Cavalier Wants to turn off at stop..SOMETIMES

Hello,
I have had my cavalier for awhile now and it has 118,000 miles on it. The only problem i am having is that only SOMETIMES when you come to a stop it jumps and jerks all over the place and wants to turn off. It feels like something is either clogged or not getting enough something to a certain place HA! If you were to turn the car off and let it sit for a second and turn it back on, it will act like nothing ever happened.
I have done regular maintence on it IE: Fuel Injection cleaning, New spark plugs, wires. Still does it. But only occasionaly.

Any ideas to stop this occasional problem?

Thanks...
Robert

Check you fuel pressure at the fuel rail. I don't have the data in front of me, but I believe it should be in the 20 psi range (most cars are). Clogged fuel filter can also cause problems like that. Also, check your ignition system, is it time for a tune - up?

I dont think it's my fuel line. I had everything of that nature checked out. I also did my Fuel Injector cleaning at Pep Boys as well. They also replaced the fuel filter. I have already given it a tune up I.E. Spark Plugs, Wires, PCV VALVE, ETC.
I have narrowed it down to a known common issue with cavaliers. It seems it could be the TCC Solenoid which is the Trans Converter Clutch Solenoid. It seems to somehow control the transmission when coming to a stop when in drive. If your TCC is going out it will seem when your stopping if you were stopping a car with a manual transmission and not pushing in the clutch and just stopping and jerking all over the place.
I called a reputable Transmission Shop in my area and told him about this and he finished my sentence before i did. So he knows it's a known issue with Cavaliers. He told me to bring it in for a he will test it for free. If it needed to be fixed it would be around $150 which is not bad since it's the only thing wrong with my car and i will pay the $150 to fix the darn thing HA!

Thank You for your Post though...all day long i was researching on cavaliers and this is what i got. Hopefully that's the problem.

Thanks!



Check you fuel pressure at the fuel rail. I don't have the data in front of me, but I believe it should be in the 20 psi range (most cars are). Clogged fuel filter can also cause problems like that. Also, check your ignition system, is it time for a tune - up?

the transmission has a valve inside of it for the torque converter they are prone to getting clogged with dirt and trash.some things i did that helped where added a aftermarket cooler ,once a year trany service and a power flush (has to be done by a shop).i am a mechanic and i dont reccommend this but what i would is start my car in nuetral shift it to 1st ,then 2nd ,then drive and when i came to a stop go back to nuetral .again i dont reccommend this it could DESTROY YOUR TRANSMISSION.this is a common problem with the 125 transmission.

You might also want to get the thorttle plate cleaned.

I had that same problem with my 97 cavy and I know exactly what your talking about

Mine didn't start doing that until after my ac unit went completely out. But at that point everything seemed to go wrong. I was told to check my air filter. Since mine had so many things wrong with it...I just traded it in for a 2004.

I would guess it is your transmission as mentioned above. There is a cheap fix for this. Get you by for a while till you save up 150.00
Mine is 93, and suppose yours is similar. There is a plug with several wires plugged into the transmission - would be in the front near the radiator. Just unplug it, won't stall anymore. The torque converter doesn't lock in out on the freeways, but around town you probably will never know the difference. Mine has been unplugged for several years and have done this on a friends car also. No problems.
jdw

I had that same problem with my 97 cavy and I know exactly what your talking about

Mine didn't start doing that until after my ac unit went completely out. But at that point everything seemed to go wrong. I was told to check my air filter. Since mine had so many things wrong with it...I just traded it in for a 2004.

I just joined this forum looking for an answer to this problem on my 96 2.2. I unplugged the TCC but it will still do it ocassionally. It doesn't actually stall when coming to a stop but it stalls after being stopped for a minute or so. This seemed to start back in December when the car was running hot (another known issue ?) The radiator was replaced along with the thermostat. It still ran with the temp guage around the 1 o'clock position... In December !! The only thing that helped was a small by-pass hole drilled into the thermostat. Only that created another problem... It runs too cool for the winter - no heat. So I partially blocked the radiator. Head gasket & compression are fine. The fuel filter,O2 sensor,crank sensor and plugs are all new. It feels like a misire before it stalls and can sometimes be felt on the highway. It's usually apparent when the torque converter is locked and I'm trying to maintain a light-throttle constant speed. It can also be felt above 70 mph, but it's not all the time. When I try to provoke it to stall when parked/stopped, it starts to sputter before it stalls. I did this yesterday in my garage to try to get a whiff of the exhaust as it's sputtering. It doesn't smell rich, like it's loosing spark. The exhaust almost smells lean, more like it's loosing fuel. Possible weak fuel pump ?? I got the car used 2 years ago with 57K on it. The trans was replaced at 79K and the timing chain & guides were just replaced to get rid of the ticking lifter-type noise.. Any ideas ??

