First, I am not sure if this should really go under tech and mods, so if that is the case, please just move it (thanks ).

I have had my '04 6spd for a little over a year; she's my DD and has over 87K on it. A few weeks ago I had some issues with the RCM, and following the wonderfully easy directions to solder the pins, did so.

So far, I *think* I took care of the problem.

However, within the last week, almost once a day, my car will stall suddenly, and yet will start immediately with no problems, no flashing lights on the dash, etc. It will stall only after I had been on the highway for a little over 30 minutes, and will stall at a light or stop sign (thankfully it has not stalled while the car has been moving). There will be no rough idling, no problems starting it up, etc. I have an aftermarket system set up in my car (one of those Pioneer AVICs) where one of the screens you can opt for (other than having the nav system set up), shows the battery voltage, speed, clock, and yet it never shows any issues with the battery.

I DID, though, recently, had to have the Pioneer system removed to send it for repairs since the CD player/Library was broken from when I purchased the car, and had it re-installed at a local reputable shop. While I have not had any electrical issues that I can tell since then, the car stalling has me worried.

it will not stall on the road, and though it will stall at a light, does not take it's sweet time deciding when to start like it did when I had the RCM issues. HOWEVER (sorry, I lack the ability for short summaries ), earlier today, it stalled and restarted, BUT I noticed that the temp/gas gauge had both the temp and gas markers at the 10 and 2 marks (when I know I had about a little under a half tank, and I had never had issues with the temp).

Since I was close to the office, I kept driving, though neither gauge needle moved, and when I arrived at the office, I turned off the car, then restarted it, and both needles then went to where they should be (normal temp, a little under half a tank).

When I get home I will be attaching the OBD II reader in case I am missing something that could be important, but I was wondering, ahead of time, if anyone here has had similar issues?

 

Sure it's not the battery ? Check your chassis grounds and make sure your battery terminals are clean and tight ....

Just my Dos Centavos

 

I'm with Stogey on this one...incorrect voltage or CURRENT can cause funny things. If I see my gauges acting funny that is the first thing I look at. I have had this happen on two previous cars...

 

I thought that the issue could be the battery (and will definitely check all the areas when I get home), but was at the same time confused when the screen on the Pioneer would read typical 14V avg. What I have noticed, (though this has happened since I got the car last year) is that when I am idling either at a light or stop sign, the car will sound as if a 'second' fan is on for a few seconds, and I will note that the voltage seems to dip to around 13.5 or so. But it has been doing that since day 1, so could this be something which I have been unintentionally ignoring?

The thing that caused me to REALLY worry was when the temp gauge and gas gauge did their 'cat eyes' thing with the needles, only to go back to their normal ranges after I turned off the car and restarted it at the office.

My hubby is already waiting at home with the OBD II at the ready since the very last thing we (namely ME) need is car problems at this time of year (plus that it will mean that I will be using his car, which he babies).

Thanks for the imput; I will keep everyone abreast if wanted.

 

Check the date on your battery. Even if it is not the battery, if it is the original, you should replace it anyway. Better to spend the $100 on a battery now, be able to rule it out as a culprit of your problems, and not have a dead battery strand you somewhere late at night in the future. Just my 0.02

 

Youo can have enough VOLTAGE and not enough CURRENT. Or a ground line that is loosing contact. Have the battery load tested to make sure it is good.
As BoilerUpXfire said, if it is the original, you might want to replace it to rule it out and not have complete failure at an inconvenient time.

 

I just followed everyone's advice (as always, great advice) and replaced the battery. While the voltmeter would read pretty much close to a full charge, it still would drop to the 11-12 level. Plus, the battery, while not original (unless these original batteries were listed as Ford batteries), was still at least more than a year old.

One thing that I HAVE noticed is that when I am at a light or stop sign, the voltage meter that shows on the screen of my Pioneer AVIC does not do any drop below 14.0 at all, no wobbling between 13.5-13.9, and perhaps this is not part of a problem, but I do not get any 'extra fan' noise either (though the temp is normal on the car).

Thanks everyone, and I hope everyone had a safe, cozy holiday!

 

Our local Autozone will test the alternator and battery (different tests) for free. I typically stop in once per year just to check, especially since I run original batteries on my roadster and '03 Audi A6. It may be worth checking your alternator to ensure it is making enough amperage when you are running radio, A/C or heater fan, rear window defroster, engine fan, etc. Heat is more an enemy of batteries than cold, so it also depends on where you live.