1997 lumina 3.1 trys to start and stalls.

Today, my lumina did great but when i drove to the store and got back into the car to start it. It sounded like it was running on only 3 of 6 cylinders and then it stalled almost right after. After a few minutes i tried to start it and all it does is crank, then i try to start it a third time giving it a little gas it makes a backfiring sound in the engine compartment. As of right now it is sitting in the parking lot after it backfired i left it alone and im going back in the morning to work on it. (it was raining hard so i had to get a ride home and couldnt work on it)

Thanks for any help:banghead:

sounds like wet wires if it starts in am (it proboly will)take a spray bottle prefer. at night, spray wires while running,look for arching good luck

those were bad on coils my son had one.have you had fuel pump tested to?

I just replaced the intake manifold gaskets (leaking coolant) and not too long before that i just put on all new coils. When i went to try it this morning it sounded like it tried to turn over and after a few more tries it started and ran on about 3 or 4 cylinders and then died almost right after. There is an electric motor sounding thing that keeps turning on and going off when i turn the key. The sound is coming from under the engine compartment and i dont think that the fuel pump would be that loud? Also, there is a hissing noise whenever i try to start it and it is coming from arround the area of the uper intake manifold/the back of the engine (top)/ or the throttle body

sound like ''hissing'' noise maybe a vacuum line not connected.shouldnt be to hard to locate if engine stays running.Good Luck

if you can keep it running long enough you can take carb cleaner on vaccum hose and it will idle when you find it.or do it the old way listen threw a piece of hose unless you got a battery operated stethascope. good luck..

Now and then they'll huff back through the intake hard if they don't catch completely before you turn the key back from the start position...when they get older, the vacuum hoses are not as tight and it'll blow them off the manifold, then they act like that...

I think that was a good suggestion, check that first...look around the back and under with a mirror if you have to. They used to have a ganged group of vacuum hoses that would blow off the old ones, near the throttle body...