2 Things That Can Cause Your Car To Stall When Idling

Have you been dealing with a car that doesn't like to stay running when it's idling? If so, there are a few things that could be causing the problem. Here, you'll find a shortlist of things that could be contributing to the stalling issues that you've been experiencing.

Fuel Problem

One of the more common causes of cars failing to idle without stalling is a problem with the fuel that you've put in it. Sometimes, the gas has water in it – the holding tanks at the gas station can become contaminated. When there's an excess of water in fuel, it will cause stalling and can cause the fuel lines to freeze up when the temperatures dip below freezing.

So, the first thing to try is to go to your local auto supply store and pick up a bottle of fuel additive – dry gas as it's often called. Add this bottle of liquid to the gas tank and fill the tank at a gas station where you didn't get the last tank – you don't want to add more bad gas to what could already be causing problems.

You'll need to let the car run for several minutes for the mixture to cycle through. This means you may have to sit with your foot on the gas pedal for a while to keep the car from stalling before the solution makes it through all of the gas lines and into the fuel injectors. If this works – awesome, if not, there are some other things that could be causing the problem.

Failing Oxygen Sensor

Another common problem is the oxygen sensor. When the oxygen sensor goes bad, the car will typically startup as it normally would, but after its run for a while, it heats up and begins stalling. If this is what's happening to you, get your car to a shop for repairs as quickly as possible. Once the sensor fails completely, the car might not run at all and you'll have no choice but to call for a tow truck.

Note: More often than not, if the oxygen sensor is going bad, the check engine light will illuminate. If the light is on, take it to a shop to have the codes read. In just a few minutes, the small hand-held computer will show you exactly what's going on and you'll be able to make the necessary car repairs.

These are the two most common causes of stalling issues. Hopefully, you'll be able to find the issue and resolve it as quickly as possible without spending a small fortune.

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