trying a smaller plug gap if spark quality is at all questionable.

[MattsLincoln]

well i think i found the problem of my stalling. The intake spacer that the egr valve connects to is cracked in half right at where the holes of the egr valves sit. So air is building up in there as i drive. Gonna fix that and see if that fixes it.

[1987cp]

eep! That can't be helping much.

[gadget73]

egr spacer itself is cracked? interesting. Not too common, unless the nuts are cranked down way too tight. When you replace it, be careful not to overtighten it. Cast aluminum is relatively brittle.

[MattsLincoln]

egr spacer itself is cracked? interesting. Not too common, unless the nuts are cranked down way too tight. When you replace it, be careful not to overtighten it. Cast aluminum is relatively brittle.

do you think this is the problem with the stalling.