Ok who can figure this one out??

[93gsx80]

well as i was driving home at like 4am from work last night the car all of a sudden just died while i was driving. it felt like i just ran out of gas. so i start it up again and it starts for like 5 seconds and kills. it didnt throw any codes either. anyone have any ideas on this one?? i did put gas in it too, which didnt help it at all.

 

[DSMark]

Do any of your lights work? Do your interior lights and radio work? If not it could be a dead battery/alternator.

 

[dyno_detour]

Yeah, probably your alternator.

 

[93gsx80]

ok i'm going to have to check the voltage on it. what should it be at? like 14.7 or something?

 

[93gsx80]

but dont you guys think it would die after a few tries?? i highly doubt its an alternator the more i think about it. the car starts up fine time after time.

 

[megadeth0]

If it starts back up, I highly doubt it is your alternator. Charging voltage should be 14.6-15.2 BTW. I would check your fuel filter. On startup, the fuel pressure is raised to avoid a lean start. That extra pressure may be allowing fuel to go through then the pressure lowers and the filter is clogged enough to stop the flow of fuel. Good place to start anyway. If, that isn't it post back with more details with sounds, what RPM, ect. Good luck.

 

[luvmygst]

If it was the alternator, after the voltage got low enough to kill the car I doubt it would crank very much. I would check for fuel, spark, compression. See whats missing and figure out why. Good luck

 

[93gsx80]

as far as rpm and sounds its perfectly fine. it just starts up and idles for a few seconds and then just kills. i was thinking myabe a foul plug or coil pack??

 

[turbo2086]

Have you checked for any blown, or torn intercooler hosing?

 

[robs90tsi]

Check it, and that will tell you whether or not it was the alternator, and whether or not you have another problem, you just have to eliminate one thing at a time.

EDIT: Oh it starts up fine, hmmmm, check your fuel pressure, see what kind of reading you get.

 

[vintagemuscle]

If it starts back up, I highly doubt it is your alternator. Charging voltage should be 14.6-15.2 BTW. I would check your fuel filter. On startup, the fuel pressure is raised to avoid a lean start. That extra pressure may be allowing fuel to go through then the pressure lowers and the filter is clogged enough to stop the flow of fuel. Good place to start anyway. If, that isn't it post back with more details with sounds, what RPM, ect. Good luck.

i agree with what ^^^ said. it sounds like it may be a clogged fuel filter or a malfunctioning fuel pump. by any chance do you run your car alot with low fuel like under 1/4 tank. that is the main cause for fuel pumps prematurely failing. the gas in the tank cools the fuel pump and with out enough cooling it overheats and eventually fails. on one of my other cars i had the exact same symptoms and the problem was the fuel pump. starts, runs rough, and then dies. first thing i would do is change the fuel filter if you haven't in awhile.

 

[Maverick3169]

Could be a malfunctioning ECU.

 

[96gsdsm]

It could just be as simple as a fuel pump relay going bad, that could explain the car dieing a few seconds after start up.I'm definately going to have to agree with rob here

you just have to eliminate one thing at a time.

... also a nice multimeter wouldn't be a bad idea either at this point.

 

[andymoraitis]

Pull your ECU and open it up. If you encounter a rotten egg smell, your caps are likely fried and this can lead to a host of other problems related to fuel, spark and general operation. Start at the most logical source and move forward from there.

Let us know what you find,

Andy

 

[93gsx80]

ok andy i just got up this morning started the car and it started up almost perfect with a little idle surge right away. i just pulled the ecu and going to check that real quick. any ideas on what the hell this is??

 

[93gsx80]

ok its not the ecu

 

[Maximuscr31]

Have you checked the fuel pressure yet?
When was the last time you did change the fuel pump and/or fuel filter?

 

[sk8shorty01]

I had the exact same thing happen to me. Like exactly what you are saying, including the time and everything and i was coming home from work. At first I tried changing all my plugs and wires, you know thought I was having a spark problem. After that didnt work I realized that if I tried to push start the car, the tires would squeal when I would pop the clutch so I thought, maybe the starter is stuck enguaged in the flywheel. Well I replaced the starter, and still nothing. Then i put the car on a lift and hooked a ratchet up to the main pulley and pulled down, nothing, i could not get the pulley to turn with the plugs and everything taken out. It was stuck in place. I realized my engine had overheated, and my block and head had warped. This didnt throw a code, and my temp guage didnt register. I later found out, after replacing the engine, that one of the radiator line had clogged just after the sensor and so the sensor was taking a reading from the water that was stationary and there was no new water flowing to the engine. This was definately not what I expected, but the car would start everytime, just kinda slow, and it would work until i would shift then it would die. Hope you figure it out, and i hope its not expensive of a fix as mine was.

 

[andymoraitis]

ok its not the ecu

If it's not the ECU, then I would move on to the fuel system:

1. Check or replace the fuel pressure regulator
2. Change the fuel filter
3. Check voltage to the fuel pump and replace pump if needed.

Andy

 

[93gsx80]

andy i have a CAS adjustable fuel press regulator w/ gauge

 

[Froyd79]

My CAS was bad and it would start fine every time run for a few secs then die! If you can hear your pump and it fires for a second then something electrical is causing it to stop the fuel or cut spark. If you have a spare try it out, its worth the 10 minutes just to eliminate it!

 

[93gsx80]

a spare what?? i'm not quite sure i understood ya

 

[Froyd79]

A spare CAS. I mean its not set in stone but I would clean the connection at least and maybe look into it a bit more as it may be the culprit. If you had a spare or even a buddy that would let you try his out it would take a few minutes and it could eliminate/find a major component. Good luck! Problems like this give me headaches!