itsdaveonline

So the other day i drove to home depot, it was nice and warm out and i drove the car for about 10 minutes and went in.

I left the car in the parking lot only for 10 minutes and gave it no time to warm up and just pulled out. I pull out the parking lot in a semi aggressive manner and got the car about to 25mph and the car just stopped very aggressively without warning. The engine almost died and it felt like the brakes were applied. The ABS light flashed a few times and the car backfired whenever i hit the gas; car almost died.

It did this a few times and then my cars happy *** just drove off without a problem. I did notice that the door was ajar / borderline almost open when this happened. Would this be some kind of security feature that slows down the car if the door is open?

Or is this some kind of ignition issue? No CEL. SEL. whatever you want to call it. So basically my car just stalled after just turning it on leaving the parking lot. ABS light flashed when the car did the stalling. I do have ABS on the car if that matters. Car has 125,000 mi now. has gone about 1000 mi on new motorcraft plugs.

sIx

I know the Trac. Control turns on in mine easy enough if it spins at all, and it bogs down, but ABS light doesn't come on but it does cut fuel and turn on the ABS if it's spinning...11

first and only time it's ever happened?

itsdaveonline

Nah, i have traction control as well and i know how that feels. The bogging down i had was 100% more abrupt it was almost unsafe for street driving. because it felt like someone slammed on the brakes. Literally the engine almost shut down when i hit the gas each time and it felt as the car braked itself.

Although i think i have a good lead now, its something electrical. Now if i press the brake pedal my headlights and dash lights dim also my gauges took a long time to turn on. Also my battery gauge in the dash seems too high...The needle just passes the right side of the battery picture. I think possibly the car lost connection with the battery momentarily and then maybe that made the ABS / ECU / coil packs all screwy? Maybe the car did shut itself off and the momentum turned it back on since it was in gear?

Could intermittent battery connection cause the car to do the stuff i described on my last post? Ill check the battery out see if its charged and check if it's fully secured. But throw out some ideas if you guys have any.

WoahPony

could be a loose ground. had a similar issue in another car. the bolt had come undone that held the battery to the battery tray and every once in a while I would have the same issue as you. Mine got so bad though, that if I flipped the headlights or something then the car would die for a second and have that braking feeling then turn back on.

itsdaveonline

Hmm well the battery seems to be connected okay, its holding a charge w/ correct voltage.

But it did it again today, except my car actually died today. It was even worse though, evrey light on the dash flashed and my gauges went crazy, Then when the car stalled itself the theft light started flashing. It stalled going 15mph without any warning.

eltitillo03

Please let me know whats wrong with your car, mine is doing the same thing.

eltitillo03

Sorry for the previous msg, i was reading and the EGR valve might be faulty, ill check it out on my car and let you know the outcome.

WoahPony

if all the lights came on and the theft light started flashing that means the car turned off. Check the ground connection on the frame. and make sure the battery is completely secured. Did you hit a bump right before that happened? if the battery isnt bolted down any slight movement could move the ground or positive wire just enough to break the circuit for a split second. That would result in your car shutting off.

itsdaveonline

Well my car is more prone to stalling and turning off when i just start it up. My gauges will act all crazy and goto 7k rpm @ 120 mph, ABS flashes, Theft flashes amongst most the other lights before the car sputters & stalls.

So im still assuming its the battery, i may just get a new one soon if i dont find anything else wrong. But when the cars been driving for 20+ minutes the gauge cluster will sometimes entirely turn off while im going 50 mph and just turn back on. But it wont stall. It seems to do better once the car is running so im guessing it's just being recharged by the alternator.

Where is the ground connection on the frame? I guess if i just trace the ground wire from the battery id find it?

WoahPony

bingo.