1994 stall

[seanwjesus]

I have a 1994 Chevy Lumina Van

3 weeks ago, about 10 minuites after leaving the house and getting on the freeway the engine stopped. Not "cut out" or "chugged" but literaly stopped.

I pulled over and the engine restarted. ran great for rest of day.

3 day later it did it again , about 10 minutes aftewr starting. This time on local roadway, again I pulled over and restarted it, this time it was a bit sluggish to start. It had engine turn over but no "catch". Again once it started it ran fine.

3 days later the wife went to start it in the morning and it wouldn't catch. I camer home within 5 minutes and couldn't start it. Came back in 30 minutes and it started.

We made an appointment to have iit looked at

2 days in shop no real answers. They say they are getting a code but it doesn't seem to be a cause for the stalling.

Brought van home ran for 1 week no problem

2 days ago it stalled in traffic and wouldn't start for 10 minutes but did finally start.

Took it back to shop. 2 days later still no answers.

Any ideas?

[NeonKnight]

What engine 3.1? 3.8? im assuming the 3.8. Injectors? check them and make sure they are throwing out the right resistance.

[richtazz]

Find the ECM, and with the van running, tap on it with a screwdriver handle. If the van quits or hiccups, then you have a bad ECM. If it passes the "tap test", The crank sensor is the next thing I'd change. If changing the crank sensor doesn't help, the ignition module is probably faulty. All three will cause an intermittent stalling problem, and I list them in order of easiest to test (ECM) to least expensive(CPS) to most expensive(Ign Module)

[seanwjesus]

Richtazz;
Call me ignorant but what is the ECM?

[jdl]

Which engine do you have? If it cranks good but won't start, have a helper crank the engine while you check for spark at the plugs, anything? Also with the engine cranking, check for injector pulse, if TBI you might be able to see injectors spray gas if not, sometimes I can put my finger next to the injector s and feel it vibrate or you can use a noid lite. Any codes? If there is no spark or injector pulse while cranking, I start looking for an rpm signal. It would help to know your engine size.

[richtazz]

I'm sorry, the ECM is the computer. It is about the size of a typical textbook. It's located in the passenger compartment near the glove box and relay center.

[ocjmakaveli]

Try the dealership or at least another shop.

[seanwjesus]

Well I'm not about to let someone start just willy nilly replacing parts until they get lucky and I'm out a thousand dollars. I trust this shop as does my family, small town.

The engine is a 3800.

I have gone back and reviewed the dates of the stalling and believe it or not it stalls on Mondays and runs fine the rest of the week. No kidding Mondays??????

[richtazz]

IF you're somewhat mechanically inclined, get a Haynes manual and follow my instructions in my earlier post on the ECM "tap test". If the van passes the tap test, then I'd bet your problem is either the ignition module or crank sensor. A Haynes manual will give you test proceedures for the crank sensor, and Auto Zone and Advance should be able to test the ignition module for you. when they test the module, have them run the test 8-10 times, to allow the module to get hot. If it only fails when hot, it will pass the test if only done once.