97 Chevy Lumina

merriman67 · 09-04-2005, 08:45 PM

I have a 97 chevy lumina that is causing me major problems

. 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????

Macc · 09-04-2005, 08:54 PM

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)?

merriman67 · 09-04-2005, 09:19 PM

It does it at all different times, the service engine light never comes on.

merriman67 · 09-04-2005, 09:20 PM

Does seem to be during acceleration, but can just be taking off to???? or going 60 mph????

Macc · 09-04-2005, 10:06 PM

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?

merriman67 · 09-05-2005, 02:26 AM

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 · 09-05-2005, 02:29 AM

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

Macc · 09-05-2005, 03:32 AM

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.

dodger65 · 09-05-2005, 06:27 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Macc

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.

it's really not nice to send someone on a snipe hunt for an imaginary maf sensor...

merriman67 · 09-05-2005, 07:06 PM

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????

merriman67 · 09-07-2005, 03:04 AM

Can someone please help me with this before I go absolutely crazy!!!!!

Macc · 09-07-2005, 04:32 AM

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.

merriman67 · 09-07-2005, 04:57 AM

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

dodger65 · 09-07-2005, 06:00 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merriman67

Checked the fuel pressure by pressing the valve when running and a stream of gasoline came shooting out

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....

osborste · 09-07-2005, 04:49 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by merriman67

I have a 97 chevy lumina that is causing me major problems

. 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????

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?