car stalls while driving down the road?

i would ohm test the injectors..... they break down with age.... each injector should be around 14ohms.... anything less than 10 ohms should be replaced.... check this with a multimeter.... when you replaced the plugs, are you sure you havnt crossed any spark plug wires??? did it run ok before you changed anything? i only suggest testing injectors due to lack of info, and they commonly fail... also, do you smell unburnt fuel from your exhaust? if so, you may have an injector stuck open.... what size engine? im guessing a 3.3l... we need any extra information to further help you with this. Try going over this guide as well

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-stalls

Please run down this guide and report back.

The car died before anything was changed. Yes I have smelt gas a few times.
The Prior to the car breaking down it was choking. The engine is a 3.1. The spark plugs and a sensor was just done. Now it starts and its shaking and backfiring.

what sensor do you keep referring to? if you smell fuel, its a possibility 1- an injector is stuck open, or 2- your losing spark to that cylinder.... if you shut the car off... let it sit for a little while, does it take a while to crank? if so, im going with stuck open injector, and the long crank is due to loss of fuel pressure due to the open injector.

I had it wrong...it was the coil associated wl the spark plug (there are three and one was replaced).
Per your last post could that be the reason behind the car breaking down?
I will have those injector checked.

each coil fires 2 cylinders.... a bad coil could certainly cause your symptoms.... pull a spark plug wire off the coils, one at a time.... check for a healthy spark.... (do this with a pair of pliers, and wear a pair of heavy leather gloves) you will want to see a nice snapping blue/orange spark that can jump about an inch from the coil to the wire you pulled.... you also want to see if the engine starts idling rough when you pulled a wire.... if there is no change in idle, then that is mostlikely what cylinder your problem lies in.

Ok I will have that done within the next few days. Should I still have the ohm tested?

i would.... they are known to break down, and it only takes about 10 minutes to ohm test all 6....

Okay, I will keep you posted....Thank you so much. Hopefully, once all that is done everything is ok .

how did you make out with this problem?

Not to good. New spark plugs, spark plug wiring,new coil piece. Car still backfiring really bad, also the oil light is now on and the car doesn't stay on.
He thinks it may be the oil pump.

has he checked for oil pressure? the oil light may be comming on because the rpms are low, due to the not running right issue.... does the check engine light come on? an oil pump shouldnt cause it to backfire.... are you certain the spark plug wires are in the correct firing order? it sounds to me like they are not, or the engine may have jumped time.

Not too sure if he did that. I'm truly considering having it towed somewhere. It's just so hard to trust anyone. He said when he hooked the car to the device that reads the code. It keeps saying misfire.

Before all this the service engine light was on

do you remember the codes?

Hi...unfortunately I do not. Let me start at the beginning. 1)The service engine light was on. 2)The car had that choking effect to it. It still drove but you could feel the hesitation. 3) I had it checked...he said quite a few codes came up. One being the mass air flow sensor. When he would disconnect it the car sound smoth...when he would reconnect it. That choking sound came back. 4) He said the was still drivable , so after a week I drove it and it broke down on me w/ no warning. All the lights flashed allowing me enough time to pull off the rode. After that it would not start. I had to get it towed. 5).To speed up he had me new spark plugs, fhe wiring and a coil. The car now starts but it still backfires and choking.
I just found out that he did not replace the air flow sensor yet. And now the oil light is on and he says I probably need an oil pump.
I am at my wits end ...I do not have money for experimenting.

sounds like the MAF sensor is def. bad.... as far as the oil pump being bad, unless he checked oil pressure, there is no way to say for sure.... this new info would have been a bit more helpful from the start.

Hi...yes and you are correct. Which is why I shared everything. This is my first time doing sonething like this. Never in my wildest dreams did I think there would be someone nice as you educating me. I will definitely have that MF sensor replaced.ince that is done I do not know what direction to go in

thank you for the compliment! as far as the mass air flow goes, once you replace it, you will notice a difference in driveability... for the better... this is a very important sensor for your engine... as far as the oil pump goes, it is possible its bad... have the pressure checked to verify... if he is going of what the oil sender is reading, its possible its inaccurate.... pumps rarely go bad, but it happens.... keep me updated...

Hi..this is Stacy w/ the Oldsmobile. Well I finally got the car to the shop. The mechanic said the car needs an engine. The cost would be $1,800. Undecided on what to do.

for a week the engine would run for 30 min and then quit. it would restart right away. now it starts and quits. I have replaced iac, crank sensor, computer, coil packs and module, now i'm lost. it seems to have prewssure in the fuel line at the schrader valve. I'm wondering if the fuel pump relay or ignition switch could be the problem.

