Q: Car starts but idles rough and stalls

asked by on July 10, 2017

Hi I recently took my car apart to change the timing chains but found out they were brand new so I put it back together but now the car starts but won’t stay alive. I can start it but it idles rough and when I give it gas it get louder and smells bad.

My car has 130000 miles.
My car has a manual transmission.

Hi There, A few different things will usually cause the vehicle to start and then die. A bad ignition coil can cause this if it is beginning to fail, resulting in intermittent starting problems. A dirty or faulty mass air flow sensor, may also cause this kind of reaction. The mass air flow sensor is a unit that measures the volume of air entering the motor and relays this information to the computer in order to cause the computer to make the proper air/fuel adjustments. A bad fuel pump or fuel pump relay may also cause this kind of starting issue as a result of the engine starving for fuel. I would suggest having a professional from YourMechanic come to your location to diagnose and inspect your vehicle to determine the proper solution to this.

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