AURORA STOPS AT RED LIGHT, other info...

[StEaLtHyUfO]

Hey people here is a problem I am having with my 97 Aurora. I have had this problem before I had I the fuel rail replaced with the recall. At least once or twice a day for the last month or so, when idling at a red light the car stops running but the radio will still be playing, the air conditioner running also but it seems like the fuel is being cut off to the engine. I had a diagnostic check at the stealership and they said it was the fuel filter and explained that I needed a 3 step cleaning and that would take care of it. I had the work done and a few days later the problem came back. I brought it back and they took it on a test drive (long one) and checked out the pressure regulator under the hood and so on and could not find the problem. I wonder if it is electrical. I love the car, maintain and baby it like a mutha but have had many problems with her and it has cost $$$$. Lucky I took out a 800 bucks service contract when I first bought the car used at 52,000 miles and now 2 years later it has only 69,000. I have had over 4,500 dollars worth of repairs! The service contract has paid for most of them, so the rest of the money I have spent were on things like rotors, pads, oil changes, tranny flush, etc. Any feedback is thankfull and if you experienced this shut off.

[cmdrgala]

Hello:

The stalling is a fuel issue. Ihad this problem when I first got my Aurora.
It turned out to be the fuel pump.

Good Luck

[StEaLtHyUfO]

Originally Posted by cmdrgala

Hello:

The stalling is a fuel issue. Ihad this problem when I first got my Aurora.
It turned out to be the fuel pump.

Good Luck

Thanks and now I know I'm not the only one going thru this nutty mechanical glitch. I take automotive classes and own the service manual for the 97 AURORA read about cars and guess what? I told the service advisors at the stupid dealership that it is probably the fuel sending unit and the fuel pump that are going and they are such idiots they said it was not that they cannot find the problem. Well you know what, I still have a warranty on this part and its expensive and some other place will get my business. Thanks again.

[Internetdrifter]

Believe it or not I had this exact same problem! I had it at the mechanics on several different occasions and they would replace different things. These guys were not just trying to milk me for money, nor were they stupid, but this problem is extremely hard to diagnose and also very hard to get the car to die while at the shop. They were finally able to duplicate the engine quiting situation. And they were finally able to solve the problem and now I have not had it quit on me in over a year. It was NOT the fuel rail, NOT the filter, NOT the pump.
Believe it or not they replaced the two crankcase sensors and that fixed the problem!!!!!!!!!
Have your mechanic check out the crankcase sensors!!!

[StEaLtHyUfO]

Originally Posted by Internetdrifter

Believe it or not I had this exact same problem! I had it at the mechanics on several different occasions and they would replace different things. These guys were not just trying to milk me for money, nor were they stupid, but this problem is extremely hard to diagnose and also very hard to get the car to die while at the shop. They were finally able to duplicate the engine quiting situation. And they were finally able to solve the problem and now I have not had it quit on me in over a year. It was NOT the fuel rail, NOT the filter, NOT the pump.
Believe it or not they replaced the two crankcase sensors and that fixed the problem!!!!!!!!!
Have your mechanic check out the crankcase sensors!!!

Thanks for your reply I am going to check it out. Can you please tell me how much it cost? I went to 2 mechanics and they said they could not give me a price until they actually looked at the problem.

[Internetdrifter]

Hahahaha... that's the funny part. I had brought my car back there so many times and they had tried so many other solutions, by replacing other things, FOR WHICH I PAID, that this time they said I didn't have to pay them a dime - they would cover the cost.
That was nice.

'Course, I am now having another problem with my aurora. It has been hard starting and the check engine soon light came on. I took it to the same place and they charged me $93 just to tell me what MIGHT be wrong with it. They said it will be $880 to replace the fuel pump and after that they will be able to tell if the oxygen sensor should also be replaced, for another +/- $200. Yikers! I don't even have the $200, so for now am just driving it. Funny thing, the dash warning goes off and on. Once running, the car runs great.
I don't suppose replacing either the fuel pump (INSIDE THE GAS TANK!) or the oxygen sensor is something a normal citizen could do, eh???

[dsatt12]

[QUOTE
I don't suppose replacing either the fuel pump (INSIDE THE GAS TANK!) or the oxygen sensor is something a normal citizen could do, eh???[/quote]


Actually neither are TOO bad. There is a little silver access panel in the trunk under the carpet and spare tire crap to get right at the fuel pump. It takes a certain amount of contortion to work in the trunk, and you don't want too much dirt and things dropping in there. Ventilation is good, and did I mention no smoking?

The oxygen sensor(s) are easy most of the time. You need to figure out which one(s) though. 95's have two, one before and after the catalytic converter. The one before is under or inside a vacuum housing thingy. There are directions and pictures on another post somewhere on how to get to it. The one after is out in the open.

In addition, 96s and up got two more in the front and rear exhaust manifolds before they get down to the others. They are fairly obvious right on top.

Now, in general all you have to do is unhook the wiring, stick a socket on it, and take it out. Put some high temp anti-sieze on the new one and reverse the procedure. The trouble is sometimes they are hard to get out. You might have to heat the car up for a few minutes to get the metal to expand. Don't get it blazing hot, just a little warm, or your knuckles will regret it. It seems like I had far less trouble with my Aurora than with my 89 Pontiac Grand Prix for example. I have no idea why.

[Internetdrifter]

WOW!!! You have given me hope and inspiration that maybe i can do this myself! i have always worked on my own cars but not at all since i got this aurora.
Thanks for giving me good advice. Now, i don't suppose you could also give me the money to go and buy the fuel pump? (hahaha)
So, how do you suggest i tell which oxygen sensor (if any) needs to be replaced?

[drrodder]

Originally Posted by StEaLtHyUfO

I told the service advisors at the stupid dealership that it is probably the fuel sending unit and the fuel pump that are going and they are such idiots they said it was not that they cannot find the problem.

I had a similar problem with my '84 carbureted Chevy Suburban. It would stall out at freeway speed instead. I had it a local Chevy dealer and they said it was the fuel filter. The filter didn't fix the problem and they couldn't find the problem. I told them to replace the fuel pump anyways (they would not warranty the job as fixed if diagnosed by the customer), but they did anyways. After they did this, the truck ran great. They did admit to the fix being the right one AFTERWARDS. Some times those mechanics are just as not as knowledgeable as us.

[Chuckk1]

Nice to see I am not alone. I posted here a year ago about this stalling problem. The newest and most hopeful solution is what someone mentioned about crankcase sensors. How much was that fix? The only time mine didn't stall - and that lasted maybe two weeks - was when a dealership (who also "had no idea about the stalling problem") cleaned the throttle body, something I didn't even ask them to do. The car was taken in specifically for the stalling problem and I wound up replacing the neutral switch which the dealership claimed was bad. So far I've heard "fuel rails, fuel pump, Idle Air Control, Oxygen sensor, PVC valve, mass airflow sensor".....what IS it with these Auroras and the stalling?