first stall of the year

[slave600]

ok, knew it wouldn't last forever, but only 3 days into the new year and the MP5 stalled on the way in to work this morning. it was drastically colder than normal so i also warmed the car up for 10 minutes before leaving home (2 things not routine in my commute). i've read almost every post on the causes for stalling (egr, etc.), but have some concern since most posts are from a manual transmission. is there a direct link on the egr removal/ clean that accounts for the automatic trans??? also i read a few times about the Seafoam. is this and additive for sale at auto shops or a cleaning process that is offered by shops. can't say i've ever seen it at the local autozone/ advance. thanx for the assist here

[Magus]

Honestly the EGR procedure should be no different between manual or auto. The EGR has nothing to do with the transmission. I would also mention that you might want to get your battery/alternator checked out first (free and quick at AdvanceAutoParts). On record I have never had problems with my EGR clogging up, but I think I am the rarity.

The reason I am saying to check your alternator/battery, is that they are more likely to be affected by cold weather than the EGR. Good Luck

[slave600]

brand new gold series battery less than 4 weeks old & alt. checks out fine. the stall occurred around 15 miles from home when i came to a stop in some slower traffic. idles around 700 usually, but it dropped below 700 to about 500 and then lights all over the dash.... started right back up after it turned over a time or two. hoping it is the egr. and tnax for the info, wasn't sure if egr would be any different b/t the transmission types. on my pontiac it is routed differently w/ the manual trans over the auto..... something about the idle speed and IAC valve??? placement

[P-Funk!]

Start with the EGR if no CEL.

[Weborific]

Hi. It's rare, but it does happen that a new battery is no good. Also, when was the last time you changed your spark plug wires? I once kept stalling because a wire was rubbing against a battery contact and the insulation on the wire was melting (maybe from battery acid). Inspect the wires. My 2 cents...

[Diehonda]

Any CELs??
-Make sure that the battery terminals are snug and attached completely.
-Pull the spark plugs and inspect them.
-Pull the EGR and clean/inspect it.


Report back.

[slave600]

what is cel an abbreviation for? as far as i can tell there is not electrical issue w/ the charging system. in my experience (mostly bikes) when a charging issue is the cause u will lose the presets on the radio, the clock will default, and the tripometer will zero (does this happen in the mazda??). i had excellent response on the start up following the stall, giving me reason to focus on the engine and the air/ fuel system over the charging system. i know this is how u diagnose similar issues on throttle body injected bikes and bikes w/ computers on board, but i'm wary to assume it is the same w/ this car. so...
-does a charging issue stall reset the dash, clock, trip. when it occurs?
-does a code embed when a stall occurs?
-does the transmission behave differently (high or low vacuum) w/ the overdrive off while at a stop (remember this is also an auto)

[Diehonda]

Check
Engine
Light


Did the CEL flash in the dash during the stall?

[slave600]

can't say it did. battery, seatbelt, and (pretty sure) oil pressure?? didn't see the check engine light ( always called it the service engine soon light, seems they changed that on me in the last few years)

[Magus]

I think what they are asking is whether there is any lights staying on that should not normal stay on. I would check the wires and spark plugs, sounds like a good idea. I would also check for loose wires or ground connections. Has there been any work done on the car lately? If start there, something could be loose or not connected.

[slave600]

ohhh that clears that up. No, the cel is not on nor has it flashed on during my ownership of the car. i just purchased it used less than a month ago, but i knowingly bought it w/ some issues. (mostly cosmetic, but previous owner had serp. belt break and sold it as is, where is, to a local used car lot. they fixed a rear driverside window, serp. belt, and new tires to sell it to me. w/ only 93k miles and a clean carfax i bought it. not sure of maint. history, but small things tell me it was taken care of like an average daily driver. may have missed an oil change by a few miles and a broken belt, but i doubt they missed much.
-looking to replace timing belt and wp at 100k
-at tb/wp change i may replace pulleys w/ new lighter weight ones as recommended by a few members (never used "underdrive"/ smaller, but cannot see any use in this since i don't race it and do use it for daily driving)

[Magus]

I can tell you there is a real world driving difference. With the UR UDP from protegegarge, I notice it revs better and cruises better on the freeway. I have also noticed that the AC does not impact the car as much when I turn it on while traveling the interstate. As for the other pulleys, I think there is one that is a pain to get off (not the water pump). I probably would not get smaller pullies on the alternator, waterpump, powersteering, and AC. Lighter would be ok I imagine. I changed the water pump and the like at 103K miles. Give yourself time, as you will take longer to be careful. I would also mention to get all the gaskets, replacement parts, belts, fluids, and silcone sealant before you start. It took me a day or so to learn, but only a few hours once I did it once. I did not use an impact wrench at all. I used a breaker bar, extension, and the tire iron from the rear inserted in to the auto tranny to get the crank bolt off. I used a torque wrench to put it back on. I used pilers to hold the water pump while I took on/off bolts to the pulley. Magnetic trays are your friends. Make sure to hold up the engine with a car jack and a piece of wood (need to remove passenger side motor mount). Wow it's gettting long, I will stop now. Just know, it's involved.

[slave600]

stalled again, not like before, which was like the car would drop in RPM's and then stall out. this time at a stop sign it just died. no lowered rpm's no stutter it felt like it just cut off at the ignition switch, without actually cutting of the ign. switch. still no CEL's even checked the system, none!
-so far i have totally cleaned out the EGR valve, cleaned the IAC well, and seafoamed the engine/ fuel/ and oil system.
-checked the plug wires pretty well, but not 100% after the egr... it ran alot better seemed like it was fixed.
-suggestions??? or at least has anyone had a similar problem??? thanx