Engine Stalled While In Motion, Won't Fire Up

[Borchert97]

So I was out last night with a couple friends and we were messing around out in some dead roads and I was doing donuts in 1st gear at about 5-6k, when the engine just died on its own. I tried to refire but didn't have any success, it cranks, barely, but it won't catch. I have AAA and when I described my problem they suggested it had something to do with the alternator. I checked all the belts and they're intact so what could've caused this? Car is completely stock power mod wise, didn't even get my intake stuff I ordered yet

[guybo]

When it cranks, Does it sound like it has compression? Post a video of you trying to crank it.

There's no way to tell if it's the alternator when the car won't start unless you take the alternator out and have it tested. The AAA guy was guessing. Was the check battery light on? That's actually the check charging system light which means your alternator has an issue.

[dutchman1]

Have somebody jump you, and see if it starts. If it does, disconnect the jumper cables, and measure voltage across the battery with the car still running. If it's not 13.8, you have alternator issues.

[Borchert97]

Okay so, this problem got really weird, but the good news is it solved itself. So my engine died around 1AM, while I was mid-donut, I really quickly stopped the car, which was probably my first mistake, I just learned how to do a push/roll start with this car, what I should've done, in hind sight, is taken advantage of the fact that I was still moving and quickly dumped the clutch while in 2nd gear to refire it, but anyways, I got the car back to my place by 3, service departments at dealerships were closed today, so I was gonna have it brought to my Toyota dealership on Tuesday, but I was gonna jump the battery and put some fuel in it just in case it was either a fuel sensor or a dead battery, but I just jumped in the car around 1PM, so 10 hours the car sat in my parking lot, thinking "what the hell, let's try and start it" and it fucking starts. I'm still gonna bring it in tomorrow to have it looked at, but the weirdest part I can't wrap my head around is why did it die while in motion anyways? That's such an odd thing for a car to do. I was in 1st gear at high rpm, then the engine just suddenly cut power, the kind of cut that would happen if I turned the key off and put the clutch in mid-donut, or running out of fuel. So for now the problem is solved, I've turned the car over multiple times within the last few hours, and also got some practice roll starting the car, which is good because I park uphill so if the car won't start one morning I can let it roll out of my driveway and do it that way.

Does ANYONE have any idea why the car shut off on its own in motion? Strangest damn thing I've ever seen.

[alan.chalkley]

It sounds like you might have experienced a mid donut fuel surge.

[Borchert97]

Originally Posted by alan.chalkley

It sounds like you might have experienced a mid donut fuel surge.

Can you go more in depth about what exactly that entails?

Also what does that say about why the car didn't just refire right after, or 10, or 30 minutes? After 30 minutes I gave up and called AAA for a wrecker. Letting it sit 10 hours overnight literally fixed it, it refired but the idle was rough for about 3-5 minutes.

I very much favor doing donuts counterclockwise vs. clockwise, if that matters at all, I looked up fuel surge and it sounds like that might matter.

[alan.chalkley]

It might have flooded your engine with excess fuel or starved your engine with excess air , it is common for race cars to have anti surge baffle plates fitted to oversize fuel tanks to try and minimise fuel splashing around inside the tank.
It would be good to have a full tank of fuel for the next donut venture.
Fuel surge/splash gets worse as the fuel level gets lower in the tank.

[Borchert97]

Originally Posted by alan.chalkley

It might have flooded your engine with excess fuel or starved your engine with excess air , it is common for race cars to have anti surge baffle plates fitted to oversize fuel tanks to try and minimise fuel splashing around inside the tank.
It would be good to have a full tank of fuel for the next donut venture.
Fuel surge/splash gets worse as the fuel level gets lower in the tank.

That makes sense, so the ECU forced my engine to shut off as a safety function to prevent me from fucking the car up by either running too rich or too lean, still doesn't explain to me why it took 12 hours to finally get it to start up again, but whatever, I'll have more than a 1/4 tank next time. I had been doing donuts the night before on the same tank so I was probably on 3/4 with no issues.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by alan.chalkley

It might have flooded your engine with excess fuel or starved your engine with excess air , it is common for race cars to have anti surge baffle plates fitted to oversize fuel tanks to try and minimise fuel splashing around inside the tank.
It would be good to have a full tank of fuel for the next donut venture.
Fuel surge/splash gets worse as the fuel level gets lower in the tank.

It is an electronically controlled injected fuel system so it didn't flood. Was an issue that we had to deal with on carbureted cars but not the injected ones.
If low on gas he may have starved it of fuel. Pretty common with the track crowd especially doing left turns.

[Borchert97]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

It is an electronically controlled injected fuel system so it didn't flood. Was an issue that we had to deal with on carbureted cars but not the injected ones.
If low on gas he may have starved it of fuel. Pretty common with the track crowd especially doing left turns.

Left was the direction of my donuts. And I was on 1/4 - 1/5 of a tank. The night before I was also at a meet doing donuts on about 3/4 of a tank with no issue. So being as low on fuel as I was, was definitely a factor.

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Borchert97

Left was the direction of my donuts. And I was on 1/4 - 1/5 of a tank. The night before I was also at a meet doing donuts on about 3/4 of a tank with no issue. So being as low on fuel as I was, was definitely a factor.

Take a look here.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33991

Oh and if your engine stalls while moving don't just try to bump start it while still moving. If it stalled there was a reason and you need to stop check it out before starting it again.

[Borchert97]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Take a look here.
http://www.ft86club.com/forums/showthread.php?t=33991

Oh and if your engine stalls while moving don't just try to bump start it while still moving. If it stalled there was a reason and you need to stop check it out before starting it again.

But then I'll be stranded for hours or have to call AAA again

[Tcoat]

Originally Posted by Borchert97

But then I'll be stranded for hours or have to call AAA again

Or you can blow up the engine and be stranded for weeks. If an engine stalls while the car is moving there is a reason. This time you were lucky and the reason was not major. Next time it may be. Investigate that reason before restarting.

[Borchert97]

Originally Posted by Tcoat

Or you can blow up the engine and be stranded for weeks. If an engine stalls while the car is moving there is a reason. This time you were lucky and the reason was not major. Next time it may be. Investigate that reason before restarting.

Yeah I guess you're right, good advice. I'll have more fuel in it next time