[SonOfaCruiser]

My elderly mother of 82 yrs has a 2002 pt cruiser which has been stalling intermittently and now is missing intermittently as well, showing codes p0202 and p1684. This car had been running fine until a few months ago when it was over heating. She took it to her trusted mechanic of 10 yrs and he replaced the radiator for a whopping $ 600. When she got her cruiser back it wasn't over heating any more, but it was stalling intermittently while driving. Eventually it stalled while she was parking and died leaving her stranded. After having it towed to her mechanic and having the fuel pump replaced for a attention grabbing $ 500 dollars, it was still stalling exactly the same as before even though this mechanic of hers assured us it was fixed. Just two days later it stalled and died while she was driving. Fortunately I was with her this time and was able to push it off to the side of the road and wait for the tow truck so she could take a cab home and get out of the heat. This time it was the coil, cam sensor, crank sensor and a few other minor miscellaneous electrical items that were replaced with the assurance that the problem was solved. But it is still stalling only even more frequently and now the fuel injector for cylinder 2 seems to be sticking. If any one has any knowledge or experience with this particular problem you're input would be greatly appreciated. I will be checking back with this thread and my e-mail as much as I can. Thanks

 

[AllanC]

This sounds exactly like this PT Cruiser owner that is fighting a very similar problem. Link to that discussion on this forum.

new member......cant keep pt running at witts end (at https://www.allpar.com/forums/threads/new-member-cant-keep-pt-running-at-witts-end.172191/ )

"Firing the parts cannon" and random guessing on parts replacement will NOT solve the problem. An intermittent condition (probably electrical) is occurring and needs to be traced. This takes patience.

 

[ImperialCrown]

Welcome to Allpar. P0202 could cause stalling at idle, but it should restart immediately.
I would disregard the P1684 for now unless it is a '0 starts since set' on the scan tool.
Any recourse with the trusted mechanic? If she takes it somewhere else, she has to pay a diagnostic fee all over again. It feels like the diagnosis has been done wrong all along.
There is a diagnostic procedure that has to be followed in steps and in order. The engine needs spark, fuel and compression to run. The no-start problem has to be present during diagnosis because if it starts and runs, then everything will check out OK. We are probably wasting our time and money if everything checks out OK. Guessing at which parts to change with the customer's money is bad practice and damages formerly good reputations.
Sometimes patience and teasing it into failure is key.
There is a 'cranks and no start' procedure on p. 222 and a 'starts and stalls' procedure on p. 231 here:
http://oskin.ru/pub/chrysler-dodge/manuals/Service Manuals/2001_PT_PTCruiser/01PTEP.PDF
Connector pinouts, wire colors and a simple wiring diagram are in the back of the book.

 

[SonOfaCruiser]

Thank you for the link and pages to read. I will be reading up on all of it in the morning with fresh eyes, and I will be sharing all knowledge acquired as this saga unfolds.

 

[circeseye]

yea im the bearer of the thread posted of same issue.....i feel ya

 

[Desertratfink]

Check the ASD relay and ASD/fuel pump fuse 20amp