- Modern cars rely on sensors; failures can stop the engine unexpectedly, especially on highways.
- Faulty crankshaft position sensor is a common reason for engine stall.
- Fuel system problems like bad pump, clogged filter, or blocked lines can stop the engine.
- Running out of fuel also causes the engine to die.
When you own a car, you should definitely check its oil, coolant, fuel level, plus many other things to make sure everything is in order. Has it ever happened to you that even though you made sure all is ok , you find yourself in your car at a traffic stop and it simply stops? Regardless of whether or not you have gone through such a situation, in the following article we will discuss details related to this aspect, so that you can know exactly what to expect if you go through such a situation.
Possible causes of a car stopping while driving
When we talk about newer and more modern cars, we mention the fact that they are equipped with all kinds of sensors and that they have different functions to function as correctly as possible. Well, there is a possibility that over time these components will break down and the car will suddenly stop while driving.
Such a problem is certainly very unpleasant, especially if you are on the highway and driving fast, and you have a car behind you , because you may be responsible in case of an accident. If you own an older car, it will certainly not be provided with any memory reading function, so you need to determine quickly what caused the car to stop.
These may be some of the reasons why your car is stopping
1.Faulty crankshaft position sensor
When a car stops moving, the most common problem is the defective crankshaft position sensor. This sensor is extremely important because it makes the car’s engine run and is found on many cars.
2. Defective fuel pump / car fuel system is faulty
Regarding the fuel pump with which the car is provided, we must mention the fact that it has the role of providing the engine with the necessary fuel. If it does not give the engine the exact amount of fuel the engine needs, then the engine will stop running and you will be left stranded on the side of the road. The even bigger problem is that if the fuel pump is malfunctioning and it fails while you are driving, you must be towed to the car service, where the specialists will have to either repair the fuel pump or replace it with a new one.
But if you’re lucky, maybe the fuel pump isn’t the problem, and it might be just a faulty fuel filter. In this case you are lucky because you will get away much cheaper. The car’s fuel filter is a small part that has a single role, namely to clean the fuel that reaches the car’s engine. If the filter is not clean, less fuel will reach the engine than needed, and for this reason the engine will stop. The positive is that in this case is that you only need to replace that filter, and this is not very expensive.
Another possible problem is that the fuel transferred through the supply lines does not reach the engine. If these supply lines are blocked for various reasons or broke , the engine will stop running.
3. The fuel tank is empty
If you are driving a car and you have not taken into account the fact that the fuel gauge already informs you that you have very little fuel left or if you hoped to get to the first gas station, but the fuel has run out, surely the engine will stop, you will be stuck on the side of the road.
If you refueled before setting off, but the fuel gauge shows that you do not have diesel or gasoline in the tank, then the problem may be more complicated. If you have enough diesel or gasoline in the tank, but the car still stops, it is definitely advisable to go to a mechanic as soon as possible.
4. Alternator problems
Regarding the alternator, we have to mention that this is responsible for managing the power supply in your car. If the car stops suddenly, there is a very good chance that the alternator has failed. If the alternator is defective, the power supply of the vital components of the car will be interrupted, and thus you will see the lights on the dashboard, the headlights going out or how the engine power decreases.
But the good part is that if the alternator fails, you can quickly discover the problem, and so you can go with the car in service for a professional to see if the alternator can be repaired or if a new alternator is needed.
Usually, the alternators are repaired because they are small components and easy to repair.
5. Defective ECUs
New cars are equipped with an ECU, this being a small computer whose role is to manage certain functions and systems of the cars. If this small car computer is defective, the car’s power may be lost. To know when you have problems with the ECU, we inform you that when it is malfunctioning a check light will appear in the dashboard of your car. When this light comes on, it is important to drive your car to a mechanic as soon as possible so that he can give you an accurate diagnosis.
But if you ignore the warning light and choose to drive the car with the light on in the dashboard, the problems will worsen, and eventually you will end up with the car stopping whilst you’re driving.
The even more unpleasant part is that the ECU is not a repairable part. In order to get rid of ECU problems as quickly as possible, it is important to seek the help of a specialist.
6. Ignition system problems
If you are not friends with mechanics and you do not know, the ignition system is the one that powers the engine of your car so that it can work. If the car’s fuel system is defective, the engine will suddenly stop.
Undoubtedly, the first step you have to take in this situation is to try to start the car’s engine again. If you encounter problems starting the engine, there is a very good chance that the car will have problems with the ignition system.
In these conditions it is very important to seek the help of a professional mechanic. The problem may be caused by the ignition relay that has probably failed. An ignition relay of the car is a small component, but it is an extremely important part, controlling the amount of electricity that passes through them.
Like other electrical components, the relays have a lifespan, after which they fail and can no longer be used. The best news is that when the relay breaks down it can be replaced.
Why does an diesel engine stop running
The pleasant experience of a beautiful journey can be disrupted in just a few seconds when you suddenly notice that your car has stopped running, in other words the engine has died whilst you’re on the go . You will certainly be panicked by this incident, but let’s find out the reasons why a diesel engine stops running.
Causes of a diesel engine stopping while running
Diesel engines are harder to diagnose, so we encourage you to drive to a service every time you have problems. We will further explain some causes that can cause the car’s diesel engine to stop running:
Damaged diesel injectors: a diesel engine may stop running due to damaged injectors, so when the engine “dies” while running it would be a good idea to visit a mechanic to check if the injectors are OK.
Defective high pressure pump: Improper functioning of the high pressure pump will result in low pressure in the supply system. If you have a cracked high pressure pump it could let the foam enter the fuel supply system, this could damage the injectors and as a result the engine will stop running.
Insufficient fuel in the fuel system: If you have a crack or cracked hose in the fuel system, you can expect your tank to be blocked by vacuum, so the fuel will return to the tank and prevent the combustion process.
Other causes can be: clogged filters, a discharged battery, a damaged relay or a faulty compression.
What happens if you stop a car’s engine while on the road?
Regarding this situation , it would be best not to do it because there are very high risks of an accident. Let’s tell you some risks that you must be aware of if you want to stop the car’s engine while running.
First of all, today most cars have a power steering system, whether we are talking about an electronic or a hydraulic one. When you stop the engine running and you have an electric power steering, you will lose the power steering immediately. This will make the steering super heavy. Another serious problem can occur in vehicles that use a start button, these models tend to lock the steering wheel when the ignition is turned on.
Is it like pulling out the ignition key in an older car and turning the steering wheel, did you notice that there is a noise like a click and the steering wheel remains locked? It works in much the same way on cars that use an ignition button, except that you will never hear that click again.
Other problems can also occur with the braking system, the brake pedal will be harder to operate and you will certainly lose the function of the ABS system.
So our advice is not to try to stop the car while driving, not for anything else but from our point of view safety is above all. If you are really curious to see what happens when you stop the car while driving, it would be good to try somewhere in a field where the dangers of colliding with certain objects are low.
Conclusions
So, the most important thing you need to know is that a car never stops suddenly. A car will send different warning signals, but if every time the car sends such a signal, you ignore it, then the car will end up suddenly stopping. In these conditions you will need to go to a car service to get it repaired. It would be best to check the car periodically to prevent these problems.
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