PLEASE HELP, cant stand it anymore

5speedTE · 10-07-2006, 11:55 PM

Hi guys

Thanx for reading this, I have a really anoying problem and it is quite dangerious. About 4 weeks ago i replaced my battery and since the car stalls all the time. When i pull up at lights the revs bounce up and down from a range of (0-2,500) then sometimes it will stall.

If i am driving an a carpark and try to park it will stall about 4-5 times, it seems the more i turn the steering wheel the worst it gets. But in saying that it still happens then driving at low speeds (0-30kms) above 30kms i have no problem.

The car starts fine and when stopped idles fine also its just when the car is moving/ slowing down between 0-30kms. I have replaced the TPS, oxygen sensor, fuel pump and the power steering preasure switch.

I have taken it to Ford and they cleaned the throttle body and reset the idle speed, this worked for about 2 days. Then it was back to normal. I took it back and they said they cant find a problem.....

The car is a series 2 AU 6, 5 speed, thanx for trying to help. Its getting so bad that im not going to drive it anymore untill its fixed.

Thanx guys

XR6-VCT-2000 · 11-07-2006, 12:08 AM

After disconnecting the battery, then installing the new 1 , did you set the ecu again ? (using the procedure to help the ecu learn its settings again , so it's got somewhere to start from , instead of taking a full fuel tank to learn the settings again pretty much).

???

If it's only been happening since you changed the battery , then it's probably something along those lines , even try to disconnect it again , leave it disconnected for around an hour to make sure the ecu has fully reset, then follow the procedure again for setting the ecu after connecting the battery again .

also ... Did you buy the right size/specs battery ?

5speedTE · 11-07-2006, 12:21 AM

yeah i have done the ecu reset a number of times, it makes no difference...

how do you guys reset and re-learn your ecu's?

anything else i can check or try?

I6corp · 11-07-2006, 12:32 AM

Are you sure that the battery is the correct size?

And all leads are in good condition? (i.e not worn)

By the sounds of it, the alternator takes the load when driving, hence no problems above 30km/hr?

And have you had the new battery volt tested?

5speedTE · 11-07-2006, 12:37 AM

yeah battery is the correct size, i have tested it under load and the leads are also new

XR6-VCT-2000 · 11-07-2006, 12:53 AM

strange , if it was fine before the battery swap , then it sounds battery related , or maybe your leads connected to the battery are on their way out / mainlly usually the earth lead . Might have unsettled them while changing the battery ( bending the brittle wires ). ?

Even though it is a new battery , and its showing 12 to 13.8 volts, it might of been sitting on the shelf for ages and not be able to produce enough amps anymore , have you checked the amp output of the battery with a multimeter under load ?

Even though its a new battery , if you have a battery charger , put it on charge for a day and see if there is any difference . If so , then i'de be taking the battery back to swap it for another new 1 .

It almost sounds a bit like the symptoms of the brushes in the alternator wearing out too ( can't produce enough volts and amps at low rpm ), but im reluctant to say its this if your problem has only been occuring since changing the battery.

cheers . gl

**Mechan1k** · 11-07-2006, 07:31 AM

hmmm ... Coilpack maybe.
It's giving intermittent output ... and cutting spark altogether.
Sounds like it is dying to me.
Had it happen to me ... car would die when trying to take off from traffic lights ... and I'd get stuck in the middle of busy intersections ... nasty ... and it wouldn't restart for ages .... then bang ... it would start.

Scarey indeed.

Soundwarp · 11-07-2006, 08:12 AM

Does it play up real bad when you have the brakes on?
And at lower/idle revs?

5speedTE · 11-07-2006, 09:19 AM

yeah when i break and slow down to under 30kms it idles really bad, then it corects itself and idles fine. The car drives fine, takes off fine, has no flat spots. It is only when i brake and slow down to under 30kms. If doing this around a corner the car will 100% stall on me. Seems worse when im turning the wheel. If at idle i turn the wheel it starts to play up also.

buickman · 11-07-2006, 09:53 AM

Sounds like a fuel filter might need replacing as I had a problem with a AU going up hills & at traffic lights jerking & cutting out. I replaced the filter & it ran fine. I must have picked up some dirty fuel .It might not be your problem but a change of a battery would not normally cause probs like that.

james22 · 11-07-2006, 09:57 AM

Have you checked all of your vacuum hoses? Sometimes a vacuum hose will work its way loose and can cause idle problems. First off i would have said Power steering pressure switch. Same thing happened in my EA and that was the problem, but you said you replaced it.

theboss290 · 11-07-2006, 10:16 AM

Funny things happen like that, it might not be the battery at all it sounds like a fuel problem maybe? Fuel pump? But if you have taken it to your local ford mechanic and he is having problems finding the problem then ??? what hope have we got!

