1997 Jimmy Intermittent Stalling

[accmptr]

I have a 1997 GMC Jimmy. I has been in the shop on and off for the last two months. It has an intermittent stalling problem. There will be about one day a week where it just stalls or almost stalls a few times. There is brand new engine (6 months old), new fuel injectors, new radiator, and many other fixes.

I can tell the Jimmy is going to stall when I attempt to start it, the starter will crank a lot longer than it should. It will then later stall only when rolling or idling, but it seems as though the gas cuts out sometimes at higher RPMs, but engine stays running. Recently, I have gotten a new battery and the crank sensor and 02 sensor replaced. Whenever I bring it to my mechanic it will not stall on him and therefore he cannot see read any diagnostic codes from the stall. I have already spent about $500 on this problem and can't afford to spend much more. I think it could possibly be an electrical problem. I will be driving and then all of a suddenly the dashboard lights come on, sometimes it stalls and sometimes nothing happens. The engine drives greats all other times and idles fine as well (650RPMs).


Has anybody experienced this problem or know what it may possibly be? Thanks.

[nighthog]

I'm currently experiencing the same problem. The engine stalls when coming to a stop and when driving down the freeway sometimes the airbag light flashes and tach will drop to zero and then everything goes back to normal. I'm thinking it's a fuel delivery problem, but could still be ignition system. I'll let you know what I discover, but after looking at a few diagnostic charts the list of potential culprits is a long one.

[luv2bowl]

I have had a similar problem for the last 5 months or longer. I came on here and went away thinking it was the CPI, amongst other things. It has 137,000 miles on it. I put a new fuel pump on around 85,000. It was hard to start and stalled like crazy. It wouldn't start at all on Friday so I took it back in and it needed another fuel pump. Just got it back and so far it hasn't stalled at all. We'll see what it does in the morning.

[denalio34ceo]

You might want to try having the EGR valve cleaned or injectors replaced. I own a '94 and there was a recall eons ago and it affected quite a few model years. Cleaning out the throttle body may help as well.

[metcalf313]

I had the same problem with mine - stalling or trying to stall when at a stop or when driving down the road. After about 2 months of having it in and out of the shop and after about $600 it turned out to be the ignition switch. It's running perfect now.

[accmptr]

Thanks for the replies.

I have a remote starter in the Jimmy as well. It has always worked fine, but I wonder if that made it more prone to an ignition-type problem since you need to tap into those wires. The remote starter starts the car fine, but when I actually use the key it takes much longer to crank and requires me to give it gas while starting.

[kailani692000]

Did you find the solution to your problem? Just wondering. I have run into this same problem intermittently over the last couple of months and was thinking it might be the CPI going bad...after all I just hit 130,000 miles and this is the first real problems I'm having since I bought the Jimmy in 1995.

[accmptr]

Not yet. I ordered a diagnostic code reader that hooks up to my laptop. It hasn't come in yet but an hoping it provides my with some info.

Originally Posted by kailani692000

Did you find the solution to your problem? Just wondering. I have run into this same problem intermittently over the last couple of months and was thinking it might be the CPI going bad...after all I just hit 130,000 miles and this is the first real problems I'm having since I bought the Jimmy in 1995.

[kailani692000]

Originally Posted by accmptr

Not yet. I ordered a diagnostic code reader that hooks up to my laptop. It hasn't come in yet but an hoping it provides my with some info.

Well, hope all goes well. Let me know what you get. I was planning on pulling off the air intake to take a look at the fuel injectors sometime next week. I actually think the 96 4.3L Vortec V6 had the CSFI system. At least it seems that that's what the Chilton Service Manual is saying. Do you know if that is correct? I mean I guess I will find out once I open her up.....Anyway, good luck.


James

[Jeremy-WI]

acmptr, the next time the dash lights up and it starts to stall, hit the remote start button and see if it runs normally then, if it does run normally after that check the igntion wires for problems, if none are found its probably a problem with the switch

[nighthog]

I picked up the BR-3 diagnostics reader and went out for a drive. No problems were found. When I got home I noticed that I can turn the switch on and the engine cranks, but does not start. No dash lights or diagnostics lights come on. I tilted the steering wheel up and down a couple of time. The dash lights came on and the engine started right up. The condition was repeatable, so I'm replacing the ignition switch this next weekend.

[accmptr]

I just got the new diagnostic equipment today. It is from digimoto (www.digimoto.com) and hooks up to my laptop via serial cable. It reads the numbers from the various sensors and records them to a log. However, I don't know what the numbers are supposed to look like.

I noticed I am having an A/C problem as well now. The wheel on the A/C condenser (not sure exactly what it’s called) spins up and then spins down every few seconds. The air (even when not on A/C) will not blow out the head blowers and comes out the defrost blowers instead. The air isn’t even cold when it comes out either.

This car is the biggest piece of junk I have ever bought. The only reason I am keeping is because I have put so much money into it (repairs and bought chrome 17” rims) and the exterior is great shape (as well as leather interior).

[Jeremy-WI]

The A/C will cycle on and off by design when its on defrost, so it may be a problem with the climate controls

[accmptr]

I believe it is the ignition switch. When the key is placed in the ignition position, sometimes the fuel pump relay will go on and sometimes it won’t (right away). I can still start the car when the relay doesn't turn on (with a good amount of cranking), but when it finally does turn on, this is when the car stalls. I replaced the fuel pump relay and it still does the same thing. This leads to believe that it is the ignition switch or a problem with the circuit. This also explains why the remote starter starts the car just fine, because it bypasses the ignition switch.

I appreciate everybody's help and input. I will be bringing the car to my mechanic on Tuesday and have him replace the switch. I will also have him fix the A/C. I am hoping it is not an expensive affair.

[accmptr]

It was the ignition switch. The Jimmy runs great now. The A/C problem was attributed to a vacuum hose leak and I got it recharged as well. I think I may keep it now, considering every part in the car has been fixed or changed.

Thanks to everybody.