1992 cutlass ciera stalling problem

[rjstang]

I have the 3.3L engine. The car has been stalling when the engine gets hot. Usually sitting in traffic will do it. Then it takes about 20 minutes to cool off and then it will start back up. I took it to a mechanic and he ran the codes cause the check engine light comes on. It came up as the ignition module. He wanted 400 bucks which I didnt have at the time so I picked one up at a junkyard for 40 bucks and had a friend install it. Everything was fine, the check engine light went away. Then I went to get gas and the car wouldnt start again. It was the same thing again! Finally got it started 20 minutes later and the check engine light was back on again. I have almost given up on this thing. I was reading about it possibly being the crank sensor, but wouldnt that come up when the codes were pulled? And are there any other sensors that could cause something like this?

[motoright222]

hello

[motoright222]

hello any body there

[motoright222]

well u think thats bad i got 37 inch wheels and need 700 hp to turn them lol...

[rjstang]

Thanks but that doesnt help. Try some dubs forums or something.

[Ian Szgatti]

i believe your looking now at a crank sensor problem... seeing as its an analouge signal, the PCM would point you toward the ignition modual because its not getting a signal so it's not firing... when the casing of the crank sensor gets hot, it expands and stops working, when it cools down it contracts and works again... so really you'll be laughing once you change that.. i hope that helps

[rjcarroll]

I just went through the same thing and a few hundred dollars and a week later, I finally fixed the problem. I have replaced the mass air flow sensor, ignition module, and coil pack. None of those were the problem but at least they're all new now and won't be going bad for a while. It turned out to be the crankshaft position sensor. It would run fine until the motor got hot, then it would shut off and not start back until it cooled off. The sensor is located behind the harmonic balancer and, for me, was a pain to install. The part should only cost you around $30. It runs fine now, but the timing needs to be set on the car now. If anyone knows how to do that, let me know.

[f1040sche]

I have a 4-cylinder 1986 cutless ciera, and it went through a stalling spell at around 80,000 miles. It stalled after coming to a stop, or even when slowing down on the highway. After a while sometime the stalling can be caught when slowing on the highway by pressing the accelerator to keep the engine going. I saw a few other GM cars of different models with the same problem on the highway with drivers jaming on the accelerator to keep the engine from stalling. That was years ago. The stalling comes and goes. Some days there was no stalling, while other times it had fits of stalling. After resting specially at a mechanic, the stalling went away, but stalled again days later. Eventully, all the sensors were replaced like the oxygen sensor, but IMO especially the MAC sensor. This is a sensor attached to the side on the outside of the round air filter canister. It is used to sense pressure. When the car is being stopped, a vaccumm is build up inside the engine, and gasoline droplets lining the inside of the intake manifold and engine are vaporized again feeding more fuel into the cylinders. This added gasoline vapor makes the engine run faster just when it needs to slow to a idle during the process of stopping the car. The computer in the car is programed to feed less fuel to compensate for the extra re-vaporization of fuel. After the engine is slowed, and the MAC sensor detects that the vaccumm is no longer there, the computer stops the choking of fuel feeding. However, if MAC is sticky, and sticks even after the vaccumm is gone, the computer thinks that the engine is still in the process of slowing down, and the computer keeps feeding less fuel into the engine. The engine does not get enough fuel to keep the idle going as the re-vaporization is gone without the vaccumm. The engine stalls out. When the car starts to have stalling fit upon stopping or upon deceleration, I clean out the dirt accumulation in the very narrow slits on the inside side of the air filter canister where the MAC sensor (on the outside side of the can) attaches to the air filter canister. The slits are very narrow and hard to see, and dust and dirt can clog up the slits preventing the sensor from feeling the pressure inside the can. It seems a little crazy, and I have not read anywhere about cleaning out this slit, but it seems to work. Of course, after the new MAC sensor was put in year ago, the car's engine really hums when coming to a stop, and then cuts into a perfect idle without stalling once. After a while, this cutting in and out of the MAC sensor is no longer as pronounced, and became more normal and smoother. There are many other reasons for stalling, but this particular type of stalling was my experience with the 1986 Cutless Ciera with 4-cyclinder engine.