Engine died coming off the freeway!

Hello, I own a '90 Miata with 140,000 on it and have had few real problems with it. However, my drive to work this morning resulted in my engine cutting out one me. Perhaps someone could suggest possible causes given the events. First, I had already noticed the engine was not holding oil very well, and I had added some last week to hold me off until my oil change, which I had planned on getting this week. Then, this morning, halfway through my 8 mile interstate trip to work, I came to interchange traffic and quickly accelerated to get through it, but I only pushed the engine from 4000 to 5700 rpm. However, for the rest of the trip the engine felt like it was struggling to get fuel, kind of pulsing and pushing. Anyway, once I stopped at the light on the exit ramp at the end of the trip, the engine died, and I had to restart it. Then, the engine would keep cutting out and I would have to re-crank it until I pulled into a station a couple hundred feet down the road and turned it off for a minute. Then, I started the engine again and I started fine and I had no problems driving the last half mile to work.

Of course, I am dropping it off at the dealer after work (they are close by), but I sure would like to know what I might be in for. The only other information I can give is that I re-fueled an empty tank yesterday and that despite my power steering drop this morning, my radio still worked fine and I didn't notice anything else abnormal. Also, it has been a while since I had plugs changed, and I have had a history of needing to do that for a shuddering (but not dying) engine in the past. Also, my ignition switch has been temperamental in the past, the key not wanting to start especially if I'm parked with the steering wheel turned a bit.

So, any ideas? Plug wires? Alternator? Fuel filter? Ignition switch? $1000?

LT

Reply to
ltravisjr
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Aha! The ignition switch is a bit fragile, especially if you have a heavy keyring. If jiggling the key in the lock helps, you've probably found the problem.

Reply to
Lanny Chambers

So if the ignition switch is fragile, it could cause the engine to act like it was struggling to get the fuel? I certainly hope so, but in any case I will certainly look into that first!

Thanks, LT

Reply to
ltravisjr

No, it would probably not do that. It could make the car try and shut off and then restart but that's unlikely. However it is a good thing to check first.

BTW, the "very light key ring" advice is valid not only for the Miata but ALL Ford products, every one of them can have the ignition lock damaged by a heavy key ring. Get the type of keyring that comes apart, on one end put the valet key, on the other put the regular key, your house key and nothing else and you'll not have any problems.

Reply to
XS11E

Reply to
M. Cantera

While the ignition switch is a likely culprit, my bet is on a bad tank of gas or simply accumulation of water and other crud in your tank.

Your symptoms remind me of a problem I had with a 70 Spitfire. The engine would some times cut out like it couldn't get fuel at high RPM's and then would not restart until it had sat for awhile. I never had problems as long as I kept that tach below 4000 rpm. The problem went away when I directly connecting a gallon jug of gas strapped into the passenger seat to the mechanical fuel pump at the engine. So, I starting digging through the fuel system and found a pebble in the tank that was too big to be sucked into the fuel line, but just big enough that under high suction it would plug the fuel line starving the engine. Once the engine was stopped, the suction in the fuel line would be relieved and the pebble would eventual come loose. The engine would then start and run fine until the next time high rpm sucked the pebble down onto the fuel line. I'm not sure how the pebble got in there, but the problem went away once the pebble was gone.

I don't think you have a pebble in your tank, but water accumulated at the bottom of the tank would cause a similar problem. The engine runs fine until the higher fuel flow at high rpm pulls water into the line, thus starving the engine of fuel. Once water is in the line, the problem will persist until all the water has been cleared from the fuel line.

Gus 91 BRG

P.S. I assume you are using quality gas (e.g., not unbranded discount gas which doesn't have the quality additives of the majors) and that you avoid filling up while a tanker is dropping a load at the station (the high flow of gas from the tanker into the station's tanks can steer up water and crude from the bottom of their tanks). Although, with better quality control and drier delivery systems, this is not as much of a problem these days.

Reply to
nosfatsug

A clogged fuel filter would cause these symtoms.

Reply to
~Mike Hollywood

I agree with Mike. I suffered these same symptoms on the way to Austin a few months back. The engine seemed to "struggle" to get fuel. It died a couple of times and I was able to restart it. A few miles down the road it started struggling again and luckily I was able to coast it over into a rest stop. A tow truck ride back (90 miles - thank goodness for warranty service!) to the nearest dealer resulted in a diagnosis of clogged fuel filter. After it was replaced I've had no problems at all. By the way, I have two things on my key ring - the ignition key and the remote. Period. Not even a house key. Of course I don't have a key to my house. That' what a garage door opener is for!!

-Carol

Reply to
Carol

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