Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i do

Series I L27 (1992-1994 SE,SLE, SSE) & Series II L36 (1995-1999 SE, SSE, SLE) and common problems for the Series I and II L67 (all supercharged models 92-99) Including Olds 88's, Olds LSS's, Olds 98 91-96, Buick Lesabres and Park Avenue 91-96. Please use General Chat for non-mechanical issues, and Performance and Brainstorming for improvements.
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Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i do

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

Hi i have a 1996 bonneville and it cuts off while i drive aint no question about it. i dont no where to start. i would drive about 100blocks on my way to work before it would cut off and then when i try and start it again it does not start it wants to but does not. Its like someting is getting hot and the whole system shuts down. if i wait about 30 min it will start but wont go far untill it cuts off again. if i wait an hr or 2 it will drive another 100 blocks. so one day i was out far and was dessperate to get my car home and got it to start a second time i drove about 40 blocks and it cut off again had to wait 30 to 45 min for it to start again and the 3rd time it drove and did not cut off.
Recently i when to u-pull it and bought a used fuel pump from u-pull it and had a friend install it. It workd perfect the first day no problems once so ever the second day it drove half the day. when i tryd to jump in it and go to work it would not turn over. now it only goes about 10 blocks before dieing. So another friend told me to wait for the car to die and then check to see if the fuel pump is working before buying a brand new one and it seems to be working he said to take of one of the fuel lines and if it sprays out fuel it still works and was spraying out fuel lol. but sometimes i cant here the fuel pump and thats how i know its gunna start or not but what im having troule is it seems to be someting ellse to anybody have any suggestion maybe it could be a mixture of a bad fuel pump and something ellse???
I love my car and am dessperately tryn to get it to run good again please help me......

Its a 1996 and is not fuel injected somebody said maybe it could be some electrical maybe a bad computer but if the computer was bad wouldnt the car not turn on at all??
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Mechanical Mike »

All Bonnevilles from the late 80's to 2005 are fuel injected. Maybe you meant to say it's not supercharged?

Fuel pumps, ignition control modules & crank sensors have all been known to cause the engine to cut off but restart after cooling down. Crank sensors are the most common cause.
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Ilovemybonnie
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

ok so what would you suggest i should do first?
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Mechanical Mike »

If money is not a big issue then I'd go with the odds & change the crank sensor. About the only way to make certain it's the crank sensor is if you can get it to stall in your driveway & then cool the sensor down with a garden hose & see if it restarts.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

ok i take it off after it stall rite?? and if i hose it down still intact will it damage any of the other sensers??
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by 1oldman »

When s the last time you changed your fuel filter?

Do you have a Service Engine Soon lite or Check Engine Lite?

I don't know about your year car, but on mine, a bad/defective Ignition Control Module will act that way too and not give a SES. Your's is an OBD 2 so it might give you a SES if the ICM is defective. - BC
Last edited by 1oldman on Sun Jun 26, 2011 11:15 pm, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Mechanical Mike »

Leave it on & hose it down. It's located behind the harmonic balancer (lowest pulley on the engine) so just direct the water to that general area. Hose it down for a minute & see if it restarts.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by sonoma_zr2 »

I am thinking maf sensor or cat, maybe even fuel pump. Is the gas tank empty or full when this happens. You could unplug the maf sensor and see if it stalls. Here is a pic of the maf

viewtopic.php?f=18&t=26373&hilit=maf
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

ok thanks all im going to go cash my check i got my mechanic here and gunna go grab a crank shaft sencer or watever its calld i had lookd it up and said if this does not work it will cause allot of things to fail. I appreciate everyones help and this is a great experience for me i will keep all tuned in a nd let you know what happens.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

ok so i put in the senser and i drove about 60 blocks before it cut off but when i went to start it up again it started on the second try and i drove it home so im makn progress lol. I whent to O'riellys today and used there scanner and it spat out a code sayn that i need to get a new air mass senser where as before it would not give me any codes. so tommorow im going to get another senser and put that in and hopefully that solves my problem. Thanks all for your help i deeply appreciate it i would have spent over 400 probably at a shop oyu guys really saved me some money. Ill let yall know what happens tommorow
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Phantom »

I would get the sensor from a junk yard and try that, it might help if you just clean the sensor that you have now just make sure that it is completely dry before starting it back up. Pull the hose connected to the Fuel Pressure Regulator and see if it smells like gas.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

ok so yesterday i put in the crank senser the car drove all day untill later that night it cut off and would not start back up i had to leave it and push it to a safe parking spot. it wanted to start but its like theres maybe a wire loose some where or something this dam car is irritating.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by migbonne »

