Grand prix gtp help

Ok so first of all iam new to grand prix. I have worked on a lot of car but never one if these. My problem is it will run fine for awhile then it while chog and then die it takes awhile but u can restart it. When u are trying to restart it after it stalls out it act like the timing is off and smokes. But if u let it sit for about a minute it will start up just fine. Iam so lost i know it is a sensor but which one and where do i even start. Any help would be great thank u.

Hi Jester, welcome to the forum!

What year is your car. I know form the forum there was a recall on, I think, 2001-2003 models with a defective cat converter. Perhaps your symptoms might have some relation with it?.

You can also try disconnecting the MAF sensor and running the car like that to see if the problem goes away. If it does then you need a new MAF.

Oscar.

Mine is a 2000 i was going to try and clean it and see what happens i was also going to try a crank potion senor but if i dont have to that would be great.but i can disconnect the MAS and try it? I didnt know that but thank u very much.

If the MAF trick doesn't work check the fuel pressure regulator by pulling the vacuum line. If you get fuel you need a new regulator.

I went home at lunch and unpluged it. When i did i started right up i reved it up it seem to run ok but was smoking. So i need a new MAF sensor i would say. What do u think? Thank u again for all the help.

Did you check the Fuel Pressure Regulator as GTP dad said? If the smoke coming out is black, that should mean your car is running rich which can be caused by a bad FPR.

Oscar.

I have not yet i will after work but i think it was white.

If the smoke was white it is possible that you are getting water in the combustion chambers either through a bad head gasket or a bad lower intake gasket. Check the oil immediately to see if there is water in the oil. If there is a large amount it will look like chocolate milk and you should stop driving the car. Also see if the smoke smells like antifreeze. If it does pull the plugs and see if you can determine where the water is leaking. Poor performance can be caused by a bad head gasket.

Ok i changed the MAF sensor the smoke went away and is running at a normal idoil now instead of jumping up and down. Do u think it was iver loaded with fuel and thats why it was smoking? I sure hope so. So far so good thank u for everything guys.

You're welcome! I'm glad it seems to have worked for you.

A better idea would be to disconnect the battery for 15 minutes after replacing the MAF sensor; that way the PCM will relearn the optimal values.

Oscar.