Patrick, I had a similar issue one time with an Isuzu Trooper. It was running just fine and the next day it wasn't. I turned out to be a diode in the ignition module.
A close friend was having issues with his Ford Explorer. We were in the mountains camping so I followed him back home. The engine shut down right as we topped a long uphill climb. As we were coasting downhill. we spotted an Auto Zone in the valley, so we pulled in. A Z has free testing using a hand held unit that will give the code for the problem. Turned out the car had dropped a valve, so the engine management system shut down before the engine turned to toast.. The diode was easy to replace and cost about $225. The Ford's valve train required a lot of work for about $1500. So, point being apparently similar symptoms can result from very different issues. A local auto parts store may let you borrow or rent the hand held diagnostic so you can get the code for the problem. You certainly don't want to drive it if the valve train is having issues. Ignition issues "might" allow you to drive it to the mechanic. If you have insurance or AAA with towing, I would have it towed to the mechanic to insure the engine doesn't suffer further damage. Good luck! Bill in Roswell, GA On Sunday, September 24, 2017 at 9:58:37 AM UTC-4, Patrick Moore wrote: > > Riv content: I am riding my Rivs more, now that I've more or less given my > 2006 PT Cruiser to my 16 year old daughter. The urgency concerns my > daughter's use of the car. > > The PTC has been well maintained, given clean bill of health by competent > mechanic*, and until yesterday evening was running well, as usual; just shy > of 91K miles. > > Car has sat outside at Catie's mother's house most nights since school > started in late August. Catie has driven it with no problems about 500-600 > miles. > > In the last 5-6 weeks, our weather has been generally hot and dry, but > with occasional heavy rain. > > Catie drove to friend's house yesterday just before 6 pm; cloudy, had been > raining in spits during the last 2-3 hours. > > Drove back home just before 8 pm, raining. > > Car sat in driveway for 2 hours in heavy rain. > > When I tried to start it to put it into the garage, it cranked readily but > wouldn't catch; usually it fires right up -- it was like trying to start my > '68 Wildcat in very cold weather after sitting overnight. > > After much cranking, it caught, but ran very roughly; goosing the gas made > a "popping" sound, but easing off let it run more or less normally. Goose > again; again, hesitation, pop. > > Put in garage, left overnight. > > Any ideas? Google brings up humidity and rain as causes of electrical > shorts; but Catie drove through no big puddles, and anyway, I have put 30K > miles on car since 2011, often in heavy downpours; and it has sat outside > in heavy rain; and never before such behavior. > > I'm concerned and bother the list because Catie depends on it for > transportation to school. > > Ideas? > > Many thanks.. > > * He and his mechanic have accurately diagnose weird electrical problems > before, and I am confident of their competence. > -- > Resumes, LinkedIn profiles, bios, and letters that get interviews. > By-the-hour resume and LinkedIn coaching. > Other professional writing services. > http://www.resumespecialties.com/ > www.linkedin.com/in/patrickmooreresumespec/ > Patrick Moore > Alburquerque, New Mexico, EUA > ************************************************************************** > ************** > *Auditis an me ludit amabilis insania?* > -- You received this message because you are subscribed to the Google Groups "RBW Owners Bunch" group. To unsubscribe from this group and stop receiving emails from it, send an email to rbw-owners-bunch+unsubscr...@googlegroups.com. To post to this group, send email to rbw-owners-bunch@googlegroups.com. Visit this group at https://groups.google.com/group/rbw-owners-bunch. For more options, visit https://groups.google.com/d/optout.
