Car not starting is an annoying experience most of us have received our peak share. The worst part is to have your car dead on the highway, or on a busy street. This is a common experience with most drivers that happens when least expected.
The common reason car dies while driving and won’t start is due to low fuel pressure caused by weak fuel pump. But other things may also be the culprits. The best solution then is to diagnose the vehicle to know exactly what is wrong and fix it.
In this article, I will give an elaborate explanation of these reasons and what to do if your car dies while driving and won’t start and how to fix a car that dies while driving and won’t start. What to do to also minimize this happened.
What Would Cause a Car to Die While Driving And Not Start?
Several factors like low fuel, bad fuel pump, faulty car battery, and low charge alternator are the most common reasons a car dies while driving and won’t start. Any of these will leave you stranded in the middle of the road.
Let’s discuss these factors one by one.
#1. Running Out of Fuel.
It may sound funny, but it happens to lots of people. Drivers sometimes completely forget to refuel the car and run of petrol in the middle of the road.
Another cause for this is when the fuel gauge doesn’t give you correct reading. For instance, it shows you that you have a half tank of fuel, while it is empty.
#2. Bad Fuel Pump.
Another common reason for the car to die and won’t come on is if there is a problem with the fuel pump. In most cases, the car shuts off only when the car is hot and won’t come on until it cools down.
The fuel pump is responsible for sending fuel from the fuel tank to the engine to complete the combustion process.
Now, the fuel delivered, should have a certain pressure as well as a certain flow rate. If the pressure or the flow rate is below the required, the car starts stalling and eventually stops.
You might also have a problem with the fuel filter. The filter is usually attached to the fuel pump and purifies the fuel before entering the pump and the engine. It removes all impurities and stains which might block the fuel line and not get to the engine.
#3. Malfunctioned Ignition Switch.
An ignition switch is basically a gate that connects the current from the battery to the car accessories and starter motor for the car to start.
You may have a problem with your ignition switch, and this may mean that the car stalls because the internal contacts are worn out. This causes a loss in voltage because of heat and hard vibrations.
It is common for high mileages of the ignition switch to period out as they come into contact with each other. The result of which is poor contact.
#4. Low Charge Alternator.
If while driving you notice that the dashboard battery lamp is glowing, it could be an indication of a problem in the alternator, which is not putting a charge into the battery.
It displays dies if it runs down because it is not getting enough charge from the alternator and will not start until you at least jump it or replace the battery.
You will also have to fix or replace the alternator to prevent the situation from arising again. This happens because the car battery relies on the alternator to stay charged.
Electricity enables makes the engine works. For example, you home the spark plugs don’t get electricity so that they do not have a spark that completes the combustion. The fuel pump also relies on the electricity from the alternator.
#5. Lousy Car Battery.
Lousy car battery is a major problem affecting several people because they think that the battery is only used for the first startup.
That is however not the case. Once a car battery does not work as it is supposed to do, of if it is in bad shape, the alternator must work hard.
Thus, a car that needs a lot of voltage so that the engine mist is difficult moves. If your car dies when you are driving, will not start, and just clicks, it could be that you have a lousy battery.
#6. Wrong Signal Sensors.
Modern cars feature a number of sensors involved in engine management. These car sensors keep track of the movements and instruct the ECU.
The ECU responds then by sending signals to the appropriate actuators like spark plugs and injectors at a certain time and order.
In the event that the sensors are faulty, it may send the ECU incorrect readings regarding the status of the engine.
This will then lead to incorrect orders to the actuators, such as no sparkplug signal or no injector pulse. It eventually ends in a bad performance, and a car switches off while driving and won’t start.
What to Do If Your Vehicle Dies When You Are Driving
If you find yourself in this situation the first thing is to keep safe. Your safety and those of other road users are more important than anything else. When safe, have a quick look for indications of what may be wrong. These tips may help you out of this situation safely:
Get the car off the road or right over to the left. First put on your hazard lights to warn the other cars there is a problem with your car.
The steering may be very heavy but do your best to control it, and go instinctively for the handbrakes since your normal brake pedal will not work as usual.
If there is a battery sign illuminated on the dash, you have an issue with the battery charging system, either the alternator or the battery itself.
Check the electrics and connectors and terminals. If you cannot figure the problem out, then check the drive belt is still connected. A broken drive belt will prevent the alternator from working.
If this is the root cause, it will result in the alternator not being able to charge the battery, hence after a while the battery will run out of juice and the engine will die of. What to do? Get a new belt and connect it to the engine pulleys.