Hey I am in a 95 cavi auto and I am having the same problem, I drive my car for like 20 minutes come to a complete stop and BAM!!! its jercks around and stalls. I did change the fuel filter and everytime I fill up I use STP Fuel Treatment and STP fuel injector cleaner and it still stalls, so I have rueld out fuel system My guess is it is a sensor. one of my friends said it could be caused by a Throttle Position Sensor. I am gonna check into that before I do any major things. good luck, and if you get it fixed e-mail me (neo1288@aol.com) with the fix, thanks.

after spending a little time with mine last night, I'm going with the ignition module. Gonna change it tomorrow and let you know. Yours sounds like it may be the torque converter solenoid. Open the hood and look at the front of the transmission. On the front of it towards the radiator, you will see an electrical connector. That's the TCC solenoid. Unplug that and drive the car (it may set off the check engine light, don't worry). If the car does not stall, that's your problem. Pretty common. Mine stalls when sitting at a stop, not when just coming to a stop and will also stall in park.

dont bother with the throttle position sensor, 36 bucks down the toilet. I am now back to square one. I think I might have an O2 sensor problem but I am just gonna have the dealership hook it up to the "machine". if I find out anything I will post it for you.

i have had the same prob, but i went and replaced wvery thing under the hood and now i hear about this tcc sloenoid thingy. my car would run great then at stoplights or on the freeway it would sputter and groan and stall and have to wait for it to cool about 4 hours and then VROOM start right up. i got it up on ramps right now and went out to start it and it sputtered like it wasn't getting gas and died. wait 1 hour and it starts right up again. odd. aso if i start it in the morning sometimes it runs but it lacks power and acceleration. like its laggin but doesnt want to go . any ideas? im going out to test the tcc solenoid and hopefully that works but any suggestion or help on the matter is GREATLY APPRECIATED!!

check your egr valve. that would also cause it to stall at a stop

I just replaced the ignition module on my 96... Still stalling. It happens at a stop and happens in Park. It startes to sputter then stall... Damn I'm at my witts end. Gonna try ecu and/or fuel system...

cloged egr and pcv valve will cause a stall at a stop

Hey I am in a 95 cavi auto and I am having the same problem, I drive my car for like 20 minutes come to a complete stop and BAM!!! its jercks around and stalls. I did change the fuel filter and everytime I fill up I use STP Fuel Treatment and STP fuel injector cleaner and it still stalls, so I have rueld out fuel system My guess is it is a sensor. one of my friends said it could be caused by a Throttle Position Sensor. I am gonna check into that before I do any major things. good luck, and if you get it fixed e-mail me (neo1288@aol.com) with the fix, thanks.


Just a tip. Dont use stp. its crap.

tps sensor wont cause a stall. it will only give you a hesitation at acceleration

Hey ...this Is An Old Problem! Im Not Saying Its Your Problem Tho I Have An 88 That Keeps Stalling And All Along I Keep Saying Its Like A Short Or Something Cuz It Only Happens When U Get On It,hit Bumps,turn Curves,or Stop Quickly Hmmmmmm Ive Been On Here For About 9 Hrs Today And Last Night Guess What Ive Tracked Down My Problem I Have A Faulty Ecm Or Ecu!!i Bet Money On It!ive Checked The Fuel Pressure Sensors Etc If U Have An Older Cavalier The Model No For The Faulty Ecm Ecu Is 1227730 So Check Ur Ecm Its Been Months But Now I Have Somewhere To Start Again!!it Took 9 Hrs Or More And 3 Pages Of Notes Till I Came Across The Same Thing 10 Times Start Ur Car And Smack The Ecm Unit See If It Stalls Maybe Its Not Just And 88 Or 89 Problem?!!? Its Acted Like Its Been Starving For Fuel For Months And Stalling Just Like U Say ! Ud Think Gm Would Tell Us After 18 Yrs So We Wouldnt Spend Thousands On Cars We Got For $700 But It Can Still Be A Sensor Bad Even After I Replace The Ecm Cause Thats The Problem With Them Year Ecm's Not Only Stalling But It Doesnt Show Up A Faulty Code Either!!!! So Last Resort Check The Ecm!!! Maybe We Can Sue Gm If We All Join Together After 18 Yrs It Shouldnt Take Thousands Of Dollars And 9 Hrs Or More Reading These Forums For The Answer But...keep Looking Eventually Ull Connect The Problem With The Forum!!!! Good Luck It Sux And My Brother Is A Race Car Builder And Chevy Fanatic But...ill Let Ya Know I Swear !!!!

What's with all these posts coming back from 03 and 04? First off, DON'T POST IN ALL CAPS!!! Second of all, the last post was from 2004 - Leave it alone unless you have the same problem and couldnt find the answer here. Oh and if this is the case, atleast post with some decent grammer and NOT all caps so we can understand. Thank you.

I have a '92 Cavalier that is having a problem similiar to what you folks are talking about. When you start the car up, it starts up beautifully and runs great. However after driving for about 20-25 minutes, I can tap the gas pedal lightly and if the car jerks, then I know that when I come to a complete stop, the car will jerk and then stall out. When this happens, I can start the car right back up, however when I put it in any gear, except park and neutral, the car will stall right out. I usually have to wait 10-15 minutes before I can start the car, put it in drive, and then drive off. A sorta work around that I have found is to tap the gas pedal, and if it jerks, then I just slam the gas pedal all the way down. The car will accelerate very heavily/slowly, and then acts as if something gets dislodged and then the car will accelerate normally. From this point I can come to a complete stop and the car won't stall out. It will remain this way for about 2-3 minutes and then the problem comes back. I'm not looking to replacing 5-6 things, however I have replaced the fuel filter and yet the problem still exists, but isn't as bad. The car has done a lot of heavy sitting, and I have ran fuel injector cleaner through it, however I haven't ran any through the tank since I replaced the fuel filter. I have also tried a bottle of iso-heat, which didn't help at all. I did have a problem with water in the fuel system about a year ago, but I have taken care of that problem by running a couple of bottles of iso-heat through the tank. So I'm not sure if that is related, but I never had the problem until just about 2-3 months ago. That is when the stalling problem started up. Thanks for your help.