He's a bright boy...He'll figure it out!

Favorite son called me from Erie Pa. last night and told me his 99' Escort started idling rough then stalled. Restart it and it does the same thing. It ran excellent all the way out 17 to Erie then started doing this. I've always been pretty much able to arrange "something" to help him out, but this time he's 200+ miles away on a holiday weekend. At least he's at his Girlfriend's parents house so he's not homeless. I'm thinking geez he just got his college degree in organizational communications and he has HIS credit card on him. Maybe I should text him a couple options (that DON'T involve my credit card) and see how he makes out. My Dad would have told me "tough break kid" see you when you get home.
Anybody know of a reputable garage in Erie?

Raising kids is a lifetime project. You should be happy he is still thinking that his pops is “The answer man”.

Maybe it is the Idle Air Solenoid that needs cleaning.

Check the pcv valve hose.

Check fuel filter.

KEH

They have a real bad history with the ignition module.

If the problem rears it's ugly head with an initial "missing" and then gets progresively worse very quickly, that's where I'd look first.

Just food fer thought.

Allan

Timing belt?

If it has a coil pack instead of a distributor I'd check that.

Ask him if will run ok today? I agree with Allan on the ignition module. I've heard of pouring cold water on them to get you to a repair shop. Hal

I'd tell him the 3 pt on your tractor is acting funny, and ask him what you should do...

does the car still run fine at more than an idle? If it does then I am with Vern on it being the air idle solenoid. My daughters car (1995 Dodge Stratus) started stalling on her when she would slow down to an idle but, if the throttle was anything more than an idle the car ran fine. She lives 5 hours from me and I couldn't just run to help her so she had to handle it herself. I told her to get some spray carb cleaner and spray in the throttle body then work the throttle. She had to do this about a dozen times but then it worked well enough for her to drive the car without it stalling on her at every intersection. When she came home to visit the next time I remover and cleaned it properly. Just a thought.


Steven

You know the coil pack sounds like a likely suspect. I put a new timing belt in this last summer when I put this engine in and last month I replaced the fuel pump. Just in the past few weeks the idle has been funky. He said it idles rough then quits and there's a 'clunk' which could be like a back fire. I just put new plugs and plug wires (good quality one's) in this just this week as he had a check engine light that read to be a "misfire cylinder #1". The plugs and wires seemed to clear up the misfire, but the doesn't mean it wasn't the coil pack failing. This is something he could easily buy and change himself. I can't think of anyway he could get it tested unless he took it off and took it to an Autozone or someplace like that. Pisser is I have another coil pack sitting on the shelf out of the Escort he wadded up last summer!
Thanks everyone for your suggestions!

Checking the coil pack yourself is easy. With the engine shut off loosen the plug wires on the pack and with the engine running pull each one off (with insulated pliers) one at a time and see if it makes any difference. If the engine still stumbles and nothing changes with the wires completely off you've probably found your culprit. Last summer my sisters car (Taurus) was doing that and the engine codes were showing random misfires all over the place. It ran fine one day and went all to heck the next. I think it's probably about an $80 part.

I don't think there's any real way to bench test them that I know of.

When My son has a problem. He just says send money. I agree had a friend spend a ton of money. To find out the coil pack was bad.

OK...the car is a '99. From '96 on, cars have been required by the government [EPA] to have an OBD-II test connector under the dash near the left side of the steering column.

If I was in your boots, I would suggest that he find someone who can connect a scanner or other diagnostic device to that part, see what codes the ECM has stored, and proceed from there...on his own nickel, of course. No sense in throwing this or that part at the problem until you have some idea where the problem lies. True, the trouble codes won't always tell you which part is the culprit...but it's usually an awfully nice place to start.

Y'see, when my dad died in '91, I finally figured out what MY job was/is on this old earth. My job is to train the next generation--and my wife--how to function in this world when/if I suddenly wasn't here to ask these things. Of my two kids, my daughter was the youngest, and the most rebellious child I believe I've ever known, after her mother died when she was 8 years old. Yet she's the one who calls to ask ADVICE, and not for me to find solutions FOR her problems...just the way I tried to do with MY dad.

My son, who's 4 years older than my dughter, is still a work-in-progress. When he was in the Army on active duty, he never had a problem...because Uncle Sam was always there to TELL him what to do. It's just when he has to think for himself--and he IS a bright young man, he just lacks WISDOM--that he manages to get into trouble.

My wife is still a work-in-progress as well. She was the youngest child in the family, and her mother always "took care of" her...even during her first marriage. After my first wife died and I married her, her mother called me on the first Monday morning after the wedding at 6 am to see if I was up to get ready for work. I always rose at 5, so of course I was already up. Apparently, it was my mother-in-law's practice to call every morning to make sure that her son-in-law was up and ready for work. My mother-in-law kinda got her feelings hurt when I explained to her that I had been getting myself up and ready all on my own since high school, 25 years before, and that her wake-up call services were not necessary.

So for the wife, my progress has been slow...but I've made SOME progress, especially AFTER her mother passed away in 2007.

My daughter, when she has a problem with her car, wil call me...and ask where I think she should take it for new tires or for a tune-up or whatever. My son will call me and tell me that he no longer has a car, or a drivers license, and ask if I can give him a ride [if I can, the gas is still on him]. My wife will call when she has car problems and cry because she has no earthly idea who else to call, even though I only have one or two places do 99% of all the work I don't do myself...so my work here isn't finished, not by a long shot.

But it's at least begun.

The car is in the parking lot of some mall. He and GF's father got a coilpack and it made no difference. The car started right up on ether though, yikes!!! anyhow it is appaerntly a fuel problem so they are srarting with changing the fuel filter.
My daughter is the female copy of me. my son is a copy of his mother. His mother now lives with her mother because after 30 years she got tired of me. She's been of little companionship to me for the past 8-10 years anyway. She spends most of her time enjoying the company of her mother and her "educated" female friends, so I'm just keepin on'. (wife got a real education in car expense recently, new battery, oil change and inspection $200). I've always took care of the cars including her's. Guess she just wanted to say "I did it myself"! (she had to pay the bill!

Not off Hand I don't. but you could google the Area. I agree he should call a Shop. It is the Holiday and if he could get it in soon enough it may be a quick fix.

Trying to get guy that doesn't know Squat about a car to check things is Ludicrus.

I bet they have a Ford dealer there and really it would be his best bet to get it done right.

Well favorite son got lucky and his diplomatic skills paid off. Turns out the fuel pump I put in a couple weeks ago self destructed. Munro will have it fixed in the morning and the price is pretty fair too. I told him to be sure to bring the bad pump home with him, I should be able to get some credit on this!

Tell me again how good these new cars are, I keep forgetting. I have a 31 model A ford that is 80 years old that never fails me.
PS and I never get robbed at a dealers either.

mrs 730's oldest son is perfect example of what you are talking about.
kid has iq of 155 and don't have the smarts to come in out of the rain.

Sounds like you were married to My ex-wife once