Has the check engine light come on? Also, have you checked fuel pump pressure?

Let me know.

Joe

no check engine light and 40lbs pressure on fuel pump. It's like the power just gets cut and everything dies. it will start right back up for a while then quit again.

I hate to say it, but in this case what needs to be done is have a mechanic hook up a scanner that watches the engine while it is being run. My first guess is a MAP sensor, but without the check engine light, it becomes a guessing game. I don't want you to start throwing parts into it only to have the same problem. It could even be the crank sensor that is going bad. When they hook up the scanner, they can watch what the system is doing. They can actually freeze frame what the computer is telling the scanner at any given time.

Let me know what you find.
Joe

my 1996 olds ciera has 36,000 miles this car is like new however there is a major problem.the car will start and run fine for days.however when you shutoff the eng and come back out to restart it it will crank over and die out this will go on for around 6 or 7 cranks then the car will start and run fine.however this doesn't happen all the time.i replaced the fuel pump filter and fuel pump electrical solenoid the check eng light does not come on at all no codes are present.

Also when you go out to start the car to let the eng warm up it will run fine then all the suden it sounds like it sucking masive amounts of air then it stalls out however it will restat then run fine sorry for the spelling can you help me on this matter,one more thing the moter has a ticking noise in the front of the moter when cold sounds like a lifterbut the noise goes away when warm thanks so much jonney west

You may have a vacuum leak, get a can of spray gumout, spray the vac lines and maniflod area, when the idle changes, youve found the leak! You want the engine running and spray on the outside but do direct the stream onto the hoses, if it is a vacuum leak, the engine idle will change speed, then you have detected a leak, repair the vacuum leak and see how it runs! If that doesnt do it, you may need a new idle air control valve, it's bolted to the throttlebody

i allready did this no vacum leaks it still doesnt answer my qestion please read once agin thank

It did not say you had check for vacuum leaks, so please disregard my answer?

If I understand your post correctly, you've replaced the fuel filter. Have you replaced the PUMP? There's a check valve built into the pump in the tank. This valve prevents fuel from flowing back to the tank when the pump stops running. If the valve fails, when you shut the engine off, the fuel in the fuel lines, fuel rails at the injectors, etc. empties back into the tank. This means that when you attempt to start the engine, you have to fill the lines and fuel rails up before the injectors have enough fuel to spray into the cylinder, thus starting the engine.

This could be causing your problem. Try this: Without spinning the motor over, turn the key on for 5 seconds. Turn it back off. Do that again. Turn it back off, leaving it off for about 5 seconds each time. Now try to start it. If it starts up and runs ok, that's it. What you're doing by cycling the key like that is turning the pump on and back off, building up pressure and fuel in the lines. If that doesn't do it, repost and we'll walk through something else.

I already replaced the pump and filter and relay.this problem is intermittent restart the car runs fine ill shut of the car go in and do something i come back out and start the car it wants to start however dies out real quick.ill try to start the car over and over around 10 times or so then it will start up and run fine grant you i have already replaced the pump in the tank and filter and relay i was going to replace the fuel pressure regulator. however i am thinking if this was bad the car wouldn't start at anytime.would the mass air flow cause this it might not be called that now perhaps the idle air control is the wright thing on my car did this replace the mass air flow ?

When the car is running it runs like a new one like i said this does not happen all the time also when i first start the car to warm up the engine it runs fine then all the sudden it sounds like it sucking large volume of air then it stalls out i restart it runs fine for days on end this only happens once in a while to.also on warm up i hear a ticking noise that is quit load in the front of the motor then it goes away when it warms up this is all the time. this car only has 36,000 miles on it well if you can help.

thanks jonney west

There is a tech bulletin about fueling problems when the PCM switches from closed loop(cold) to open loop(warm) operation, this may be your problem the computer needs a re-flash at the dealer...

3.1L ENG IDLE SURGE ON COLD START - NEW FLASH PROM TECHNICAL SERVICE BULLETIN Reference Number(s): 67-65-31, 67-65-31A Related Ref Number(s): 67-65-31, 67-65-31A ARTICLE BEGINNING IDLE SURGE ON COLD START (NEW FLASH PROM) Model(s): 1996 Buick Century 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera Section: 6E - Engine Fuel & Emission Bulletin No.: 67-65-31A Date: November, 1996 VEHICLES AFFECTED 1996 Buick Century and 1996 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera with 3100 V6 engine (VIN M - RPO L82).

