5 main reasons why cars suddenly 'die' on the road
During the process of using a car, it is not uncommon for our beloved car to suddenly die while driving. This may come from the driver's handling, but mostly due to the technical condition of the car.
A car suddenly stalling while driving is not an uncommon phenomenon in old cars that are not regularly maintained. In many cases, the car is forced to "lie on the road", causing unsafety, inconvenience and expensive rescue and repair.
Sharing about this issue, auto engineer Duong Trung Kien - Director of Kien Phong Auto Company Limited (Cau Giay, Hanoi) said that old cars used for over 10 years have many errors that make the car weak, jerky, unstable rpm, and more seriously, the car stalls in the middle of the road.
According to Mr. Kien, in addition to reasons related to the driver's actions and handling, or even the car running out of gas, there are at least 5 reasons why a car engine suddenly stops while driving on the road, as follows:
1. Fuel filter, injector clogged
Before fuel enters the engine through the injector, it must pass through the fuel filter to remove impurities, dirt, etc. Over time, the fuel filter is easily clogged with dirt, unclean fuel leads to blockage in the injector, causing the engine to be weak, sluggish, waste fuel, unstable rpm and may suddenly stop.
To fix this, you should check and replace the fuel filter regularly, about every 10,000-15,000 km. At the same time, you should periodically flush and clean the injector nozzle after about 20,000 km of operation.
2. Faulty ignition coil and spark plugs
The ignition system of the car is responsible for the coil and spark plugs. If there is a problem, the spark will be weak or the ignition will not be at the right time, greatly affecting the combustion process of the air and fuel mixture, causing the car to be weak, vibrate, slow to start, difficult to start and consume a lot of fuel. In this case, the car's dashboard often has a 'goldfish' Check Engine light on.
When you see the above signs on your vehicle, you should check and clean the spark plugs and the entire ignition system in general. If the coil, high voltage wire, or spark plugs are severely worn, they should be replaced to ensure the vehicle operates properly. In particular, spark plugs should be cleaned every 20,000km and should be replaced at most after 100,000km.
3. Fuel pump failure
The gasoline pump (gasoline motorbike) and the high pressure oil pump (diesel motorbike) are the parts responsible for pumping fuel through the injector into the combustion chamber, performing the combustion process.
This part is quite durable, but when it malfunctions, the car will not be able to operate, causing the engine to stall even when driving normally. At this time, the accelerator pedal will not work, and the car will not be able to restart. When the fuel pump/high pressure pump is damaged, the only solution is to take the car to the garage to check and replace the fuel pump.
4. Out of coolant
Running out of coolant is also one of the main causes of car problems. If not detected early, the engine can overheat, easily stall on the road and other serious damage.
Signs of low coolant include high engine temperature, sluggish engine, and some strange knocking noises.
To fix this, you need to regularly check the coolant. If there is a leak or loss of coolant, you need to fix it immediately. If your car is weak or stalls due to lack of coolant while driving, immediately stop the car in a safe place, open the hood and wait about 20-30 minutes for it to cool down, then add more water or ask for help from a garage.
5. Unqualified engine oil
If the car has not had its oil changed for too long, leaks, wastes oil, or uses low-quality, degraded oil, etc., it can easily cause the engine to overheat, which can cause the car to stall. At this time, the car feels sluggish, not powerful, has an unusually loud engine noise, and the engine "faints".
This error can be detected through the engine oil pressure warning light on the central instrument cluster or the car has an oil leak under the chassis, in the engine compartment or the car has abnormal oil loss, in some cases there may also be a burning smell.
If the vehicle experiences the above symptoms, you should take the vehicle to the garage to check the oil level and add or replace it immediately. At the same time, in the long term, it is necessary to find out the cause of the oil loss, if any, to ensure safety on the road.
