94 Lumina APV , engine dies instantly after warm-up...please help

I have a 94 Chevy Lumina APV , it's been a VERY reliable van until a couple of days ago .

For some reason the engine completly shuts down when it warms up . I really an bumfounded by this . I checked for fuel problems , gets fuel no prob. ... The 'check engine service light' doesn't even come on when it happens .

Now this came up on me after a series of events (replacements) .

First : Water Pump and Air Conditioner (blew on a vacation trip) replaced and fixed
Second : Alternater (charging just stoped, diodes in rectifier blew out )replaced
Third: Battery (dead cell , failed to put out the juice to start)replaced
Forth: Starter (nothing wrong , I just wanted a COMPLETE charging overhaul) replaced


And now this ???????? It's weird cause if the engine is cold it starts right up and sounds as if there's nothing wrong but as soon as it warms up the engine just shuts itself down . And it won't start period !!!!!!!

I tried resetting the ECM by removing the battery cable for 30 sec. like the manuel says , but when I do that and try to start the engine , it sounds like it wants to to start but doesn't or starts REALLY rough for about 2 seconds and dies ..... but if I wait til I let it cool down it starts right back up .....

Please help (if you can) before I give up and take it to the Dealership to figure this out .........


,,................................... Brian

sounds like the notorius ignition module giving you grief. It runs good when cold, but when it warms up, it dies. The Module can be located under all the coil packs where all the plug wires run to. Um, there is a way to test this, so i would suggest taking it out, and bringing it to a place like autozone to have it tested. Or maybe just replace it. Do you have a spark testor? Got one of these, cheap at wall-mart, and let the van run till it dies, then check for spark, if you dont have any, you know its ignition related, not fuel. I myself would replace the ignition module and then look at maybe a crank position sensor if the module doesnt solve your problem. Have I totally confused you yet? Good luck

I believe your 94 has a distributor. I agree the module is your problem, but it's mounted under the distributor cap, not under a dis coil pack arrangement.

I was thinking the same thing , the ignition module was brought up to me by another person, LOL and know you havn't confused me at all and I tremendously apreiciate (mis-spelled) all your help .

I ran a data test and it came back clear but that was when the engine was cold .

I'll run it till it dies and take the module in for testing . Kinda weird though , this type of thing happening when the engine is warm (confused) ....
As for the crank position sensor ,, my manual only shows one for the 3800 series engine and not the 3.1 . Is there one for the 3.1 series engine cause if there is I don't know where it's at ????


,,....................Brian

distributor on a 3.1? I've never seen that, but I guess its quite possable. when did they stop doing distributors on these? why would they stop? what advantages do coil packs have over distributors? Sorry for stealing the post. I've (sorry to say) have never really worked on older engines, and have a lot to learn, although I am learning a lot at this forum. If i were you nuclear melt down, I'd just take out that module and bring it in for testing, they usually do it for free, and I hear depending on where you go, they do a pretty vigorous test on it. ie: getting it up to operating temp and testing it, and doing this 3 or more times. TThe ignition module does however sound like your problem.

distributor on a 3.1? If i were you nuclear melt down, I'd just take out that module and bring it in for testing, they usually do it for free, and I hear depending on where you go, they do a pretty vigorous test on it. ie: getting it up to operating temp and testing it, and doing this 3 or more times. TThe ignition module does however sound like your problem.

Yes my 3.1 does have a distributor , the autozone I went to didn't have the equip. to test the module . But I took a chance and bought the module anyways ($29.99) and installed it .

So far so good , the Van hasn't died not once since I replaced it . This is a good thing . My wife isn't fully convinced that the van is reliable but I can't really blame her , the van has broken down on her 3 times in 2 weeks /w different problems .......

I did reset the computer berfore running the van . I don't know if that helped , but I'm sure it didn't hurt either .....

distributor on a 3.1? I've never seen that, but I guess its quite possable. when did they stop doing distributors on these? why would they stop? what advantages do coil packs have over distributors?

I'm pretty sure they stoped /w the distributors in the 3800 series .

As far as advantages , I assume it would be dealing /w quite abit of things.
I would think going from HEI (High Energy Ignition) to DIS (Direct Ignition System) would be the biggest . ECM controlling the HEI and PCM controlling the DIS . DIS also has no moving parts hence mantaining a longer life span from wear and tear (Hmmmm True ? or False ? ) .
The disadvantage I see in DIS is that this system has no moving parts , which could be harder for a at-home mechanic to solve problems with .... but it does have it's advantages .

No moving parts (less wear and tear)
Less maintenance
Better coil cool-down between spark plug firing
and the elimination of the mechanical timing adjustments.....

This came out of a manual , I personally have never owned a 3800 series engine , my mom does in her lumina car (almost identacal to yours) and she praises it . Very reliable ..

,,,.................................Brian

yeah, all so true. I hope your problems are solved for a while. I'm almost 100% sure that the ignition module was your problem though. Good luck.