Toastmasters

Have you ever been cruising down the road and all of a sudden you hear kkkeeeechh noise from the engine or a dub..dub of a flat tire? What would your reaction be?

If it’s a flat, you can consider your self lucky. At least if you are mechanically inclined to the extent of using the jack. But what if it’s not a flat? Here a quick run thru of some tings that you could do:

The stall is likely caused by either a problem in the electrical system or in the fuel system. Your engine stops running because it is not igniting gas in the cylinders, this occurs either because there isn't gas to ignite, or because it lacks the electrical charge to ignite it. Such scenarios will be common when you head to the mechanic where you would more or less have this kind of conversation:

Mechanic: what do we have here? To which you say: It just made this funny noise and stopped running.
M: Is it? (rubbing hands with glee) ha ha.
You: (Sensing that you were about to be fleeced like sheep who have their wool shaved off their backs).Gulp. It doesn’t seem to be something big. Can you look into it?
M: Oh really. I have a lot of things to do now.
You: (Ok I give up) No. Could you please look into it now? I need to be at a meeting soon.
M: Hmmmm.. let me see. Looks like this doesn’t work, and that is worn out (with random movement of the arms). This is going to be heavy on your pocket. Why did you not leave your car for the service here? This would have not happened if you had come here instead of going to him.
You: Please fix this now. I need to go. And I promise I will drop my car here for the next service.


Here are a few things you can do to find out the type of problem before seeking help:

• Drive the car up and down steep hills. Does this change the performance of the engine, or cause it to stall? This might indicate a clogged fuel filter. Replacing the fuel filter is relatively cheap and easy once you find out where it's located.
• Does the car idle roughly and stall when at idle? If your car has a distributor, it might need to adjust the timing. With the right tools and know how, this is an easy and free task.
• If you car goes (engine crank noise). If it does, I am pretty sure your battery has lost its steam. Check if the lights are dimmed or not tuning on. Just plug in a new battery and you are good to go.
• This is something that you could do before you hit the road. Get regular check up for cars. A number of times, missing or ill maintained components are the reason.

In conclusion, I would like to summarize the list of points to check when your car stalls all of a sudden:

• Remember that the problem might be with the fuel system or with the electrical system.
• Check to see if it’s a problem with the fuel system, like a clogged fuel filter.
• Check to see if it’s a problem with your distributor which causes your car to idle roughly and stall.
• Check the battery.
• And do regular preventive maintenance.