car dies when stomping on gas

105

Asked by Joseph Apr 23, 2011 at 12:13 PM about the 1989 Oldsmobile Cutlass Supreme

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

i have a 89 olds cut. sup. with a 3.1L in it. it sat for around 4 to 5 years. i started it once to twice a month. now i want to drive it on the road. it starts up great idles great and runs great as long as i dont go over 50 or stomp on the gas. then it will chug and sometimes it stays runnin other times it dies on me. all i have done to it is put lucas in the tank for any water and a fuel cleaner. any and all help would be great thank you.  

13 Answers

615

It is possible that the fuel cleaner knocked junk loose from inside your gas tank and is clogging the filter. I do not use those cleaners unless I am planning on changing the filters as well since clogging tends to happen. It is also possible that one of fuel lines is pinched. In general it sounds like your engine is not getting enough fuel, I would search for problems along those lines.

6 people found this helpful.
105

yeah that would make sense. since now it doesnt want to stay running very long. then when try starting it back up it acts like it is out of gas (which it is not). now the fun part trying to get that damn filter off. it looks pretty rusty and ive been spraying it with bolt buster for a few days now. thanks for your input.

2 people found this helpful.
105

well before i did any work on the car i ran it and as soon as it got warmed up it decided to run rough then die. it would not start back up for nothing. let cool then changed the fuel filter, spark plugs, coolant, oil, oil filter, trans filter and fluid, air filter. tried starting it up and it ran great until it got warmed up again. started chugging and died. samething it wont start now. i went and pulled the cap on the fuel rail and pushed in the nipple and i have plenty of gas. any advice would be awesome on this one. im at a loss.

4 people found this helpful.
5,305

Try running the engine with the air inlet tube off the throttle body. It is very possible that you have a weak fuel pump. If you have a fuel pressure gauge that you can screw on to the schrader valve on the fuel rail then get the vehicle to run and press the release valve on the gauge and see if the vehicle can withstand the larger demand for fuel or not. This is usually a determining factor as to the efficiency of the pump.

1 people found this helpful.
105

ill do that as soon as i find a gauge to use. in the mean time ill try the air inlet. i know the last couple of times it didnt even chug it acted like someone just turned the ignition off. i pulled a plug wire and hooked a spark plug up to it and cranked it over and i had spark. now when i try to start it all it does is turn over. ill try what you mentioned. thank you

105

is it possible that there is too much cleaner to gas ratio? i didnt know it but my son put some in last sunday (car was running better then it is now) i put some in friday, put that 104 octane in it today. all the fuel gauge read was 1/4 tank of gas. just a thought.

105

well it wasnt that. i put 3 gallons in the car and it started to run after around the 5th time starting it (chugging). the car ran and then it died after 15 to 20 minutes. same as always. tried starting it with the breather off and no it wouldnt start. you can hear the fuel pump kick on when you turn the key. i dunno. umm can anyone tell me if there is a spot to hook a computer up to it and if so about the area it is located in. i didnt see it anywhere. thanks

1 people found this helpful.
5,305

Try running the vehicle on an outside food source. youll have to help it stay running thought with the throttle and also possibly using a can of carb cleaner being sprayed in the intake to assist.

1 people found this helpful.
105

i decided to look at the crank sensor. undid the 5/16 bolt and noticed it was loose( the sensor that is) so i started taking it out by hand (yeah it was that loose) and about half of it came out. the rest is still in the motor. so that is telling me it was mostly broke and possibly giving me my problems. any idea how i can get the rest out? it is in such a tight spot. in the back of the motor. the rest of the sensor is not moving around at all. thank you.

3 people found this helpful.
10

my olds is doing the same thing i have changed the fuel filter, pump and the crank sensor now they are thinking it may be coil pack modualer

1 people found this helpful.
90

Take a heated drywall screw, heat up and try to screw it into the sensor. You can drill a hole in the center, and take a screw, and screw into it. Before you change these sensors, take pb blaster and spray them down. That o ring on the sensor can be a real pain in the stump. Check your 24x sensor too. It is located on the engine block behind the crank pulley .Remove the plastic water splash shield that protects the crankshaft pulley and serpentine belt from water. Find the 24X CKP sensor's connector. This connector is usually on top of or beside the A.C. compressor. It may be necessary to remove some of the plastic wire loom protector that shields the three wires of the 24X CKP sensor. Place the multimeter in Volts DC mode a the GREEN colored wire of the three wire connector. Connect the RED multimeter lead to this The GREEN wire is the signal wire that transmits the 24X CKP sensor signal to the PCM Connect the BLACK lead of the multimeter to a good ground point on the engine. When everything is set up, turn the crankshaft pulley by hand in a clock-wise direction while you keep your eyes on the multimeter. Do not use the starter motor to crank the engine. If the 24X sensor is working correctly, the multimeter will register an On/Off voltage of 9.5 to 10 Volts DC. On is when the multimeter displays 9.5 to 10 Volts DC and off is 0 Volts DC. The key to see this voltage change is to turn the crankshaft pulley slowly and steadily. Should see 12 volts at the sensor, and you should see a voltage fluncation of 0 10 volts dc on your multineter. Before replacing the 24X CKP sensor, you need to verify that it's getting power (12 volts). The wire that feeds the 24X crank sensor with power is the red one (of the 24X crank sensor connector). So the next step is to check that the RED wire has 12 Volts. If this red wire does have 12 Volts... this tells you that the 24X crank sensor is getting power and the reason it IS NOT producing a crank signal is because the sensor is BAD. Replace the sensor. The most obvious symptom of a BAD crank sensor is the check engine light (CEL) lit nice and bright and the following diagnostic trouble code stored in the PCM's memory. Below is a simple list of more specific symptoms that accompany a BAD crank sensor: BAD 24X crankshaft position sensor diagnostic trouble code (DTC): P0336 24X Reference Signal Circuit. Rough idle. BAD gas mileage. Won't pass the state emission's test (smog check). The most important thing to remember, is that when the 24X crank sensor has failed, your car will still start and run (although it may not run great).

2 people found this helpful.
20

Caddilac convertor stoping up or oxygen bought 95 % that will fixit

1 people found this helpful.

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