Car Problem - Randomly Shuts Off

[capnamerca]

What's up hornfans ...

here's the issue - I was having battery problems last week. Car would start sluggishly, idle at strange rpm levels, and accelerate sluggishly for a few seconds. Once it got running it was fine, but I've seen the symptoms before. The battery was going out, and last time, it shorted and took the alternator with it. Not wanting another $400 in repair bills, I promptly replaced the battery. The truck ran fine on the way back from Galveston (where the problems manifested themselves), but since then, something disturbing has happened. It's only happened twice, and both times at very low speeds (<20MPh). I'll be driving, and all of a sudden, the car will be off. No warnings, no chugging, no coughs or splutters or anything. I suspect a voltage problem, and perhaps an alternator that is already going bad (i.e. I didn't catch the last battery in time), but let's see what you HF's can dig up!

1992 F-150, V8 (302).

Thanks!

 

[Ring1]

There might be a banana in the tailpipe.

 

[Squirrel]

 

[7Titles]

Hard to say, when you get in there and do some work make sure the wiring from the alternator is in good shape.

 

[accuratehorn]

Lots of possibilities. Maybe your alternator is bad (sometimes the charging system light does not show the problem), and when the battery ran down (if it did run down), the fault was not the battery, but the alternator. Now your new battery is starting to do the same thing.
But it could be unrelated. Ignition switch-try wiggling the key and see if it shuts off when it should not. Could be ignition problem-ignitor or coil.
Maybe you did not get the battery cables tightened properly when you changed the battery? Or maybe the cables are too corroded, or the terminals are bad-try wire brushing them on both ends-like where the ground cable attaches to the motor and the chassis.

 

[Lat22]

Camshaft position sensor.

 

[accuratehorn]

If the camshaft position sensor is bad, the check engine light should be on, and a scanner could read the code to indicate the bad sensor. He didn't mention a check engine light on.

 

[Lat22]

When a CPS goes bad in a Powerstroke, I don't know if the SES light goes on or not. It's never happened to me because I keep an extra one on board (right next to the serpentine belt

) but I know that they are always going bad in diesels and thought it might be another Ford issue. It sure sounds like his problem should at least throw some type of code.

 

[Quagmire]

I had a problem with my truck where it would just die when I was driving, and it took awhile b4 it would start again. Turned out to be the fuel pump.