Greetings,
I have a 1995 Lumina 3.1 V6, 220,000 miles. Bought from very conscientious coworker whose wife did not trust the car, for reasons I have discovered in my one week of driving it.
Intermittently it dies. I have only experienced it twice, so this is more anecdotal than researched:
Dies. I crank it over, it starts for a moment, then bogs down/dies again.
First time it was idling in a parking lot after 12 minutes of driving, idled for 2 or 3 minutes then it died without any fanfare. I cranked it over, it started for a few seconds, then died again. It restarted and ran fine after poking around under the hood for a minute. Mid 30's F.
A few days later:
I was driving, probably for about 16 minutes. I was driving through snow, had the fan full blast and listening to the radio, so I didn't hear anything but I noticed the oil pressure light came on and the car acting sluggish. I was not accelerating at the time. I feathered the gas a few times and it straightened out (btw the guy had mounted an oil pressure gauge and after the car acted up I looked at it and I think it was fine; at the very least it was steady for that moment that it ran again. Would be useful with a baseline though). Then it died. Then I put it in neutral and cranked it over and it started working again so back in drive. Then it bogged down and I feathered the gas then it died and would not restart. It would crank over and over but not fire or act like it was going to. I coasted to the side of the road and continued trying to start it. I poked around under the hood with the same stuff I'd poked at last time, but to narrow it down I tried one thing at a time then tried to start, repeat. I jiggled wires to left of Ignition, then messed with/ tapped on ignition, then messed with wires by MAS.
Long story short, it wouldn't start until an hour later when I came back by to leave keys for tow truck driver. Started fine and I rushed home. From time of dying to starting again it sat for 1 and a half hours, 40 mins of which were with the hood up in 25 degrees F.
MIGHT I ADD that the automatic locking of the doors PISSES ME OFF.
Other complaints:
After an unreasonably short amount of cranking attempts it drained the battery, but no way to access the terminals with the jumpers!
Sometimes it will just click off once when I go to start it, so I wait a few seconds or hit the unlock button on my aftermarket alarm remote and it starts up, except for today, when it was particularly stubborn.
My thoughts:
Alarm messing up? I hear ones with remote start (does not have) will mess up over time.
After searching I have come up with these threads that I will pursue, basic advice I see
here is check for spark, check for fuel pressure:
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul...highlight=dies
http://www.automotiveforums.com/vbul....php?t=1051687
Previous owner had since 2001 or 2 and said it used to only happen once a year or so, sometimes only every 6 months or so. First time, he replaced Ignition Module, but second time it wasn't bad. He said last time was only a month between. For me, it happened on Thursday and then today, Monday.
A couple times now I have driven it for about 20 minutes.
Next step is check for spark, check for fuel pressure. Couldn't find fuel line relief valve today. Found the AC one. Oops. Only lost a little though.
Thanks in advance for any advice. I will try to keep this updated as I go; I want to be of assistance to others.