Every so often my 1990 tercel shuts itself off after I?ve started it. Or it will start fine warm up fine but when I go to drive away it stalls and won?t start again. I took it to a mechanic and they said that there was nothing wrong with the spark , compression or fuel system. It does have a rough idle and needs a tune up but could just needing a tune up make the car turn off? can anyone point me in the right direction?
Is the engine fuel injected or carbureted?
Are the ignition parts OEM or aftermarket?
How long has it been since the distributor cap, distributor rotor, spark plugs, and wire were replaced?
When did the problem start to occur?
When you say it won't start again, do you mean that it will not turn over or does it crank and not catch?
Yes, needing a tune up can make a car stall.
New fuel filter and pressure from the pump OK?
I had a Nissan that did this, and it was a bad ground wire to the fuel pump doing it.
Do everything Ray said and also check the fuel cap vent system. Does it do it more often with a full or empty fuel tank? Do you hear a rush of air when the fuel filler cap is removed? Sometimes, a blocked vent will allow the engine to idle, but under load (attempting to drive away) it will experience fuel starvation due to a vacuum lock IMHO.
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