Yup...she was a waitress I ran into...heck, I figured it couldn't hurt...I've tried everything else.
91 Lumina, 3.1., only 41K true miles. Anyway, the problem is that intermittantly, while driving, the engine will cut out and sputter to a halt can happen while stopped at a light or while driving down the road, doesn't matter...when it happens it happens. And, when it happens, the engine will restart and idle fine, but will not accellerate without stalling and dying. The problem usually happens as it's being driven, so the engine is warm...but cooling off doesn't help the situation...sometimes it's undrivable for days....sometimes it will go again as soon as it's restarted. Then magically, it works till the next time.
Once it happens, as I said, you can start the car and it idles fine (while the engine is warm OR after it has cooled off)...you can even feather the pedal ever so slightly and get the RPM's up...but give it a little more gas than that light touch and it just wants to chug and die.
The car was fine (it was a neighbors car), but it had been sitting for 6-7 months when I bought it, and I believe that might have something to do with it???
Fuel filter and pump have been replaced. New spark plug wires and plugs. Even when it's chugging, it seems to be getting PLENTY of spark and fuel. I think it will backfire a little every once in a while when revved. Have put some injector cleaner in the gas tank and have also sprayed some into the air intake repeatedly. The beast is in one of it's "working spells" right now, but I am waiting for it to die again so I can troubleshoot some more.
It's my daughter's car and I don't want her stranded somewhere...gotta get this thing fixed.
I'm not a mechanic, but I've looked thru all the posts...Don't think it's a vacuum leak becasue it doesn't happen all the time. DOnt think it's the TCC because it happens in park and neutral (and besides, I disconnected the solenoid wire and it didn't make a difference). Don't think it's the ECM or EGR becasue, from what I've read, that that stuff doesn't kick in until the engine warms up anyway, and as I said, once it happens, you can go out in the morning to a perfectly cold car and have the same problem....you just have to wait until it decides to go again. Dont think it's a catylitic converter problem, again becasue it is only an intermittant problem and there seems to be a good flow at the exhaust.
(Exhaust is clear...no smoke or anything and doesn't smell rich). There are no problem codes generated.
Again, it always starts...and it always idles nicely as long as you dont give it gas...just cant accelerate.
I don't see any loose wires...the connectors I see are tight. And the ground strap looks clean and tight.
I'm thinking it may be a sensor...if it was the ECM, from what I read, it should at least be drivable, as supposedly when they go bad they default to a limp home mode. Haven't started replacing sensors yet. I'm thinking maybe the MAF might be the one to start with. Any ideas? If you guys think also think it's a sensor, but dont know which one, could you recommend which ones to start replacing in the order of their likely relation to the problem?
Any suggestions? BTW, the psychic said it was a box on the drivers side of the engine compartment....I KNOW you guys can do better than she did!!!
Thanks for any help.