It’s quite burdensome when your car died while driving cranks but won’t start on a busy highway or street.
This is typical for drivers and usually occurs when it is least expected. There might be tons of reasons for this, from the simple to the more perplexing.
We’ll learn in this post what may go wrong, what to do if your car died and won’t start, and how to solve these common issues.
More importantly, you may reduce the pricey repairs for a professional mechanic. Embark on our journey today!
Car Died While Driving Cranks But Won’t Start: Why?
A car died while driving stems from various root causes, such as battery problems, bad ignition switch, power drain by AC, poor fuel tank and fuel filter, and faulty position sensors.
Faulty Battery
If your car stopped running while driving and won’t start, it may be due to battery failure.
The alternator will work harder to maintain vehicle voltage if the battery fails due to the corroded battery cables or other culprits.
Overworked alternators stress vehicle engines, making your car died while driving now won’t turn over.
Power Drain Caused By AC
The AC system could drain your car’s power source. Notably, on scorching days, your car’s AC will consume more electricity, making your automobile may struggle to pull its usual weight.
AC drains the engine’s electricity until power gets exhausted, and your automobile may stall, or the car died while driving and won’t start.
Bad Ignition Switch
In case your car died while parked and won’t start, check the ignition switch, ignition timing, ignition circuit, ignition control module, and ignition relay if possible.
To start the vehicle, you must first turn the ignition key in the ignition lock.
Tiny metal plates inside the switch are susceptible to rust and corrosion. The entire ignition will shut off if any throttle plate loses contact.
A full engine shutdown may stem from this situation. Lucky you, pinpointing this is simple.
Verify that the dashboard lights and ignition module are still on after the automobile has been switched off.
If the dashboard gauges or fuel pressure guages don’t work, it’s probably due to a failing ignition switch or engine block.
Faulty Fuel Pump
A bad fuel pump can often trigger your car to turn off and back on while driving. Most fuel pumps are within the tank. A mechanic’s trick is to kick the fuel tank when the car turns off.
If the car starts, your fuel pump is probably broken. To this end, replace the fuel pump as soon as possible.
Also, you may potentially have a fuel filter issue. Before fuel reaches the engine, the filter purifies it by preventing contaminants and stains from blocking the fuel line.
So a defective filter might be to blame for when a car died while driving cranks but won’t start.
No More Fuel In The Tank
An empty gas tank also causes the car not to start right after turning off.
If you have enough fuel delivery for your drive, great! But when your fuel level sender or fuel pressure gauge is broken, you might risk shutting off vehicles on the road.
To test these parts, fill them with 1 gallon (4 liters) of fuel and check whether they start. If not, another causative factor will be responsible for this.
Faulty Crankshaft Position Sensor Or Camshaft Position Sensor
A damaged crank position sensor is the most common cause of a car shutting off while traveling. The crankshaft or camshaft sensor is needed in most car models to start the engine.
A broken camshaft or crankshaft position sensor may not stop the vehicle entirely.
If you get faulty download trouble codes on a crankshaft position sensor, replace the crankshaft sensor or camshaft one.
What Are The Solutions For This?
Check Trouble Codes
Older cars had to be diagnosed with a built-in multimeter or common sense. Modern automobiles feature diagnostic software that saves a fault knock sensor code when an engine sensor fails.
This simplifies the diagnosis process and saves time. You also don’t have to guess and change the faulty parts.
So the simplest measure to spot why your car shuts off while driving is to examine any wrong knock sensor code on the engine control module.
Still, it requires an OBD2 scanner to read fault codes. Buy one or go to a repair shop to have the codes read correctly.
Fill The Fuel Tank
You may be short on fuel volume even though you don’t realize it. Because the fuel pump delay or draws air instead of fuel, a low fuel supply can cause the engine to stall while cornering at high speeds.
Your fuel gauge may be imprecise if your tank’s fuel gauge sensor is faulty. Check this by opening your fuel cap and pouring a little petrol.
Check Fuel Pressure
Checking your car’s fuel pressure is another way to prevent it from shutting off while driving. The best way to check fuel pressure is to attach a manual pressure gauge to the fuel line or fuel rail.
If your car has a pressure sensor, adopt a diagnostic scanner to read its pressure.
A low fuel pressure suggests you examine the fuel systems, including the fuel pump, fuel filter, air filter (even air filter box and fuse box), tank of gas, fuel flow, fuel injection, fuel pump internals, fuel pump circuit, and fuel pressure regulator accordingly.
Check Dashboard
The dashboard light may turn off when the automobile engine shuts off, indicating an ignition switch failure.
Still, a malfunctioning alternator can also cause poor battery voltage. Examine both of these things (alternator and ignition switch) if you see the light on.
Check Sensor Data
Asides from checking the electrical systems, do not overlook all car engine crank sensors’ data if you cannot trace any engine control module error codes.
You need an engine control module diagnostic or a scan tool (diagnostic tool) to verify this data.
You’ll also have to turn to a vehicle repair manual or car specs to determine what these sensors should read.
Check The Tachometer
Most automobile models’ RPM meter or tachometer gets their data from the crankshaft position sensor.
If your tachometer stops working when your vehicle model turns off or on, the camshaft sensor or crankshaft position sensor may be at fault.
On top of that, if all solutions above are in vain, bring your car back to the service department. Read the vehicle repair manual as well.
The Bottom Line
It’s frustrating when your car turns off unexpectedly while your car died while driving cranks but won’t start, especially if you do not know why.
These days, most vehicles come equipped with a built-in diagnostic tool or factory centering tool that may help you figure out what’s wrong better.
With any luck, you may locate the answer to your vehicle model’s problem in this post. Do not hesitate to share it with others with a car that died while driving.