96 bonne keep stalling on me. replaced coil pack,icm,crank sensor,plug ,wirer.wtf stalling driving me crazy...need some help.veh stall when the veh. temp get around 200-210
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

I just went to go get my car and i drove it about 20 blocks before it cut off it acted like the battery was draining quickly or something. it wouldnt even turn over when i tried to start it no click or nothing. it then restarted after 5m and i drove it another 15 blocks and finly died again and will not start. i went to o riellys and used there scanner and it says (Throttle/pedal position senser A Low input (code-P0122)) and Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit Low Input (code P0102)what does this mean??????
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by 1oldman »

Ilovemybonnie wrote:I just went to go get my car and i drove it about 20 blocks before it cut off it acted like the battery was draining quickly or something. it wouldnt even turn over when i tried to start it no click or nothing. it then restarted after 5m and i drove it another 15 blocks and finly died again and will not start. i went to o riellys and used there scanner and it says (Throttle/pedal position senser A Low input (code-P0122)) and Mass or Volume Air Flow Circuit Low Input (code P0102)what does this mean??????


Okay, I’m not a mechanic, but I do a fairly good job of keeping my ole ‘92 running. There are others on the Forum that know much more than I and may be of more help. This is the procedure I have used under similar circumstances as yours.

A Throttle Position Sensor looks like this:
1. http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =48&t=9098
2. http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/1995-Bon ... ccessories
It tells the computer that controls the engine how far open or closed your throttle is.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Throttle_position_sensor

A Mass Air Flow Sensor tells the computer that controls the engine how dense the air is and how much air is going into the engine.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mass_air_flow_sensor


The MAFS (Mass Air Flow Sensor) is easy to replace but expensive. It may be easier to try and clean before spending the money to replace it.
How to clean the MAFS: (by harofreak00 - he is great on figuring how to fix Bonnevilles - great gearhead) -
viewtopic.php?f=18&t=26286&p=266050&hil ... or#p266050
By Jrs3800 (another great gearhead) http://www.pontiacbonnevilleclub.com/fo ... =48&t=1661

The TPS (Throttle Position Sensor) is the easiest and least expensive to replace. https://www.napaonline.com/Catalog/Resu ... 60+2060004


I suggest you clean the MAFS first as I think it would be the least expensive to do. If that doesn’t work, replace the TPS, then replace the MAFS if replacing the TPS and cleaning the MAFS doesn't work. If the fuel filter hasn’t been replaced lately or you don’t know the last time it was replaced, do that too. I put the date on it then with one of those really big black markers.

- BC
Last edited by 1oldman on Fri Jul 01, 2011 7:52 am, edited 1 time in total.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by sonoma_zr2 »

Sounds like you said you lost all electrical power. Maybe a quick inspection of the battery cables is in order. Pull the positive cable from the battery, separate the two cables, clean and maybe replace the lead washer.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by savagecowboy_69 »

if the tps signal is low it might just need adjusting(i know mine did) also the neg battery cable is kinda close to the back side of the belt on the series one motors idk about the series 2 but if it is the same the belt might be wearing through the cable and letting it ground out under the icm under the coil packs. just a thought.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by Ilovemybonnie »

i cleaned and replaced the washer still does the same thing. its like something is getting hot causing the car to shut down. i dont no why all of a suddn the car acts like it looses power when i try to start it sometimes it just started doing that.
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by sonoma_zr2 »

I don't see this any where, did you disconnect the connector on the maf sensor? Did you replace the maf sensor? When it stalls, can you see if the cat is hot?
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Re: Help(ASAP) my 1996 cuts off while driving what should i

Post by 1oldman »

After you check what sonoma_zr2 suggested then try checking the wiring issue savagecowboy_69 suggested. I would venture a large number of Bonnevilles have at least some of the cladding on the wiring savagecowboy_69 is talking about damaged. Mine did and after inspection, i could see where it could be common. I am not familiar with your engine, but I don’t believe the TPS can be adjusted on your car. I believe it either works, or it doesn’t work.

Don't let it get to you. anything mechanical or electrical can be a handful from time to time. Just keep at it, you'll get it. Don't be willing to "throw money at it". Try diagnosing the easy things first, then move on to the hard stuff after you get the easy things. It gives you the confidence you need to figure this stuff out. - BC
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