Car will not stay running ! HELP !

Tiny
XXPANAMANIAKXX
  • MEMBER
  • FORD THUNDERBIRD
I have a 1997 ford Thunderbird with 155,000 miles. I just recently had my camshaft and the camshaft sensor
replaced on my. The problem is that the day I got the car fixed I got on the highway and the car shut off on me and would not come back on until about trying to start it for 5 minutes. When it finally started I kept driving and it and it drove fine. The next day it drove fine from work and back, but when my wife was on the way home from work the same day the car shut off on her as soon as she put the car in drive. This time the car did not come back on at all and had to be towed directly to the mechanic. The car mechanic told me that the car strted on the first try for them and that it was running fine. I told them that there was a problem somewhere and insisted for them to check it thouroughly. The mechanic called me back later that day and told me that the car kept shutting off on them and it would take 10 minutes before they could start it again. They have hooked it up to the computer and they still cannot find out what is wrong with the car. Can I get an idea from somebody?
Friday, June 8th, 2007 AT 7:53 PM

6 Replies

Tiny
KIN CHAN
  • MEMBER
  • 453 POSTS
Fuel, ign in the right time is what keep a car run. We can eliminate compreesion in ur case. Well the problem iis right up front. So what wrong. This gotta be easy. Find a real mechanic. Any ASE L1(engine performance abd emission repair ) should be able to nail ur problem. Look up the BBB
good luck man
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Friday, June 8th, 2007 AT 8:37 PM
Tiny
INDYUKE
  • MECHANIC
  • 416 POSTS
If the vechicle did not have the problem before the camshaft and cam sensor was changed, then double check the installation of the camshaft position sensor. An incorrectly installed one might cause the car to exhibit many strange behaviors.
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Sunday, June 10th, 2007 AT 1:01 AM
Tiny
KIN CHAN
  • MEMBER
  • 453 POSTS
Maybe the question should be reask again.
If this car is in my shop as a new walk in customer.
1st thing I ask will be why they change the cam sensor?
2nd question that really upset me cuz I hear this all the time and nobody really serious committed to verify a problem or verify if the parts is working or not.
How u know the sensor is working?
I heard so many maybe this maybe that. Any effective procedure that a person can do to be positive that they are so confident that they can even bet their farm on the procedure of verification?
Anything 96' and up is OBDII sys. So a real shop with real mechanic should be able to test drive or bay test with a professional scanner to watch data stream and compare pid value to verfy the computer is seeing the cam position with other parameters to
eliminate the possibility of correct installation or else.
U can just pay a shop for this test. Probably cost u 1 hour and go from there. HOW COME NOBOY HERE EVER WANNA DO THIS.I mean people will walkin to a doctor office spend 5 minute and then do lab test and pay over $200 but it would be a personal vindiction and major con rip off if a mechanic spend 5 minute and charge the customer a minimum 1 hour. Lets be honest with ourself. Is it really true that mechanic just has fancy toy and magic black box and thats the differences between ordinary people and professional. It take sacrifices of personal time for everyday new learning and research to link informations together with expensive equipments tests and draw a 5 minutes conclusion. Real mechanic is not just do a 8-5 and go home enjoy life.I can't speak for others. But I know I spend 3 hrs minumum a day out from work to just keep up with technology outta my regular 10 hours a day.
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Sunday, June 10th, 2007 AT 6:30 AM
Tiny
INDYUKE
  • MECHANIC
  • 416 POSTS
Kin Chan is right. Keeping ahead of technology is expensive and time consuming. There are no easy answers. Go to someone who can physically test the car and give you a well thought out answer as to what the problem might be.
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Sunday, June 10th, 2007 AT 12:12 PM
Tiny
KIN CHAN
  • MEMBER
  • 453 POSTS
Thanx induyke
takes 1 to know 1.I like to stay here to diagnose and guide car owners about their problems and assess a true effective way on repairs thats reasonable.1/2 of the requests are asking impossible answers --> being a mechanic overnite.
Lets be honest with ourself. Even 1/2 of the mechanic out there making a living don't even know what turns on the chk engine lite and how a |OBD2 system work and these guys don't even know what condition constitue a misfire. How can we make em' a mechanic overnite on OBD2 cars. A no start or blown fuse is 1 thing we can asist em what to do. But chk engine lite & driveability --> hah
u r not to far from L|1 man.
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Sunday, June 10th, 2007 AT 1:09 PM
Tiny
TROY.KINSER
  • MEMBER
  • 2 POSTS
Hmm. Try checking the timing, cause of your mileage. The same thing happend to my T-bird. Just finshed putting new one on, now I have another problem somewhere lol.
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Thursday, August 19th, 2010 AT 8:36 PM

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