Hi, I am new here but I have searched every thread in this forum to keep from reposting this topic and though I have seen a few somewhat similar problems, the relative threads for the most part fade with no real closure in many of these scenarios. That said, I really hope someone will be able to help or try to since I am not as auto-savvy as some of you great ones out there - and so I am going to have to touch on an issue which may or may not be typical of this car - bare with me please... I have a 2006 Dodge Stratus with 84,000k on it. I have only had the car for about 10 months and up until today everything about it has been smooth, clean, and seemingly in good condition. I have had regular oil changes, often by, or prior to every 3000 miles. The car has literally purred since I bought it, until at a stop light today it suddenly began to idle rough as if it was about to stall. When I hit the gas again it was sluggish and would barely accelorate and eventually did completely stall. It felt and sounded much like a car that has run out of gas.

We spent about 45 minutes checking around under the hood, underneath, and also added some fresh quality gas, and still found nothing but a spotless vehicle. There was no indication before this happened that something was wrong - and unlike what we would have expected, no CEL. However, the car would not start again after that - turning over but just not staying running. I am confused and have no idea what has gone wrong. After a tow ride and several hours later, my husband tried to start it, and the car did start up again just as immediately and perfectly as it had before as if nothing had ever happened. Needless to say, we do not plan on driving it again until this has been resolved, but we are new to the area and do not have a trusted mechanic yet nor do we even have a hint of what it could be. I'd love any insight into the possible problems so that we can have something to stand on while we shop around for a good mechanic, for when we do take it in. Can anyone please help or offer any suggestions on how to check for, or eliminate possible problems? That would be so great - thanks in advance to anyone with any help on this!

 

To start, You will need to do the basic's. Do you have fuel pressure and spark at the plugs. Also how much gas is in the car. If a fuel gauge is off, you could be out of gas.

 

what happened..did you fix it? would like to know..I replaced water pump..timing chain..ran fine..now this year idling very rough have to keep the car on 2 rpm let it warm up..then I can drive it..recently changed the spark plugs and coil pack..nothing