Hello Everyone,

I have been a member for a little while but this is my first post. I have searched in the forum but have yet to find an issue similar to mine. If I am missing it, I would appreciate a point in the right direction.

My 2004 Crossfire has around 46,000 miles on it and the last two winters whenever the temperature is around freezing (my car is parked outside as I don't have a garage) and I start my car in the morning, the car dies whenever I put it in drive or reverse. It isn't a "sputter" type die, the rpm's just drop to below 1500, the instrument panel lights dim and the car just shuts off. It doesn't matter if the car is warmed up for 10 minutes or so, it still seems to shut off the first time. When I start it back up, typically it won't have an issue and will stay on although the rpm's will drop and the instrument panel lights will dim then brighten back up when I put it in gear, but the car will stay on and then I will not have any other issues. As I said before, I only seem to have the problem when the tempature is around freezing. Although I don't think it is my battery, I did check it and am getting normal voltage with the car on and off.

I would appreciate any help with this,


Thanks!

 

Wow, the silence on this one is deafening!

P, since no one has even attempted to answer this one AND you can't find anything similar to your issue by using search I think you may have just stumped the Forum!

Honestly, I cannot remember running across any thread that describes your problem BUT the first thing that pops in my head is still "battery".
My best suggestion is to buy another battery AND check to make sure your ground is tight & the battery terminals are clean.

We haven't had an above freezing day here since late November, if I remember correctly, and neither of our 2 Crossfires has ever hesitated starting or stopping right after they start.

Hey, something else just came to mind: try tossing a bottle or 2 of injector cleaner OR gas line anti-freeze (like Heet) in the tank. It's cheap & worth a shot.

Good luck!!!!!

 

Try putting in neutral for a minute or two, while warming it up.

This will get the transmission fluid moving.

Could be time for a fluid change.

Just a thought.

 

I agree: Battery first and foremost (and if it's over 3 years old, it should have been replaced anyway - the battery in these cars and many OTHERS can cause WEIRD stuff to happen) and then try GDC-SRT's suggestion.

BY ALL MEANS, let us know what you find out!

 

I'm with Kurts and Pizzaguy ... check the battery, alternator output and for water in the gas tank !

 

I guess this guy is not in to replies of any kind. As said earlier it appears to be battery, alternator, regulator or ground related. Dimming lights usually points to these items. Does he have a new battery, old one, original?
It does not seem to be a priority for him or he would answer.

 

Thank you for the responses everyone I really appreciate them.

My initial thought led to the battery as well but when I tested it, it would seem otherwise. The water levels are fine in it and the voltage tested 12.6 volts when the car is off and around 14 when it was running. I'm pretty sure it is the original battery though and it has lived in cold weather since it was built. I am going to take a peek at the battery guide here on the forum and choose a battery and see if I can get a new one tonight. I also will test the alternator output as well. Injector cleaner sounds good too, I will get a bottle of STP cleaner and give that a shot.

As far as the transmission fluid, I have had the car for about two years and I haven't replaced it. I was thinking it was lifetime fluid but I probably should replace that as well.

Again I appreciate the responses and I will let everyone know what I find after I try the above!

Thank you!

 

A good battery will give 12.6 - 12.8 volts when fully charged, as the battery ages and the interior is eaten away, the acid is used up by the absorption of the lead and other minerals and the electrolyte becomes weaker. The weaker electrolyte is more liable to freeze in cold weather and the battery loses further power, not able to give full power at any time the lights will dim as they are relying on the alternator to provide the power.
A discharged battery will give less than 12 volts, down from around 2.1 volts per cell, 2.1 x 6 = 12.6 V. The electrolyte is re-invigorated by charging but will not have the ability to hold a charge for too long.
Relays may fail to operate or quit operating when the amperage to it drops too low. When the lights dim it is because of low amperage, the volts may be quite high.
Two lantern batteries put out 12 V (but low amps) when coupled together but will not drive your electrical system, it needs sufficient amps.
Thats my somewhat ignorant understanding of batteries, amps and volts.

 

A battery can go bad at any time, and can still measure 12+ volts, but do a load check on the battery as well, you could have a bad cell in the battery, which I have seen many times.