Good luck with it and hope you get it fix soon.

P.S. did you get ecu checked out?

5speedTE · 11-07-2006, 10:48 AM

yeah the ecu checked out fine, it has a powerchip installed but ford gave me a replacement one to see if it made a difference and if was still the same.

I will check around for vacuum hoses and see if i find any loose or split...etc

Its going back to ford tomorrow and they said they will sort it out tomorrow no matter what....guess ill just have to see...

Thanx guys

autickfordfairmont · 11-07-2006, 11:51 AM

Mine does the same thing everytime i disconnect the battery for to long, not quite as bad but the same.
It takes about 1 week for it to correct itself, it just has troubles with base idle when pulling up at a set of lights or stuff, revs drop right down to ligh 250, car shudders and then it corrects itself again. Is a pain in the ***, but i have come to get use to it, now when it does it i left foot brake and still leave a smidget of throttle on so that it keeps the revs up a bit so it wont do it as bad, just drive like that for a week and it will fix itself after a while.
I did find however the "Correct Procedure after Disconnecting Battery" thing on aufalcon.com did help a bit, it is as follows & hould help you a bit:

To Reset AU ECU?
Disconnect the battery for approx 40minutes to 1 hour.

Once reconnected do the following:

AUTO Transmission:

- Reset Computer by disconnecting battery (Take off the positive terminal lead)
- When power is re-connected, start car and idle in this sequence?
- 2 minutes idling with the transmission in drive and A/C on.
- 2 minutes idling with the transmission in drive and A/C off.
- 2 minutes idling with the transmission in neutral and A/C on.
- 2 minutes idling with the transmission in neutral and A/C off.
- Drive the car on the road, for at least 5 minutes under variable throttle positions.

MANUAL Transmission:

- Same as above, except put the transmission in gear for (drive).

Often, resetting the ECU can give the car a fresh start, improving performance, economy and smoothness. It is recommended that an ECU reset is done after any modification to allow the computer to relearn the car and the driver.

Racecraft · 11-07-2006, 12:56 PM

clean the isc or try another one on there to be sure

Soundwarp · 11-07-2006, 04:44 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by 5speedTE

yeah when i break and slow down to under 30kms it idles really bad, then it corects itself and idles fine. The car drives fine, takes off fine, has no flat spots. It is only when i brake and slow down to under 30kms. If doing this around a corner the car will 100% stall on me. Seems worse when im turning the wheel. If at idle i turn the wheel it starts to play up also.

I had the same effects on my old car.
It ended up being an air problem, something to do with the brake booster!

S3SR · 11-07-2006, 05:47 PM

i had a similar prob....mine is also a 5sp anyways it only happened when i turned the car on it would bounce the revs up and down and carry on...when ford serviced it i told them and they adjusted the idle speed and its great now....just got to remember TURN OFF aircon before starting car aswell

also dont no if this helped but when i changed airbox to the BA one it hardly does it anymore....it still did it now and then after ford fixed it...but it might be a blockage in air intake or filter

hope that helps and good luck

5speedTE · 13-07-2006, 09:33 AM

Thanx guys, i took it to ford yesterday and they said it is a problem with my computer....It has been chiped with a "powerchip" They said when they program the idle codes in they just reset back to what the "powerchip" is setting them to.... They told me they cant fix it until i remove the chip..

However, the car is running great.... its perfect.....i have also checked that the powerchip is still installed and working and yes its still in there and working....

They said they did nothing, but im sure they had to do something.....anyway thanx guys for all ya help

Jason

sednwol · 13-07-2006, 10:43 AM

Let's hope it stays that way this time!

5speedTE · 14-07-2006, 09:26 AM

yeah, well its been a few days now and its still running fine.

Thanx guys

Majestic · 14-07-2006, 10:35 AM

I had problems with my ecu likes yours but much worse - my ute would shut down at traffic lights and go into immobilisation mode (car wont start!). I was running a unichip on an au xr8 supercharged. Apparantly the problem turned out to be another chip (eprom) that was also installed so that the ecu could recognize boost from the s/c. I eventually had the eprom and unichip removed and replaced it with a custom chip from chiptorque - result no more problems with the ecu and i gained an extra 31kw at the rear wheels. There's nothing worse than your car stalling and not starting again in peak hour traffic LOL