KSR

I've inherited a '93 convertible cutlass supreme 3.4L... 80,595 miles. The car sat for almost a year without being driven and prior to that it was having problems with stalling out for no apparent reason.. would restart.. owner didnt want to sink any money into at the time due to illness.

I had the car towed in to a reputable shop. Battery of course was dead. It had been replaced prior to the owner stopping driving it to see if that was the problem.. nope.

I knew I was going to be sinking some money into the car.. but it is worth it.

This is what I've had done so far. Battery recharged.. so they could do system analysis. The brake work done... timing belt replaced... cooling system flush... lube/oil/filter... new spark plugs/ignition cables... replaced fuel filter.. flushed fuel line.. depressurized fuel system...

Everything looked good then.. took for road test and to get washed.. stalled twice... performed analysis.. replaced map sensor (on manifold) ... decided to go ahead and replaced the antenna assembly cause the one was busted and didnt work.

ok.. took the car home.. and that very day.. it stalled 3 times while I was parked and just idling... no service lights came on... called the repair guy.. we both concluded it might have been because there was only around 1/4 tank of gas in the tank.. which had sat in there for about 9 months.. so.... so put in mid grade gas.. everything fine.. ran the heck out of it over Labor Day weekend.. no problems

Decided then.. had never given it any thought to getting the a/c fixed.. since it is a convertible.. but it was pretty dang hot/humid out.. so took it back and fixed that.... evacuate/recharge a/c system... needed freon.

So picked it up yesterday morning... drove off and on all day.. then driving for about 35 mins then after going downhill and then around a curve at about 25/30 mph the car shut off completely... without any warning.. got it pulled to the side.. and it started right back up .. service light did come on

So its back in the shop.... we did notice some frisbee size leaks on the driveway just from that day....

The leaks are coming from the power steering fluid but its red in color.. which the repair guy told me it looks like someone put transmission fluid in the power steering fluid... (now the person I inherited the car from is my brother.. and he would take the car out to a friend who worked at Penske at K-Mart... sooooooo .. that is not where I have the car now

They've been running the car hoping for it to stall out on them during the test.. but it hasnt so far... told me that just a messed up sensor can throw these type of cars into a stall

Now.. I was checking online trying to find some kind of an answer to this.. and I came upon the "ALLDATA" site... and I found a TSB titled...
Fuel System - Phantom Stalls at Closed Throttle/Loads Anybody know anything about this???????? Is this my problem??????

So this is where I am at right now.

Anybody have any insight into a possible solution here???

Thanks sorry for the length.. just wanted to lay it all out

CivicSpoon

You may want to check the fuel pump again because of the low gas level after u fixed it the first time. I'm having a similar problem (And have had similar problems is the past 2 years) with my '90 cutlass. I was told that the sediment from the gas tank had been going into it because of the low gas level and was over heating it and causeing the stall. This is the second time I've had the fuel pump and filter replaced in a year. Do the stalls happen on hot days but not in the morning or night when it's cooler out?
Also you may want to check the Alternator. This was the other problem i had a while ago. The thing would just stall out while i was driving it and all the lights on the console would light up. No matter how much I kept recharging the battery it would let the car run for an hour or 2 and then would kick out. But I could usually get it going for a bit after being jumped (although I could only putt along about 15-20 miles an hour).
I don't know if any of this is really relevant to what's happening to you or not, but i hope it helps.

KSR

It's hard to know exactly what my brother had done to the car.. I didnt pay that much attention.. cause it wasnt my car at the time.. and I cant find any receipts.. but I do recall he did say something about having the fuel pump fixed maybe like a year or 2 ago.

This last stall.. was in the evening around 6:30 .. it was a warm day but not too humid. Powered right back up... drove just fine. I've talked to the mechanic about the fuel pump.. asked if there was any way he could tell if it had been replaced.. well.. obviously there is no easy way.. except for going right in.. and we all know how difficult this car is to work on.

Before I took it back to have the a/c worked on.. I only had those 3 little stalls right when I got it back.. and then the rest of the that day.. 5 days in all total that I drove the car before taking back for a/c .. no problems at all.. and it was very hot out then.

Thanks for your input. I always figure 2 heads are better than one. This car is in perfect condition outside & in.

jrklkk

There are a few things that can be causing your problem. A very low fuel level can allow the fuel pump to suck air and cause a stall when turning. Vapor lock. A sticking or faulty IAC (Idle Air Control) valve.

Just to take a guess you trouble code probably indicates a misfire was detected.

Also there's nothing wrong with using transmission fluid in your power steering system. I have used it many times. Both systems are hydraulic and so long as the transmission fluid and the power steering fluid mix it shouldn't pose a problem.