Re: Subject: start then stall 4kq

["G. D." <maofatti@hooked.net>]

Pete Kraus wrote:
> 
> Greg, you haven't by chance been messing with your fuse box, have
> you?  While trying to resolve an unrelated problem, I once removed a
> fuse from what I presumed to be the spare fuse holder to the side of the
> box in my '85 4KSQ.  It wasn't.  The fuse I pulled evidently controlled
> some gizmo (love those technical terms) in the fuel injection system.
> When I started up, the car exhibited symptoms exactly like those
> you're describing.  Unlike the fuses arranged in neat rows, the varmint I
> removed is not held securely in place and offers no resistance to being
> pulled.  My mechanic thought it was hilarious when AAA flatbedded the
> car to her shop and she had it running perfectly in about three seconds.
> 
> It's likely the advice you're receiving from others will prove more helpful,
> but I include this anecdote on the off chance that there are quattro
> admirers out there as mechanically befuddled as I.
> 
> Pete
> Pete_Kraus@emory.org
> Stone Mountain, GA
> '85 4KSQ
> '89 Ford F250 4x4 diesel
> '95 Z28


Well Pete - thanks to you I am befuddled no more (at least on this
count!)  The car is back running like a champ again.  Here's the part of
the story I thought un-related to my problem that turned out to be the
cause of "start but stall...".

On the way home from work on the night of the problem, I stopped at the
post office to drop off some mail, leaving my lights on. On my way back
to my car I noticed one of the rear tail lights was out. I opened the
trunk lid to pull out the burnt out bulb and after closing the lid,
noticed that all lights, front and back on the passenger side were now
dead.  After returning home, I checked the index on the top of the fuse
box lid to find the fuse responsible for the passenger side lights and
replaced it...(yes, you were right Pete...I replaced the dead one with
one from that "spare" row (which is closest to you when  reaching into
the box.)  The fuse holder in question is number 5 from the front in
that row, for anyone who cares to archive this for future reference. 
The car would not start later that night. It hadn't dawned on me that
the two events were even related, especially since the fuse I used did
not come from the slot designated for the fuel injection system.
[Although my original post did refer to a faint recollection of this
happening to me sometime before over the last eight years.]  

Thanks Martin, Allan, Rob, Phil, Dan, Bob, Ed and esp. Pete for posting
replies.  I truly appreciate everyone's willingness to jump in with
quality advice, no matter how bizzare or trivial it might seem. Thanks
again,

Greg Durbin
happily back to work in my 85 4kq