have 91 chevy lumina 3.1L . car starts and runs well.. after running for a while it stalls while driving. After car sits for a while ( 1 day) it starts again and runs until ... stall. any ideas ??? novice mechanic looking for help.thank you.

sbhawk

Does the service engine soon light come on before it stalls? Are there any trouble codes present in your ECM?

Does it stumble and hesitate or does it just die?

Depending on when and how it stalls you could be experiencing a few different issues. One could be ignition control module (when they get bad, heat soak will cause the car to die) same as a bad crank sensor.

Also you could be experiencing the famous 'defective from the factory 91-93 injector' phantom stalling issue.

Does the service engine soon light come on before it stalls? Are there any trouble codes present in your ECM?

Does it stumble and hesitate or does it just die?

Depending on when and how it stalls you could be experiencing a few different issues. One could be ignition control module (when they get bad, heat soak will cause the car to die) same as a bad crank sensor.

Also you could be experiencing the famous 'defective from the factory 91-93 injector' phantom stalling issue.

Manny,

thanks for reply. my son drives car .. he states that service engine light does not come on. Also he notes that the car does hesitate and stumble (loss of pedal when applied) prior to stall. Trouble codes in ECM ??? Does this help narrow this down ? Thanks again.

sbhawk

First of all you need to determine if it has spark and /or fuel pressure when it won't start /dies. Doing less than this will result in parts replaced uneccessarily. Basic diagnostics here.

I agree with Max, you need to determine what is causing the stall, no spark or no fuel.

First of all you need to determine if it has spark and /or fuel pressure when it won't start /dies. Doing less than this will result in parts replaced uneccessarily. Basic diagnostics here.

Max, still messing with this issue. Car will start and run for 30 min. then will stall and not start. Car then continues to start and run after it sits. Please note I am major novice... basic diagnostic ? can you elaborate. Thank's

sbhawk

Again, do you have spark at the plugs when it won't start, do you have sufficient fuel pressure in the rail, if you do not the have skills here or the tools, you will be stuck replacing everything till you stumble on the problem and use up more money than a one time fix by a " pro."

Max, still messing with this issue. Car will start and run for 30 min. then will stall and not start. Car then continues to start and run after it sits. Please note I am major novice... basic diagnostic ? can you elaborate. Thank's

sbhawk

It sounds like it might be starved for fuel, when was the last time your fuel filter was replaced? Check your fuel pressure when the car is running fine, and check it again after it stalls.

yeah, but if it were fuel pressure, (ie plugged fuel filter), the car wouldnt start the next day. next time it stalls, take a plug out of the head, and plug it into a wire, and set it on a good ground. have a helper crank the motot for a few seconds and watch to see if there are sparks jumping the gap. if not, your problem is ignition related, probably the ignition module.

Im havin the smae issue husband drives the car then it goes into a coast an dies an wont start , he had it towed home I got to start an then he took it to work that night an it died again but this time it wont start , went to it today an it tries to start but dies , we replaced the fuel filter an checked everything an still nothin Im at a loss ...:banghead:

Checked everything, how about fuel pressure?

My 90' just started stalling when it warms up it runs fine the when i slow down to stop it acts like you put a heavy ld on it and some time it cannot recover but will start right back up any ideas?

Mabye the crank sensor?

it was just replaced 4 days ago

sounds like my car i wish i had answer for you...its werid an't it...runs fine the dies...then i let it sit and i can drive it away again...stupid luminas....:banghead:..i have takeing my car to multiple car shops and told diffrent stories...and the last one i took it to stated they had no idea what is wrong...so the only option i have is a dealer but screw that 120 an hour..or something like that...pfft...not way so i am gunna junk mine...

The ECM's are a common problem on these cars due to being mounted under the hood and exposed to the elements. I have answered numerous other threads with the same symptoms. You can test the ECM 2 ways. Take the plastic cover off the inner fender on the pasenger side. When you gain access to the ECM, start the car and tap on it with a screwdriver handle. If tapping (lightly, don't go relieving your frustration on the poor little fella!!!) on the ECM causes the car to stumble and/or stall, the ECM is your problem. The other way is to check for injector pulse with a noid light. If you have good fuel pressure and spark, but lose injector pulse, the ECM is faulty.

how does your spark look? Check and see if all your coils are putting out spark

My 90 Lumina stalled out while driving it for firdt time after purchase. I put injector cleaner in tank and filled up took it out on highway and drove it for 2 hours during that time it sputtered like it had no gas pressing pedal got no response like it running out of gas? Checked fuel pump is running..have fuel pressure up to rail...started back up and git it home where it died in my driveway. Won't restart..tested coil packs and plug wires for spark got spark...tried disconnecting neg battery cable to "reset" sensorson recommendation of one mechanic nothing. If I spray starter fluid into breather it starts up and runs but as soon as I stop spraying it dies again. Any suggestions? Did I miss any(or just forgot to mention as it is soo basic)
troubleshooting?