Stalling issue.

[Shinoff2183]

Hello everyone. I've got a 2003 Bonneville ssei. Full story, I had a 08 explorer it was totaled out after an accident. With no money, my sister gave me her old car it was sitting in her driveway for a year just sitting. I started driving it and after 1 month it started stalling on me. It stalls when in idle but not so much anymore. It does still stall out on me while driving. It all started after I filled the tank I believe. I've ran that gas completely out. Bought gas from a new place and ran that out. Then filled it one more time after all that. I've used fuel injector cleaner, heet dry gas. I've also cleaned the air flow sensor with mass airflow sensor cleaner

When driving it stalls out when braking and letting the gad go. I can get it to drive by braking and hitting the gas at the same time when slowing down, at red lights. It just seems if I stop giving gas it stalls out. It also jerks/jumps while driving but I don't think it's related.

Sorry about being all over the place with my post I'm just beyond frustrated.

Part store hooked up the computer and it says

P0101 mass air flow sensor (what I think is the issue or fuel pump)

P0134 02 bank sensor

P0303 cyl 3 misfire

P0404 egr control circuit ( I believe this was unplugged to see if it stopped the stalling by a relative)

P0443 evap purge control valve

P0502 speed sensor ( speedometer stopped working when egr was unplugged)

P0742 torque conv clutch solenoid

P0121 tps throttle position sensor

P0300 random misfire


It's just a bad time for me financially and I can't afford to be replacing everything. Especially with the holidays coming up.

I seen a few threads eerily similar to my issue but after reading I don't recall if their issue was ever fixed.

[J Wikoff]

I'd try clearing the codes and scanning again for whatever comes back.

Could be a bad ground...?

[Shinoff2183]

I'd try clearing the codes and scanning again for whatever comes back.

Could be a bad ground...?

I'm fairly new to fixing or let's say trying to fix my own vehicles so excuse my ignorance. Do you mean the battery ground wire.


Clearing the codes does sound like a good idea. I will try and drive it to the part store tomorrow and see if they will clear them. I've heard from a few people though that depending on the sales rep they won't clear them.

[J Wikoff]

You could unhook the battery negative cable for a minute to clear codes.

By "ground", I mean part of the circuit to any given component that connects to the vehicle chassis. Some things have their own ground point, some things' ground wires run to a common ground buss or ground stud.

[nos4blood70]

Look over your vacuum lines and see if anything is obviously broken, cracked, or brittle. Especially by the brake booster, since your brakes seem to be adding to the stalling issue.

You can spray brake parts cleaner on stuff to check for vacuum leaks. If the idle jumps while you spray in a spot, there's a leak there.

[96 SSEi]

I would first try starting and driving with maf sensor unplugged - see if it helps

right on top of throttle body
has a,b,c printed on it
unplug that one

Had same symptoms and it fixed mine till I got a good Maf

[Shinoff2183]

Update

So I cleared the codes. Same codes pop up.

Two days ago I was driving,got o. The highway. At night the highway is dead as can be. I wouldn't take it on there during the day because it stalling.

Ok, so as soon as I got on the highway it seemed like I was getting all the power when I pressed the gas (bottomed out so to say) and it died. It won't restart. I bought a fuel pressure tester and it reads 50. I think that is good enough? I tried jumping the car and it just clicks. I was reading and came across idle air control valve. I took it out and cleaned it up. It was really dirty and grimy. I put the jumper cables back on the car and now it almost seems like it wants to start, the serpentine belts moves a little. It just won't turn over.

Idk, what's going the stalling and now not starting might not even be related but what do you guys think.

[Shinoff2183]

So I did manage to get the codes cleared and all the same stuff came up.

I drove on it for a little longer while waiting for a mass airflow sensor. I found a cheap one online. I did see the post about vacuum lines and checking them but I was unsure so I haven't got to that yet

So two days ago I just got on the highway and 30 seconds or so onto it I felt the car was not giving me much almost like it bottomed out. Hope that makes sense. Anyway it died on me and wouldn't restart. Now I only took the highway because it was night and there is usually no cars out there. I normally wouldn't have taking the highway to work due to it stalling, after work different story

So I finally got it towed home. I left my 4 ways on and the tow took 14 hours because of a mix up. My battery completely died

I bought a fuel pressure tester and I'm at 50 psi, I believe I've read that that was OK. Am I right?

So today I was messing with it. It still won't start I was jumping it. I started reading about a idle air control valve and started to wonder. Now mind you I was only getting a click, click, click ,click. After I took the iac valve out and cleaned it I put the jumper cables back on and let it sit for a few. I turned the key and I got the serpentine belt to move this time. Like it almost wanted to start.

Could my stalling and eventual dieing of the vehicle be due to that iac valve or am I completely off? Far as I know the two issues may not even be related.

