Cars

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....PHEW! On a busy road right putside of Jersey City my car decides it doesn't want to run. I almost had a heart attack! This never happened to me before. Luckily, there wasn't so much traffic at that hour so I was able to pull off on the shoulder of the road. I was driving 55 mi/hour when I noticed the speed needle drop. I pushed the gas pedal and got nothing. I pulled over on the shoulder. I sat there and could not even get the key out of the ignition, things seemed "locked". I waited 5 minutes and was able to get the key out. I prayed a little bit because I honestly couldn't handle it. I waited another 10 minutes and tried the car again. This time it started. I went home. I'm afraid to drive it. Has anyone experienced this? I'm lucky I wasn't hit from the back. I drive a '95 Saturn which gets checked out every 4 months.

Did you try starting the car again immediately after pulling over? If so, did it just click, did the engine turn and try to start, or did it just do nothing?

Did you check the temperature gauge?

When it "would not", does that mean it made a clicking noise, or did it turn over and sound like it was trying to start, or did you just get nothing?

It's possible you overheated and don't know it, in which case driving your car could destroy the engine, which on a 95 Saturn probably means scrapping the car. If it's overheating, you need to know.

Ok... well... here's how it breaks down.

Engine cranked but wouldn't start = probably overheat. Tow your car, do not drive it, to the shop.
Otherwise = probably something else. Drive your car to the shop, but don't use any freeways.

There are several things that can cause an engine to "up & quit": Bad fuel, which causes a clogged fuel filter. Bad oxygen sensor. Clogged air filter. Malfunctioning fuel filter. Malfunctioning oxygen sensor. Malfunctioning fuel cut-off switch. Low coolant.

I work in a repair shop, & these are the commonest problems I've seen that cause the problem you had.

Hope my ideas helped...

That's one of the two reasons that I don't drive. The other reason is the dangerous drivers.

Cars are pretty reliable if you're not driving a 15 year old one.

Electric cars will be even more reliable.

Northern Jersey is a terrible place to not have a car, due to a catch 22 we discussed in another thread. There are much better reasons to not have a car, like the cost.

A while back, this car would do a little thing that reminded me of a hiccup while it was being driven. The car mechanic suggested we get a new transmission which we did. Even now, once in a great while, when I put the car in reverse to pull out of a parking space, it "bucks".
Now, to go back to the original post about the car stalling out: the immediate impression I got was I ran out of gas which I didn't.
Adventus mentioned something about a clogged fuel filter that will dislodge even while the car is being driven. I wonder if that was the "hiccup". Could all this have something to do with what happened yesterday too? Now, yesterday, I thought I felt a little hiccup in that car but wasn't really sure if it was something in the road or the car itself. One more thing: a mechanic told me that with this car, when you start it up, you don't need to traditonally press the accelerator. After that 10 minute wait, I DID press the accelerator to start the car and it started. Could this have dislodged the "possible" clog?? Maybe pressing the accelerator to start the car was like doing a Heimlich Maneuver? What do you guys think??