If the car cuts out when driving but starts up a bit later, check a blocked fuel filter. Or it is simply a weak fuel pump not building up standard pressure. Do a fuel pressure check and also fuel lines check to track and diagnose the fault easily.
If the car cuts out when driving and starts back up again a while later or when it cools down, then the cause is an engine management system issue or faulty fuel pump.
Then check the fuel pump. Most of the time all you need to solve this issue is a new pump.
If this is not the solution, then check the crank position sensor. If this is faulty it gives the wrong position to the crankshaft and a wrong order to the cylinder misfiring which stalls the engine.
How do we Minimize car dies while driving?
Nobody wants to get stuck in the middle of nowhere. But we sometimes neglect some small things that can spare us the headache.
We can reduce the chances of our car dying along the way by checking and cleaning the fuel filters now and then, not letting the gas tank go lower than a quarter, and replacing faulty components like the fuel pump when it starts to show weakness.
Some components like the fuel pump don’t just suddenly fail. It usually has tell-tale signs before it finally quits for good. Always replace the fuel pump once it starts to cut trouble when hot. If not, it won’t disappoint you one sunny afternoon.
How do you fix a car that randomly dies while driving?
As mentioned above, several things can cause a car to randomly die while driving, but there are three likely suspects: the fuel pump, and components of the ignition system.
That means you need to diagnose the vehicle to know what’s really going on. Here are two quick methods to rectify a car that dies randomly.
Method 1: Diagnose the vehicle.
Get a scan tool, and connect it underneath the steering wheel at the OBDII diagnostic port. Turn on the ignition and highlight or retrieve the registered codes on your vehicle.
Some high-end diagnostic scan tools will tell you the error code, the meaning, and their possible causes; but if you have one of those cheap not really so much ‘scan’ tools, you’ll have to search for the meaning of that code for your specific vehicle online.
You can then go fix the problem. For instance, trouble codes P0340, P0341, P0342, P0343, P0344, P0345, P0346, P0347, P0348 and P0349 tell you there’s a malfunction, an incorrect reading; or that there’s no voltage at the camshaft position sensor or opening circuit.
If you get any of those codes, practically the only relevant things to do would be to clean the cam position sensor, check and fix wire problem (you may need to do this first) or replace the cam position sensor. Also obtain information on that trouble code23 for whichever other codes are registered, so you’ll know the possible causes of each, and fix them.
Method 2: Check the fuel pressure.
The truth is the car computer does not check, and therefore store error codes for every single issue that happens in a vehicle.
For example, the car computer will not store any trouble codes if fuel pressure is below required specification. But a low fuel pressure is one common reason cars die while driving.
If your car diagnostic trouble code reader did not pull any code from the vehicle, test the fuel pressure and see that it’s at specified PSI. You can get Fuel pressure testers for very affordable prices on Amazon, eBay, or at your local car parts seller.
It should read 40 to 46 PSI. If that’s below tested specification of that PSI for your vehicle, you’ve definitely got issue with the fuel pump.
Replace with a new fuel pump rated 46 PSI or aperture; if that doesn’t sort the problem, see your mechanic to run a proper diagnosis.
FAQs.
Q. What would cause a car to just die while driving?
As we discussed before, bad alternator, defective fuel pump, lousy car battery, no voltage from camshaft position sensor or faulty camshaft position sensor, and other fuel system and ignition problems can cause a car to die while driving.
Q. When a car dies while driving is it the battery or alternator?
Do you have to jump start it all the time, and it keeps running on that until you stop? Then it will not start again without jump-starting it since the battery is flat and you probably need to replace it.
If the engine will start but dies instantly, and then will not start, you probably have a bad alternator. The only remedy is to validate the issue and repair or replace the alternator.
Q. What electrical problem causes car to shut off while driving?
The car alternator is the powerhouse of all the electricity in a car. An electrical problem with the alternator then is the issue if your car shuts off while driving.
If the alternator malfunctions while you are driving, the car runs off battery power and shuts off as soon as the car battery is out of electric juice. It does not start the vehicle but helps recharge the battery and supply electric flow to the electronic car sectors.
Final Words
There are many reasons why a Car dies while driving and won’t start and that will in a way depend on the model of the car you are driving.
The tips above apply to almost all vehicles however, to avoid or reduce the chance of getting into these situations you are required to take some precautionary actions.
You are advised to change the fuel filter as per the manufacturer’s recommendations. You also need to have the fuel in at least a quarter tank. This will increase the life of the pump and prevent your fuel filter from becoming clogged.
Always remember that safety comes first. If you have any vehicle failure issues on the road always warn the cars behind you and get in the low speed lane until you get the right help.