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I have a 97 chevy lumina that is causing me major problems :cussing: . It
will be driving just fine then all the sudden it's like something grabs it
and is choking it and it sputters and jerks real hard and takes off again.
Then it will die sometimes when it does this and it takes several times
before it starts back up again???? What could this be???? :banghead:
merriman67
Does the check engine light ever come on? Does the problem tend to happen
at any particular time (such as mainly during acceleration, or rather at a
constant velocity)?
Macc
It does it at all different times, the service engine light never comes on.
:doh:
merriman67
Does seem to be during acceleration, but can just be taking off to???? or
going 60 mph????
merriman67
The jerking type motion makes me think it might be a problem with the
Throttle Position Sensor. It is located on the throttle body right where
the throttle plate is. There should be 3 wires going into it. Remove the
connector to the sensor and attach an ohmeter to the center and one of the
side wires of the sensor. Then when you steadily rotate the throttle plate
by hand (or steadily press the gas pedal) the resistance reading should
build up slowly and evenly as the pedal is slowly pressed slowly and
evenly. Then attach the ohmeter to the same center wire and opposite wire
and do the same. It should show a reverse but steady reading. If there are
jumps in the resistance as you do this test then the TPS is likely bad..
When it dies sometimes is the car at idle (like at a light), or is at a
moderate speed going down the road? Does the exhaust have a gas or rotten
egg type smell to it? Does the car seem to be using more gas than ususal?
Macc
it does die when just sitting still or idleing, it will just die suddenly
doesn't even sound like it's fixin to die, have noticed some rotten egg
smell sometimes since it's been doing this??? I'll try what you said also
and see what happens.
merriman67
p.s.
I'm a dumb blonde, where is the throttle plate located approx. on my car.
Know a little about vehicles, but mainly just learning as I go since my
divorce 3 yrs. ago :ohcrap:
merriman67
If you follow the accelerator cable to the throttle body the throttle plate
is just inside of the throttle body. If you remove the tube that goes from
the air filter to the throttle body and look inside the throttle body you
will see the throttle plate. Its the round plate in there that rotates as
you press the gas pedal.
The first thing you probably should check is the vacuum hoses. Check them
all over for any loose hoses or cracks etc. (vacuum leaks). A leak can
often be heard as a sucking sound. Then check over the electrical
connections at the various sensors. Look for loose connections, corrosion
etc.. Also check over the connections at fuses and relays (particularly
those that pertain to sensors etc.).
The MAF sensor is located just after the air filter on the air intake. You
will see the wire harness attached to it. Start the car and let it warm
up. Then tap the outside of the sensor area with an object and see if
there is a noticeable change in the engine. If the sensor is bad often the
engine will sputter or die.
The stalling at idle could also be a problem with the Idle Air Control
Valve. Sometime they can get clogged with carbon deposits etc. and will
cause the engine to stall at idle.
You could have an 02 sensor going bad. Watch your gas consumption. Some
symptoms of this are; exhaust smells like gas or rotten eggs, and the car
uses excessive gas.
Macc
it's really not nice to send someone on a snipe hunt for an imaginary maf
sensor... :doh:
dodger65
Ok, I do not have an ohmeter but i'm going to go get one in a little while
to check that. I checked for vacum hose leaks, don't see any, I check
connections and don't see any loose or corroided. Checked fuses and relays
seems to be fine.
This morning the car will crank but will not idle just dies suddenly, so
can't let it warm up to check the MAF sensor???
Could not find where the idle air control valve is???? Would like to check
it also. Do you think it could have anything to do with the fuel
filter???
Anything else I could check???? Could it be anything to do with the fuel
injectors or spark plugs or anything like that????
:banghead:
merriman67
Can someone please help me with this before I go absolutely crazy!!!!!
:cussing: :banghead:
merriman67
dodger65 is right, that car doesn't have a maf it has a map sensor. For
some reason I was thinking maf. It performs a similar function just by a
different method. The fuel filter would cause it to stall at idle but
would not not likely be the problem if you are driving along fine and then
it suddenly stalls at cruising speed. If it hasn't been changed in a good
while it would'nt hurt. Even though the engine light hasn't come on it
might be a good idea to have it checked anyway to see if there are any
codes (the check engine light might be burned out). Also, it is possible
the fuel pump is starting to go. Might be a good idea to have the fuel
pressure checked.
