General Engine Cutout

[5doorturbo]

Ok, had this problem for a while now.

Basically, my engine just cuts out. As far as I can tell, there's no trigger for it, no warning, the engine doesn''t stutter, cough or just stop instantly. The revs just decrease until the engine stops, the throttle makes no difference - when i pressure it a bit the engine just keeps dropping, and hitting the clutch merely helps it on its way - no contact with the wheels means the engine has no force to keep it spinning.

Its happened a few times now, twice on roundabouts where I have been turning right, once in a straight line in 2nd at about 15-20mph and once in 5th on the motorway at 70.

This all started happening after I had to drop the fuel tank to replace a corroded brake pipe. At first the engine coughed, spluttered and didn't like any kind of acceleration, but this was diagnosed as just being a bit of dirt in the fuel system, and it cleared up after a while. Then the cutouts started.

My dad and I think it may be the injection system, but I have a feeling it could either be something simple like the spark plugs or something more serious.

Help?

 

[circolo]

Problems like this are so difficult to diagnose, when they don't happen all the time, and there's no rhyme of reason to when they occur.

To my mind, if the problem occurred after you dropped the tank, then there must be a connection.

Is the fuel pump properly connected?
Are all the fuel lines intact?
Are any of the lines snagged at all?

If dirt has become dislodged, which caused you initial teething problems after the work, is that dirt still somewhere in the system, but on a less scale causing this occasional problem?


If you find that all has been put back as it should, and the fuel pump is correctly connected, I'd start with using some pertrol cleaner/additive/treatment which you can put in you tank, and hopefully that may clear through the dirt which could be causing the issue.

It sounds fuel related to me. If you have a spark plug which fails, generally you can keep going, but the engine wheel be mis-firing, unless your distributor has an issue, in which case no spark, means cutting out altogether.