Will spark plugs and wiring cause the car to cut off while driving?

Answer 1

Plugs and ignition wires seldom cause an engine to die altogether. They often cause the engine to miss though; sometimes intermitantly or continuosly. When either plugs or wires reach 50,000 miles, even with newer high voltage systems, they can become fouled, shorted or simply broken. If, however, you are saying that the engine dies and must be restarted, then usually the culprit is the coil. If the coil has an internal short, it will build up heat, lose voltage, and quit altogether. Sometimes, after the engine is left alone to cool down for awhile, it can be started again, but will soon repeat the same breakdown sequence. I have seen shorted coils actually catch on fire and, in a few cases destroy the car. Be careful........... The last possibility that I know of is common to Ford, and Mercury vehicles. In their case models built about 1976 and later had an ignition control computer box under the hood about 8 inches square and two inches thick. When they begin failing, they often will cause the engine to backfire or die. After a short period the engine can be restarted, but will repeat the failure sequence. In all these cases the solution is replacement.