1992 Cav

[RainFire]

Just picked up a 1992 Cav.

Randomly it starts shuddering like it wants to stall then eventually bogs down and stalls out, doesn't matter if I'm at a stand still or not, but I have noticed it only happens when in gear.

I've had it stall at a standstill in drive and reverse and while driving.

It seems to only do it after the car is heating up and running for about 20 mins.

At first I thought it might be the cat convertor which needed replaced anyway, then I did a tranny flush on it and it's still a no go.

Also noticed that the tranny sounds rough when switching from park to reverse or reverse to N to Drive, plus when it's downshifting on decellerator it feels like it's catching and is having trouble shifting, does not do it when upshifting

Also the times it has stalled out i shift it into N and turn it over, put it back into Drive and it stalls again.

The first time it happened it took about 5 tries to get it to go again.
The second time it wouldnt even stay started, was next to my house so coasted it to a stop.
The 3rd time it stalled while driving, was doing about 30mph

Anyone know what this might be?

Any help or ideas would be appreciated

Thanks

[public]

Unplug the TCC solenoid on the tranny. See if that helps.

[RainFire]

Ok,

Actually was reading similar problems in this forum and stumbled onto that a few mins ago, will give that a whirl.

What exactly does that solenoid do anyway?

I'm assuming it does something similar to a clutch as the shuddering motion feels like it does in my Saturn if you let out on the clutch too much while in gear.

[public]

You are correct. The TCC is the "Torque Converter Clutch". It is supposed to lock up when running a steady speed to improve gas mileage. Disconnecting it will cause no problems except the SLS light and possibly a slight loss in mileage. My 94 has been unplugged for a couple of years without problems and I don't notice the mileage difference.

[AdamK]

I just had the same problem with a 91 2.2... check your coolant level.

i replaced plugs, wires, coild, pump fuel filter did nothing... filled her up with coolant and water and she runs like a top...

I'm thinkin' that there's small craks inbetween the valve seats in the Head...

Try it, see if it works....

[RainFire]

I unplugged it and it doesn't stall at all anymore, yay.

Thanks guys.

It still downshifts and goes into gear a little rough.

Any ideas on that, the tranny fluid is at normal level so I'm unsure.. I'm not very good with transmissions and don't want to start guessing.

[public]

You may need a fluid and filter change. If the filter becomes partially clogged it takes longer to build enough pressure to shift.

[RainFire]

I already did the fluid and filter change hehe

[RainFire]

Well so I thought my stalling was gone after unplugging the TCC..

Random intervals it stalls and or chokes up.

I've unplugged the TCC, done a tranny flush with filter replacement, plugs/wires change

I had a mechanic friend hook his diagnostics up to it and took it for a spin, it returned NO errors while driving even when the shuddering was happening.

I'm assuming my next steps would be replacing the fuel filter amongst other things.

Any more ideas or tips?

[public]

Yeah, the fuel filter can seem very similar to the TCC Solenoid.

[RainFire]

Thanks public, I appreciate all your help so far

[public]

Try cleaning the IAC Solenoid and the Throttle Positon Sensor. They can get pretty dirty and can cause sputtering