1997 isuzu rodeo sudden cut-off

This also happened to mine and here is what the problem was:

The car was overheating although my temp gauge was not up to the top.

1) I found that there was a cracked hose coming from the fire wall (separates engine from inside of car). Cost around $3.
2) In looking at the engine I found oil around the engine head. This was from an apparent cracked gasket ($95 full set).
3) I replaced the gasket and in doing so had to remove the hose connecting the air box to the carburetor. That hose is actually made up of three components. The one in the center turned out to be broken and deteriorating on the bottom. This makes sense since the engine was getting hot and the hose is directly above the engine block.
4) I decided to check the exhaust manifold and guess what? It has a 6 inch crack running up the center. The only way you will see this is by removing the heat shield. It's on the bottom right hand side of your engine as you are facing it.

So look at the engine block for black oil marks from in between the top and bottom.
Inspect the exhaust manifold for cracks.
Inspect all hoses for cracks. Get under your car as well and look for leaks, a sure way to find hose cracks. Good luck. They are great cars if you pluck a couple hundred into it a couple times a year. Beats a car payment.

Electronic control module (ecm) it should be on the side of the distributor.cost about 25.00