Q: Car started, stalled, and now won't start at all.

asked by on January 12, 2016

A car I just bought had a warning light come on. It ran, but idled roughly after driving and shutting off, and then attempting to restart. It would run fine after the idle became good and steady. Recently, I was driving it and stopped to eat. When I came out and started the car, it started roughly, then died, and now won't restart.

Car is stalling Inspection $94.99 - $114.99 Get a Quote

A rough idle indicates that your engine is misfiring. There are many reasons why a car would misfire. It could be a bad ignition coil or spark plug. It could also be a bad control module or wiring issue. If any of these problems got bad enough it is possible that eventually the car would not start. I would ask for help from one of the mechanics at YourMechanic to diagnose what is causing your car to have all these problems.

The statements expressed above are only for informational purposes and should be independently verified. Please see our terms of service for more details

Get an instant quote for your car

Our certified mechanics come to you ・Backed by 12-month, 12,000-mile guarantee・Fair and transparent pricing


Experienced Mechanic?

Earn up to $70/hr

What others are asking

How do I open the hood?
Opening the hood is the vital first step in being able to keep track of maintenance items like oil level, coolant level, power steering fluid level, air filter condition and more. Thankfully, it’s easy to do on the Altima. Here’s...
Car won't start.leaking coolant antifreeze out of drain hose.changed coolant tank cause had a crack in it.now car won't start
Hi there. There are several reasons why you might be experiencing overheating issues with your car. However, without knowing the vehicle details, it's hard to give you a good diagnosis. It could be the water pump (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-water-pump), bad thermostat (https://www.yourmechanic.com/article/symptoms-of-a-bad-or-failing-thermostat),...
The Abs came on and other brake lights came on in my car. How do I fix my car problem?
Your car is equipped with wheel speed sensors at each of the four wheels which monitor wheel speed while relaying this information constantly to the ABS and traction control system which are controlled by the car's ECU. When the ECU...
Engine wont reach operating temperature
The first thing to check is to see if the cooling fan clutch is working properly. Start the engine when it is cold and rev the engine up to 1500 rpm and listen to the cooling fan to see if...
Do I need to change the timing belt or chain @ 100,000 miles ?
The timing belt recommended change intervals for extreme cold or hot conditions is recommended to be changed every 60,000 miles. There is no timing chain in this motor it has a timing belt.
Oil light stay on 2005 Toyota Corolla
Congratulations - way to take the initiative! It might be worthwhile to put a real oil pressure gauge in there to see what real operating oil pressure is. The "oil pressure light" trips on only about 5 psi of pressure...
RPM going crazy, car won't move
Hi Ronica. Thanks for contacting us today. It's quite possible that you have two different issues causing the overall hard to drive problem. The high RPM is caused by either a vacuum leak or an idle control valve failure. This...
My car vibrates when sitting still idling 20,000 miles on it and it's a 2016, just had oil change and tire rotation and went out o
Engine vibration at idle is due to either faulty motor mounts or an engine management fault (ignition, fuel, air induction, etc. but also including uneven cylinder compression and mechanical issues) or perhaps a combination of the two. The root cause(s)...

Related articles

How Does a Distributor Work?
In In older cars, a distributor is one of the central parts of the ignition system. Since the early 1990's, many automakers have moved to using ignition systems without distributors. Though the number of cars with distributors has declined over...
How Long Does a Cylinder Head Temperature Sensor Last?
The The engine’s performance is largely based on temperature measurements performed by the engine control module (ECM), also known as the vehicle’s computer. As the temperature of the engine increases, the resistance decreases which means the voltage drops. The computer...
How to Adjust Timing on a Car
A well timed ignition will allow the engine to run powerfully and efficiently. The timing needs adjustment when the engine runs too lean or too rich.