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