Car is stalling at stop (auto)

[Black3vGT]

I did a radio install yesterday and since then i've been having problems with the car. When I come to a stop the revs drop below 500(borderline stalling) and kick back up and settle where they should be, but tonight pulling into a parking lot I lost power steering and it stalled out. Trying to leave it stalled out again, I had power but the only way to get the engine to turn over was by messing with the terminal that I disconnected during the install. Now I know the terminal was tight and I also know i'm stupid low on power steering fluid. Any ideas what could be wrong? Do I have a problem with the computer re learning everything? Battery going bad? I haven't had this problem after replacing or disconnecting the battery in the past.

 

[BruceH]

Do you have any engine mods?

 

[Black3vGT]

Just C&L intake. I shouldn't have to re load the tune again? Throttle body and maf need cleaning maybe?

 

[RocketcarX]

Top off the PS fluid, i'm sure it's unrelated to the stalling but c'mon man!

When you installed your radio was a system or just a head unit? I would carefully retrace my steps, and just double check everything to start will. You could also pull the engine codes with your tuner.

 

[ChrisGT]

I have this problem with my car every time I disconnect the battery or try to re-tune it. I've been trying to figure out why it's happening for a while now.

Funny the first time mine did this was right after I finished installing my radio too.

Do you have the stock alternator?

 

[BruceH]

It can take a few drives for the adaptive to relearn for a tune that wasn't quite right. It's usually with more mods than you have though. The revs bouncing is indicative of it. It's also what happens with a vacuum leak.

For now I'd do a few drive cycles and see what happens. That's provided that the stalling and idle rev bouncing are the only things going on.

 

[Black3vGT]

Top off the PS fluid, i'm sure it's unrelated to the stalling but c'mon man!

When you installed your radio was a system or just a head unit? I would carefully retrace my steps, and just double check everything to start will. You could also pull the engine codes with your tuner.

Haha I know, It was honestly on my list of things to do this weekend. I just replaced the headunit, the car isn't throwing any codes. No check engine light or anything.

I have this problem with my car every time I disconnect the battery or try to re-tune it. I've been trying to figure out why it's happening for a while now.

Funny the first time mine did this was right after I finished installing my radio too.

Do you have the stock alternator?

The alternator has been replaced, not sure if it was with an oem unit or not.

 

[ChrisGT]

Interesting. I noticed another guy's post that had similar issues and he had a PA performance alternator on his. I also have one (they look like the OEM unit). The car never had this issue with the stock one, so I'm wondering if the aftermarket alternator could be the culprit?? I've cleaned the maf/tb/intake and all that stuff. It's like the car just won't learn idle anymore. It takes around a week to return to normal for me, even if I exactly follow the idle relearn section in the manual.

Does anyone know if you typically need a retune for a different/more powerful alternator?

 

[Black3vGT]

My alt went out over a year ago, and had a friends auto body shop replace it. Almost positive it isn't stock. But I did not have to re install the tune, and never had a problem like this.

It's going to be hard to get the computer to relearn because I can't drive the car the way it is, once it stalls(And it will) it won't start until I pull the terminal and re connect it.

 

[NotaHybrid]

Is brenspeed doing your tuning?

Sent from my HTC One X+ using Tapatalk

 

[Black3vGT]

I did get my intake and tune from them.

 

[JGT]

i had a problem like that and i cleaned out my MAF. wouldnt hurt to check.

 

[skwerl]

Any time you disconnect the battery the computer loses all the adaptive learning adjustments it has made. To set the idle you need to let it relearn on the first restart. I suggest you disconnect the battery cable again in order to clear the 'bad' idle habits it has already learned today. Then on the restart you do not touch the gas pedal at all. Start it up and wait for it to settle down from the high idle. Then let it idle for 2 minutes without the AC running and then 2 minutes with the AC running. Once that's done you're good to go.

 

[Black3vGT]

Any time you disconnect the battery the computer loses all the adaptive learning adjustments it has made. To set the idle you need to let it relearn on the first restart. I suggest you disconnect the battery cable again in order to clear the 'bad' idle habits it has already learned today. Then on the restart you do not touch the gas pedal at all. Start it up and wait for it to settle down from the high idle. Then let it idle for 2 minutes without the AC running and then 2 minutes with the AC running. Once that's done you're good to go.

