92 After start, Lumina dies from standstill

[JohnDubya]

I have a 92 Lumina, 3.1L with 220k-ish miles. This problem has been happening for about six months now, on and off.

When I start the engine after the car has been off for more than about three hours, I will back out of wherever I am. I then put it into drive, and when I push on the accelerator, the car starts to go, but then hesitates (very quickly...it only takes a second or so). Sometimes, it will hesitate a couple of times and then go, sometimes it will hesitate and then immediately die. It's always when the engine is cold and I am going from a standstill to go forward. Sometimes, it doesn't do it at all.

It almost seems like there may be a clog or something that starts to get caught, but then releases and allows the engine to continue. But after the engine gets warmed up (after I drive it for a couple minutes or so), it has no problems at all. I can go from a standstill, and there is no hesitation at all. I normally start my car and try to speed up quickly at the beginning to get the engine warmed up. Most of the time, this works. But sometimes, it still will die from a standstill pretty quickly after I start it.

This happened about six months ago, and I put some Sea Foam in the gas tank. It still hesitated for a couple weeks, but then stopped for a couple months. Then, just a couple months ago, it started doing it again, and it's not going away this time. What could be the problem?

[scottevil]

it almost sounds like you have the same problem i did about a week ago i would start it up and have tto keep giveing it gas or it would die out. for me its was my Fuel pump. maybe you can have it checked out .

[tblake]

does it stall very abruptly? if you leave it in park and give it gas will it revv or die? sounds to me like maybe a stuck or sticking tcc solonoid.

[JohnDubya]

Yes, it's very quick. There's like a one second pause where I don't know if it's going to go or die. And I also noticed that if, when I put it in drive and start to go forward, if I press harder on the accelerator to give it more gas, it doesn't die as often. It's only died once, when doing this. All the other times, I pushed on the accelerator, it hesitated, I let off the accelerator almost immediately, and it died.

When I put it in park and rev it, the rpm's get up pretty high, and it starts to make a weird turning over noise like it can't go any higher. It doesn't die though. Very strange.

[scottevil]

JohnDuby I pushed on the accelerator, it hesitated, I let off the accelerator almost immediately, and it died.

ya thats what was going on with mine its was the fuel pump it cost be about 175 labor and 142 for the pump and you will need a new filter to.

[tblake]

not sure if yours has a rev limiter or not, but that could be the cause of the wierd revving. Ok, next thing to try is to click it into neutral just before your come to the stop, and maybe give i a little gas. what happens? Maybe do this on he way to autozone to borrow a fuel pressure tester and check the fuel fressure at the rail to rule out a fuel related issue.