94 Regal 3.8 - Engine Shuts Off While Driving

[DJM1450]

I have a 94 Regal 3.8 with a little over 94,000 miles. The car was running fine on the highway at about 60 mph and then it just shut off. There was no warning prior to shutting off . All the gages (i.e. voltages, temp, & oil) were normal prior to shutting down. I pulled off the road and tried to start the car 5 or 6 times, but was unsuccessful. The engine was turning over strong, but the engine would not start. After 15 minutes sitting, I tried again and it started right up. Drove about 10 minutes and it shut down just like before. I did notice a little hesitation about 2 minutes into the drive. Again, it would not restart until it sat for 15-20 minutes. I had it towed home and checked and cleaned all electrical connections (battery, starter, alternator, etc.). The car continues to start on first try, but I have not driven it. Any recommendations would be helpful.
Thanks,

Dan

[richtazz]

The two most common causes of your symptoms are a bad crankshaft position sensor and a bad ECM. The windings in the crank sensor will short out as they heat up and will start working again once the cool down, then the whole cycle starts over. The ECM's in these cars are mounted under the hood, and are subjected to the elements. They can suffer from internal corrosion and water intrusion issues that will also cause a sudden stall, wait, start back up, repeat cycle also. If the OEM service number on your ECM is 1227727, that is the one most notorious for the water intrusion issues.

[DJM1450]

Thanks for the info. Would a engine diagnostic determine if the problem is with Crankshaft Position Sensor or ECM? Is there another way to single the cause.

[SuperFudd]

I had a similar problem with my 3.8 L '96 Regal. The problem was in the 20 or so pin connector that attaches to the front of the ignition module, probably a bad crimp on connector? wiggling the right wire would cause it to fail or, if dead, to work again. I had the connector re-worked by the dealership. I suspect it was a wire that either goes to the crankshaft or camshaft position sensor.

Don
Union City Ca.

[DJM1450]

I had the crankshaft position sensor replaced and it seems to have worked. Drove the car roundtrip (50 miles) to work today and no problem. Thanks to everyone for your recommendations and help.

[richtazz]

You're welcome. Thanks for the feedback, as we like happy endings.