I tried that last night, except without the ac(the controls weren't hooked up). I let it sit for about 10min after reconnecting the battery, let the idle settle before I drove it, but it didn't help. The second I let of the gas the revs plummet. Same thing this morning, took it around the block and it stalled pulling back into the spot.

Ps Car drives perfectly fine at speeds.

 

[mustangtcs]

Check all the connections but here is another thing it could be. Did you happen to drain the battery while doing this? Once I drained my battery by leaving my key on and my heat exchanger pump ran until the battery was dead. I jumped my car and after it started it ran just like yours. I didn't understand why until I realized when I jumped my car it was low on juice at first and the computer re learned during that period. I disconnected the battery and later re connected it and started and everything went back to normal.

 

[Black3vGT]

Looked at the car a little tonight, pulled the terminal again let it sit for awhile then let her idle for a little, without and with ac on. Was fine for a few minutes then started again and stalled pulling into my parking spot.

 

[RocketcarX]

I've had a very similar issue when I was trying to install the plain old SCT strategy tune on my car. I still can't figure out why it won't work. Basically though, I think it was something to do with the anti-theft system cutting fuel when I had the strategy tune installed, it would start and idle as long as I wanted, but soon as I let of the gas after revving it, it would die out. You could try to "catch" it or whatever but it didn't help any. Just once or twice the theft light flickered when I was going through trying to figure it out.

MAybe your anti-theft system is killing the car for some reason, just a thought.

 

[RRRoamer]

once it stalls(And it will) it won't start until I pull the terminal and re connect it.

So you messed with a terminal yesterday.

The car stalls today.

You have to mess with the SAME terminal to get it to crank after it stalls.

So WHY are you online asking what the problem is when you ALREADY have you hand on it???? 99.999% of the time, when you do something and immediately something else doesn't work right, it is DIRECTLY related to what you DID. That extra 0.001% of a time are a real bitch because something ELSE failed at the exact same time you were messing with something.

SO go DISCONNECT what ever you connected to that terminal, put it back EXACTLY like stock (and if you pulled a pin, figure out how that pin was secured in the connector stock AND how you broke the pin retainer getting it out the first time) and then see if the car runs correctly. If the car runs correctly, the next job is to figure out how to CORRECTLY install that head unit without screwing up your car.

Just to make you feel better, I spent over a YEAR tracking down a stalling issue with my 05 stick. I won't go into the details, but it boiled down that when I installed my LC-1 wideband, I tapped into the back of a pin in the BEC where power comes out of the fuel pump relay. When I reseated the pin, I didn't get the pin QUITE fully seated. Under certain circumstances (very particular circumstances), the pin would lose contact with the fuel pump relay and the car would shut off like I turned the key. I was VERY pissed at myself when I FINALLY figured out the true, root cause of the problem.

 

[Black3vGT]

So you messed with a terminal yesterday.

The car stalls today.

You have to mess with the SAME terminal to get it to crank after it stalls.

So WHY are you online asking what the problem is when you ALREADY have you hand on it???? 99.999% of the time, when you do something and immediately something else doesn't work right, it is DIRECTLY related to what you DID. That extra 0.001% of a time are a real bitch because something ELSE failed at the exact same time you were messing with something.

SO go DISCONNECT what ever you connected to that terminal, put it back EXACTLY like stock (and if you pulled a pin, figure out how that pin was secured in the connector stock AND how you broke the pin retainer getting it out the first time) and then see if the car runs correctly. If the car runs correctly, the next job is to figure out how to CORRECTLY install that head unit without screwing up your car.

Just to make you feel better, I spent over a YEAR tracking down a stalling issue with my 05 stick. I won't go into the details, but it boiled down that when I installed my LC-1 wideband, I tapped into the back of a pin in the BEC where power comes out of the fuel pump relay. When I reseated the pin, I didn't get the pin QUITE fully seated. Under certain circumstances (very particular circumstances), the pin would lose contact with the fuel pump relay and the car would shut off like I turned the key. I was VERY pissed at myself when I FINALLY figured out the true, root cause of the problem.

That's the first thing I assumed too is that something wasn't right with the install so the first thing I did was remove the headunit and harness as a precaution. I also made no changes to the the battery terminals.

 

[BruceH]

Looked at the car a little tonight, pulled the terminal again let it sit for awhile then let her idle for a little, without and with ac on. Was fine for a few minutes then started again and stalled pulling into my parking spot.

You know that the tune has different idles right? There is a neutral and drive idle.