[russharv63]

I have a 1993 ford taurus 3.8L V6 automatic GL. My problem is that when there are "hot and humid" temperatures outside my car will "stall" or "shut off" while I am driving. It will only do this when it is "hot and humid" outside. My car "shut off" today on me when I was driving it and the temperature was about 91 degrees outside. It will not do this when there are cooler temperatures. I never have a problem during the fall or winter. It seems to cut off more when I run the "air conditioning" in my car. I don't know if this is because the "air conditioning" makes the car run hotter or not. I don't know if there is some connection or not. I am afraid to drive my car when the temperatures get real hot. I thought the "ignition control module" might be the problem but have found that not to be the case. Can you tell me what could be causing this problem?

[pheebs]

The temperature, plus the year of the car, and running the AC can altogether be the problem. Not being a mechanic or anything, but having experienced LOTS of car problems in my lifetime and having a dad and a boyfriend who are both car people, I would suggest checking the coolant level and replacing it THEN taking it to a mechanic.

The worst thing you want to do is push the car to its limit and blow the head gasket aka kill the engine... Hope this helps!

[TxGreaseMonkey]

I would go over the complete ignition system and ensure it's in great shape. To ensure the reliability and performance on older cars, this is imperative. Therefore, I would replace the Ignition Control Module (ICM), coil, distributor cap (pay particular attention to any O-ring seal), rotor, spark plugs, and spark plug wires. It wouldn't surprise me if the ICM and/or coil are breaking down under load (heat). Because of the age of the car, I would replace the ICM and not rely on bench testing.

Reading the link below may help:

https://www.askmehelpdesk.com/cars-t...tml#post520809

If the problem persists, see if there is a thermal overload switch that may be shutting the engine down to protect it from overheating. When I rented an Opel Capri, in Frankfurt, Germany, I ran into this problem while using the air conditioner in the heavy traffic in Genoa, Italy. The engine died in rush hour traffic and would not restart. As I backed up traffic, the Italians wanted to kill me. That night I suspected the car must be equipped with a thermal overload switch. In the morning, I figured it would start and be okay, which it was. I was just careful not to use the A/C in city traffic. I never had any more problems during the trip.

[this8384]

I would hook it up to a diagnostic scanner to determine if any codes have been recorded. If not, then check the ignition system like tx said.