CONDITION Some owners may comment that the engine idle will fluctuate on the initial cold start of the day prior to the vehicle being shifted out of Park position. This typically occurs at the point the emission control system goes from "open" loop to "closed loop" status. This condition is most noticeable in warmer ambient temperatures. CAUSE The idle surge is caused by the difference in fueling between "open" and "closed" loop operation.

CORRECTION A new flash prom has been released to correct this condition. The following changes have been incorporated in the new flash prom: 1. Time delay increase to closed loop. 2. Smaller fueling corrections in the transition from open to closed loop. NOTE: This bulletin supersedes Technical Service Bulletin 67-65-31, dated September, 1996 and revises Correct Labor Operations Warranty Information. Page 1 of 2 3.1L ENG IDLE SURGE ON COLD START - NEW FLASH PROM -1996 Oldsmobile ... 10/18/2008

iam aware of this tsb in fact the car has a sticker on it that referes to it well iam still having the same problem.could a control module cause this or maybe a crank sensor i will tell you this this is getting to be a pain in the butt. what stumps me the most is there is no check engine light or codes.well please read my question agin i realy tried to explain the proplem i have been having thanks jonney

That large amount of air you hear being sucked in is the Idle Control solenoid at work. This happens when the engine leans out(runs out of fuel). The computer is trying to compensate by adding air to keep it running. This could be a sign that you are running out of gas for some reason. Not necessarilly in the tank but through the injectors. That TSB that was mentioned could be of some help. Read it closely and see if it pertains to you. If, in fact the computer is intermittently having a problem switching from OPEN loop to CLOSED loop, maybe that will help. If you have access to a fuel pressure guage, hook it up and watch it when the vehicle fails again. When you hear that sucking sound, see what the guage says. You may be losing pressure. If so, we'll try to help you figure out WHY!

i have already done this there is enough pressure .i compleatly understand what you are saying ,however this is not the problem i replaced the mass air flow and the car seams to be doing fine now it has been running great for arond 2 days now i will keep everyone informed.thanks jonney

It's a good possibility, MAF does contol injector pulse width.

1. Engine stalls out at 70 mph or at standstill, without warning. Does not just stop but, acts like it is running out of gas (airfilter was changed, oil was topped off)

. . . am assuming (hoping) this is simply a fuel filter problem at 151K miles

2. If it is the fuel filter, where is it located?

3. Do I need a lift to get at it?

Tnx Dave

ps motor runs strong and gets good mileage otherwise

currently unemployed and need a cheap fix

Replacing the fuel filter not a bad idea
i would suspect fuel pump or crank sensor
after it stall does it start right back up or it takes time for it to restart
after it does stalls check for spark and check for fuel
fuel filter located under the rear of the car by the fuel tank
Its easier with a lift but don't have to have it

I have a 95 Cutlass Ciera with 3.1 l engine VIN M. The car starts very hard and runs extremely rough and then dies usually within 20 seconds. Code reader displays Camshaft Position Sensor trouble code (PO341). Replaced sensor and cleared code. Attempted to start the engine and have the same problem. Reconnected scanner and have the same Camshaft Position Sensor trouble code.

Hello –

First, great job on the info on your car…..thanks. Also, can you let me know if your model is a S or SL? .

We need to figure out if it is electrical or fuel related. Next time it stops, pull a plug wire off of the spark plug and insert something into the end of it and have someone try to start the car and have the metal object really close to a piece of metal on the engine and see if you are getting a good strong popping blue spark. Don’t have your hands on any part of the metal!!! If there is no spark, then it is electrical.

If you are getting good spark then spray some starting fluid in the throttle body and try to start it and see if it tries to start then.

we purchased a 1994 olds. & while driving it home it stalled--we restarted it & when put into gear it stalled again--had to push it off roadway & after sitting a while took off in it & it was fine..Have you any ides what was the cause of this & will it happen again?

I'd do a tune-up on it. Check for applicable mil codes. Use a gage and check fuel pressure.

You could have an intermittent rpm signal, comes from crank sensor. When the problem occurs, if it cranks good but won't start, have a helper crank it, while you check for spark at the plugs. To check for spark, you can use a known good spark plug or spark tester, don't pull plug from engine. You can carry a spark tester, it won't get hot. If the spark plug wire, where applicable, is hot, use a glove to pull wire loose from spark plug. Stick spark tester in plug boot, ground metal part of tester to metal part of engine, watch for spark, engine cranking.