[96 SSEi]

I believe you have two issues: the first is the stalling - you say the IAC was gummed up? - then the throttle body is prob. te same
remove it from the car, remove all sensors and give it a good cleaning- clean sensors also.
2) when you stalled out, you only got clicks - so starter relays get the low volt signal but the battery cant provide the amps needed to start cranking
were the lights on dash dimming a bit at lower rpm?
you say the belt moves- is it slipping on the alternator pulley on top?
how is tensioner?
check the cables to battery and to + terminal under hood( under red cap)

[Shinoff2183]

I believe you have two issues: the first is the stalling - you say the IAC was gummed up? - then the throttle body is prob. te same
remove it from the car, remove all sensors and give it a good cleaning- clean sensors also.
2) when you stalled out, you only got clicks - so starter relays get the low volt signal but the battery cant provide the amps needed to start cranking
were the lights on dash dimming a bit at lower rpm?
you say the belt moves- is it slipping on the alternator pulley on top?
how is tensioner?
check the cables to battery and to + terminal under hood( under red cap)

I'll try and clean the sensors. There's one sensor I can't remember which one but it inside the wheel area. I read you gotta take the tire off to get to it. That might take a minute, I don't own a jack.

The last time it stalled when it wouldnt start back up it didn't get dim or anything. When it stalled out and when it would start back up it didn't get dim. The battery is under the back seat. It's clean as can be. There's a terminal outlet under the hood that is also extremely clean.

Someone mentioned a starter to me but I'll have to get ahold of a jack for that also.

I'm gonna try a few more things in the morning. It's a bad time a year for these issues I tell ya. I live in Erie PA and it just gonna get brutally cold lol.

As far as the belt I mean when I originally jumped it it stayed on jump for a good half hour and nothing but clicks. It's only when I cleaned the iac valve and put it back on jumpers that the belt moved. It wasn't slipping or anything but it seemed to get further into a start attempt if that makes any sense

[imidazol97]

If I were helping a friend with that car, I'd want to know how many miles are on it?

I'd switch out the battery with a known good battery that vents through the tubes.

I'd check the ground cable on the battery under the rear seat. I'd remove the ground on the floor and clean the connections to bright metal. There were some reports of problems with corrosion there.

While the battery positive cable was off or the ground cable was off, I'd check the fuse box under the hood for looseness in the connectors. I'm recalling someone had strange problems and found looseness in the positive buss pieces there.

I'd be concerned that the starter/battery power can't turn the engine over after it stalls. Maybe replace the starter because it's weak?
Take off the serpentine belt to see if the crankshaft and internal chain to cam will turn.

I'd be suspicious of the CPS for some of the stalling.

[Louiej99]

When you say the car won't start after stalling, what does the car do? Does all seem normal except the starter won't engage when key is turned to START? I had bizarre electrical issues last winter. Car would randomly "not start" sometimes and start fine others. Then it started shutting off while driving. Turned out to be a bad ignition switch.

[Shinoff2183]

When you say the car won't start after stalling, what does the car do? Does all seem normal except the starter won't engage when key is turned to START? I had bizarre electrical issues last winter. Car would randomly "not start" sometimes and start fine others. Then it started shutting off while driving. Turned out to be a bad ignition switch.

To the guy above this post I'm quoting, there is 178, 000 on it. As far as the battery the terminals look really good, not a spec on them from what I can tell. I'll give it a shot though.


I couldn't get anyone to come jump me today so I'll hopefully get to try tomorrow.

So first issue was the original post, it was stalling out on me while I was driving, unless I gave it gas at red lights and stop signs and turning corners. Basically if I let off the gas it was stalling. It would always restart

Second issue is it died out on the highway and this time would not restart. It just kept clicking click, click, click, click, click. So I called back to a guy still at work that was about to leave. Got a ride home. I put the 4 ways (hazard lights) on. I got home called the insurance company for my free tow. This was 12am. My estimated arrival time was 115am. Fell asleep. Still no car by 11am so I called. Towing company said to far. My car sat on the highway until 5pm. Somewhere in there my battery died. The next day(I still gotta work in between) I hook up some jumper cables and still just the clicking. Going through things I changed out the mass air flow sensor tried jumping and nothing but clicks. I cleaned off the iac valve with mass airflow cleaner and it worked well for cleaning it. It was really dirty. After that I hooked up the jumper cables and it felt like I got further as far as starting up. The serpentine belt actually move for a quick second. I feel that's the farthest I've got. Like I mentioned no luck getting someone to jump me so I'll give it a go tomorrow with some better cables. The battery dieing was a result of having the 4 ways on for 14 15 hours waiting for a tow. So I'm still trying to figure out why it died on me on the highway, then I've still possibly got the stalling issue if these issues aren't related.

[96 SSEi]

yes, clean the throttle body it will help regardless of issues.

did you unplug the Maf sensor? it may be the plug or wiring and not the sensor itself.

[Shinoff2183]

yes, clean the throttle body it will help regardless of issues.

did you unplug the Maf sensor? it may be the plug or wiring and not the sensor itself.

The wiring to the maf sensor looks pretty decent far as I can tell.
I put a car and jumper cables on it today for about and hour. It did manage to start but dies out. I got it running by hitting the gas continuously, obce letting go of gad it just dies. It diesnt start uo each time in fact it is rare. It goes vroo, vroo, vroo, but just not the vroom. It winds up but just won't click over.
I'm gonna look up and see where the throttle body is so I can clean that. Again I'm basically a rookie at this.

[dougtoth]

I was having a similar problem on my 2000SLE.
It turned put to be a dirty IAC.
I would re-check that and also re-check the throttle body.
Also check the MAF.