92 regal dying

[grant116]

Problem just started last night, went to start the car and it started fine and then died right away, tried twice more and the same thing happened, fourth time around i gave it some gas as soon as it started and the engine kept running, on the way home the service engine soon light came on. The problem is pretty persistent, at stop lights the car will die most of the time if i do not give it a little gas while sitting there. I was going to check the fuel filter and pump tomorrow morning, just wondering if anyone else has run in to this problem. Checked all fluids and they are ok, Also curious if anyone can tell me how to tell if the fuel system is throttle body injection or sequential fuel injection.

Thanks

grant

[tman]

Sequential on the 3.8L engine. You can tell because you can see the 6 injectors from the top of the engine

[grant116]

New problem, got held up yesterday at work, now am going to replace the fuel filter, but i am not 100% sure where to find the schraeder valve on the fuel line? any help would be greatly appreciated

[grant116]

found the schraeder valve, fuel pressure was fine, about 43 psi ignition on engine off, turned the engine on, dropped about 4 psi, goes good with the haynes manuel, i replaced the fuel filter, nothing new happened, i still have the same problem as before, i am not sure what the problem is, any ideas of what i can do would be much appreciated

[Ruley73]

I would see what service code(s) triggered the Service Engine Soon light before I did anything. I would suspect a faulty Idle Air Control Valve. There is a service code for this, but it is rarely triggered by pre-OBD II ECMs. The Idle Air Control Valve is screwed into the throttlebody.

One other thing it might be is a faulty transmission vacuum modulator. There is not service code specifically for this, but it can sometimes cause misleading codes. The modulator is mounted on the front of your transmission and has a vacuum line going to it from your intake. It is retained by a metal clip that's bolted into the tranny with one bolt. You might need to remove the air filter housing for access to this. Once you have removed the modulator, tip it upside down and wait a few seconds. If any tranny fluid comes out at all then it is bad and must be replaced ASAP. They usually cost around $10-$15. When these go bad, your tranny will usually shift hard and/or irradically and also cause stalling at stops. It feels kinda like driving a stick and trying to stop without disengaging the clutch.

[grant116]

It was the mass air flow sensor, found out the hard way when i had to have the car diagnosed at a dealer. I was wondering if anyone has used the code readers available at o'reilys or autozone, i've seen a few for about $30.00 and did not know if they were any good or not, if anyone has used these and had luck i would appreciate it if you could let me know

[Ruley73]

The tools definitely work. I don't think that they are worth $30 though. All they do is cross two wires to make the SES light blink. You can buy a code key from AutoZone that will do the same thing for about $4. You can also use a small paperclip and do the same thing. Find the data connector under the dash and connect the A and B wires together then turn the key on but don't start the engine. The A and B terminals are always next to each other on the upper right corner of the data connector. The "top" side of the connector has a plastic guide in the middle.