 

True that ! Put a load on that puppy !

 

While these guys are giving good advice, I like Deb Walker's advice better: "If your battery is original, and your car is a 2004 or 5, you need a new battery. They tend to die without warning".

I ended up having my company's Dodge Durango refuse to run one day, $85 tow bill and 1/2 hour at the shop ($50 more) and all it was, was a bad battery! (It would crank, but not start. Acted like it was out of gas). That taught me a lesson:
I changed my Roadster's OEM battery this fall before venturing out to the Dragon. $90 well spent at O'Reilly's.

Even if the battery IS NOT your problem, it is still going to BE a problem. Get rid of it.

 

True enough pizzaguy, I got rid of my '04 battery last spring while it still worked fine. I will never let myself be caught with a weak battery.
The cost as pizzaguy says will often cover the cost of the battery.
Those Vartas do seem pretty long lived though.

 

Just a quick thought on your other issue of your RPMs dropping even when the car does not die. If the car is cold, the engine/ECU will keep the idle a bit higher than normal to help warm the engine up quicker. This happens to me every day, I let the car idle until it drops down to normal idle RPMs, generally about a minute. The RPMs usually go from about 1200 to about 700 in P, then once warm the idle when fully stopped and the car in drive is about 500...

just a quick $.02.

 

Thank you for all of the suggestions and input! I am definitely learning alot from everyone!

I believe the alternator is the problem here. I went to AutoZone last night and had them run a load test on the battery and the alternator. The battery test went fine, but the alternator test showed otherwise. I put it in drive and then in reverse while he tested it and as I had mentioned before this is where the car would just shut off when it was around freezing and/ or the lights would dim and then brighten back up. The output when I put it in drive was 66 amps and the output when I put it in reverse was 43 amps. The standard output (according to the service manual and AutoZone) of the alternator should be 120 amps across the board. So I definitely think this is the issue. I'm guessing that the output of the alternator was just enough to keep the battery at a decent level and then when it was really cold and I tried to start it, the alternator couldn't handle it.

I went ahead and posted a video of what the dimming looked like when I put it in drive and reverse:

YouTube - Crossfire Voltage Problems

I did also go ahead and purchase a new battery as well as the one I had was the original. I opted for the Optima 34R battery that was at AutoZone. I price-matched Advance Auto next door because they had it roughly $30 cheaper. In order to bridge the gap between the height difference, I bought a rubber exhaust insulator and put it under the bar that goes across the battery. It worked quite well and the battery fits in there fine.

So my next step here is to replace the alternator. I looked in the service manual and it doesn't look like it would be too bad to do but the only thing that i'm concerned with is working with the belts. I would appreciate suggestions on where to get a decent alternator as well as if someone has replaced it in our car before and how difficult it might be. I have never replaced an alternator before. I am also going to use the search here on the forum to find some more information.

Again, I appreciate everyone's input. Oh, and I did go ahead and put some STP complete fuel system cleaner in the fuel tank as well for good measure

 

Oddly enough, P, this brings back memories of a Plymouth Arrow (yes, I owned one when I was a poor young man. I'm deeply ashamed........) I had a looooong time ago. Beyond the fact that it was already a POS when I bought it, it had this annoying habit of dying when I'd be pulling put of the driveway. It would start fine, run OK (it never really ran OK) & then die just as I'd be pulling out on the street. Eventually, after much troubleshooting & false starts, I ended-up replacing the alternator & never had the problem again. I was never really sure what solved the problem but now it seems entirely possible, decades later, that it was the alternator all along.

Good luck with the replacement & thanks for the follow-up report!!!

 

Well, I just replaced the alternator and it did not solve the problem. I talked to a mechanic today and he was thinking it could possibly be the torque converter? I'm not sure, but I am going to take it to the dealership tomorrow for them to take a look at it. Whatever it is, hopefully it is covered by the warranty!

I will update everyone on what they find when they get back with me.

 

Ok, I am able to pick the car up tomorrow. It turns out that the alternator I installed was bad so I returned the one that did not work and got a new one and just had them install it. This solved the problem.
I appreciate everyone's help.

Thank you.

 

Thanks for the follow-up, Pcross ! You'd be surprised how infrequently that happens!