randomly dying and stalling out going down the road

[jeffnohio]

***this post has been split from here: http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... 18&t=19205***

I want to check this on mine as well .. Is it a pain to get too? And Just to clairify... Is that harness under the driver side rear wheel well and do you get to it from the trunk .. or outside under the rear quarter.. easier with wheel off or on ..

Sorry for all the questions .. but I am a total newb when it comes to this car.. we just bought it from a guy last week .. with the whole oh no this car is in exclent condition and road worthy, he wouldnt hesitate to take off and drive it to california blah blah ... I really cant complain though looks like minor stuff so far and the car is in really nice cosmetic condition and got it for a steal... but this is not good just randomly dying and stalling out going down the road..

Again thank you guys and I am so glad I found this site..

[myfirstbonnie]

If you are wanting to check the fuel pump, the first thing would be to get a pressure set and see what the pressure is. Is it showing an SES light?

[jeffnohio]

Is it showing an SES light?

.. For me yes.. Im gonna try and make it up to advanced auto today and have them hook up the scan tool to it and see what the codes are. I pulled the throttle body off last night and went through it and cleaned it .. pulled everything off but the TPS. The MAP or MAF sensor ( not sure if those are the same thing but the one on the top of the throttle body ) looked clean no carbon at all or debree so I didnt mess with it.. all I had was gumout tb and carb cleaner. but the IAC was very dirty and cleaned it up .. put it all back together and it sputtered and gave me greif starting.. I pulled the vac line to the regulator and it smells like fuel... not sure what that means.. also when I unhooked the maf/map sensor and fired it it actually ran pretty good.. I have been reading like crazy on here to see if I can figure it out or at least grasp the concept of what it might be and how all these sensors affect the running of this engine.. I am a total newbie when it comes to newer engines but I need to figure this stuff out.. and thanks to you guys Im trying to cram this all in and understand it..


** also if it is maybe a crank sensor causing this, is it hard to get too?.. I tried to look down around the lower pully to see if I could see anything and I found some wires going to something, not sure if this is it or not yet.. **
Thank you guys ...

Jeff

[myfirstbonnie]

The first thing to do any time is get the codes scanned. You can replace every part you can think of and then the problem could still be there.

If the vacuum line from the FPR smells like gas, then chances are the diaphram is bad and allowing gas into the intake system which causes a rich condition.

As for the CPS, the only way to see it is to remove the HB.

[jeffnohio]

ok Yeah I figured the codes should be first .. I was just hoping I could stumble onto it with the freebie stuff first like cleaning things and checking for obvious things like vac leaks, spark etc.. Im a little worried to drive it into town .. 20 miles one way.. does it hurt them to unhook the maf sensor and drive it like that if that is the only way to run it and corrects the problem. I am not totally sure that would even correct the problem yet.. but later I will head there and then post up the codes. Thanks again

[golfyeti]

If I am right about the issues being a bad wire harness clip to the fuel pump, the best time to diagnose this is when the car is dead checking for electrical current at various points.

Yes, this clip is just behind the rear left wheel well. The top end of the fuel pump harness connects to the fuel pump under the access plate in the trunk. The bottom end of the fuel pump harness connects to just behind the rear left wheel well, secured to the frame. From this clip the 'two-speed control' wiring harness then goes back up into the rear left quarter panel and into the inner left of the trunk where you will find the 'two-speed control' module. I would check for current at the two-speed module first and then move on down towards the fuel pump harness and back-up tothe fuel pump connections under the truck plate.

I had the same problem as you and got to the point where the car would not restart again unless I jiggled the wiring harness. I ended up splicing in a by-pass wire that worked great for a temporary solution for a month. I found a replacement (used) wiring harness, installed it and soon after I am now re-experiencing the same random engine cut-out problem,,,,so back to jiggling my wire again. Heh, have fun with that one! LOL

[myfirstbonnie]

IIRC the SSEi is the only one with the pump speed control. The N/A came with single pump control, on or off.

Golf: do you have an SES light also? If so, you may want to start there.

[jeffnohio]

Ok I found my issue... It was the MAF sensor... un hooked it runs just fine .. when it is pluged in it throws the code for low voltage at the maf .. and randomely spts and sputters and dies.. some times it runs ok .. sometimes not.. so I bought some MAF cleaner hoping that would fix it.. but no luck.. So I guess im gonna look to see if there is a cheaper one online than at advanced auto parts.. list there was $138.00 ahhhh!!! for such a little thing too..

So a faulty MAF sensor will or can give these same symptoms as well as other things..

Thank you guys will keep ya posted if it acts up again. .

[00Beast]

If you have any good junkyards near you, check them. They could probably get one in any case.

[myfirstbonnie]

So, what codes did it have? Just remember that light is there for a reason and it can make things easier.................but not always.

[jeffnohio]

I was wondering about checking out salvage yards tomarrow or the next day thank you for the advice..


I didn't get the codes my self the guy at advanced did it and said it was throwing 3 codes 2 of which pertained to the MAF sensor and one a #3 plug missfire .. I fixed the plug and he cleared it but then itSES light came right back on after I cleaned the MAF .. sorry when I go back to have it checked out I will have him give me the actual code #'s

[jeffnohio]

do you guys know how to tell if one (MAF Sensor) from a salvage yard is good or not? I have a multi meter if there is a way to check the ohms or resistance my self before buying one.. ??