Macc
Checked the fuel pressure by pressing the valve when running and a stream
of gasoline came shooting out, but will check the rest of what you said
k....
Will let you know what happens....
TY,
Sheila :thumbs:
merriman67
you should really test it w/ a gauge. that's not a really solid indicator
of good fuel pressure... ohm the injectors, too. if it's batch fired (i
don't recall for a '97) then one shorted injector can kill it....
dodger65
anyone thought about plugs and wires ?
when was the last tune up???
whats the mileage ? 4 or 6 cylinder?
are the plug wires still the original if they are they will be numbered 1
to 6 (v6 model). the numbers will be on the wires themselves.
there was a mention of the fuel filter .when was the last time it was
changed?
osborste
I haven't thought about plugs and wires. It's a 6 cy. and has 170,000
miles on the car. I will look to see if it's the original wires or not. I
got the car last Oct. and I haven't had it tuned up. I know just a dumb
woman huh?? LOL And not sure when the fuel filter has been changed if ever
either???? But I will check these things also. TY
Sheila
merriman67
OK!!! Here's something else that may help solve the problem. I got the
car to crank today and my brother checked some fuses and plugs but he
really doesn't know a lot about vehicles either. When I accelerate the gas
while it's in park instead of holding a steady acceleration it revs up and
down???? But I'm holding the gas pedal steady?????
what does that sound like to you guys????
TY,
Sheila
merriman67
sounds like the rev limiter. i wouldn't worry about it... it's supposed to
do it...
dodger65
Well when it's doing that is also when it will die????? Sure it's suspose
to do that????
Sheila
Takes a few times to get it cranked back up again afterwards
merriman67
it's supposed to do half of what you said. when you rev the engine in park,
it will reach about 3000 rpm's then drop off til it hits about 2500, rev
back up to 3000, down to 2500, etc...
you're saying that it's dying when you let off the gas, right? it's not
supposed to do that. have you checked your fuel pressure or tried anything
else yet?
dodger65
k, changed the fuel filter and the spark plugs still having the same
problem. Yes it is dieing when I let off the gas????
Sheila
merriman67
have you done a fuel pressure test yet? is there a loud sucking noise or
whistle coming from the motor? maybe a vacuum line popped off, i would
still say fuel pump pressure should be checked before going any further
BanffAutoSpa_ap
what banff said... plus if your fuel pressure test indicates the pressure
is ok, then take it by an auto parts store that will pull your codes for
free (i.e. autozone) and tell us what codes come out of it... :thumbs:
dodger65
replace the fuel filter. I forgot what its called, but you can get it form
autozone any store like that theres a fluid you dump in your gasloine that
cleans out corrosion. Get that and a fuel filter. The fuel filter will be
like 10 dollars, and the fluid will be like 4-5 dollars.
Do3r17
Have you had the catalytic converter checked lately? A bad cat also has a
bad egg smell and dies alot until it kicks the bucket and then it won't
start at all. Good luck. :2cents:
Grannie2
I have a 1998. Had some of the same things happening with mine.
Spent many $$$ on it with everyone I could find no luck fixing it. My gas
cap just did pass inspection last week. So I just put a new gas cap on and
the problum has been gone for a week now. It might help. Good luck.
spottydog
yeah that makes perfect sense... :screwy: :screwy: :banghead: :banghead:
good luck 3 years ago...
dodger65
Right. I've heard of a check engine light coming on from a gas cap but
never has it killed the engine. What's up with all the really old posts
lately. People don't look at the dates?
DBain
that's part of it, and the fact is, i don't think i've seen any gas caps
that are bad enough to make a car die while driving, especially when they
test good...
dodger65
Unlike the other threads posted, my engine light DOES come on after running
for about 3miles. After that, anytime I slow down or just let off the gas
completely the car will die. The car did give off the rotten egg smell a
while back but hasn't for a long time and I have noticed the gas mileage
has decreased considerably.
Now bearing in mind, last winter, my car fishtailed off the road on
packed ice. It's only since that happened that this problem started, I just
assumed that had something to do with it.
I noticed these posts about similar problems and thought maybe someone
can help before I spend a good but useless amount of money trying to figure
it out :banghead: :cussing:
I appreciate any help
likwyd
get the codes scanned and we can go from there
dodger65
