Car keeps dying and idling rough.....why?

Asked by Harold Mar 07, 2014 at 12:59 AM about the 1989 Chevrolet Caprice Classic Brougham Sedan RWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

1989 Chevy Caprice 5.0l TBI dies when
stopping and shifting into drive or reverse,
but idles fine in neutral or park. I've
replaced TPS, EGR, IAC, Coolant temp
sensor,  MAP sensor, fuel filter, pcv valve,
o2 sensor, cap, rotor, spark plugs and wires,
most vacuum hoses, radiator and water
pump. All original with under 26k miles.
Performed fresh oil change. Added Marvel
Mystery Oil and oil light began to flicker.
What's going on?

8 Answers

110

In some of the older cars, there is a modulator in the transmission. It runs on the vacuum created by the engine. If the modulator goes bad, and it sucks all the vacuum from the engine, it will run rough. Look in to that and see if it helps you out. As far as the oil light, that Marvel mystery oil may have done some real "housekeeping" inside your engine. Try running some good 10W 30 motor oil (not synthetic) without any additives. See how it goes.

2 people found this helpful.
120

pop your radiator cap and fill, let the car run with the cap off, if you see bubbles, the head gasket is bad, also pop a spark plug out of each side, if it's brown like chocolate its fine if its black you could have a bad injector, also to rebuild your throttle body with fuel pressure regulator is about $40

5 people found this helpful.
20

My car doing the same thing I have 32,000miles on car what is the problem?

2 people found this helpful.
60

We had exact same problem. Took forever to find it. Ended up being a crack in the rubber tube in the fuel pump. Small crack but every time we put a load on it, it would die. Like you we replaced everything else unnecessarily. At idle was fine but when pit a load on it it couldn't get enough gas because of cracked hose

6 people found this helpful.
30

I have a 1981 curve caprice with 83,something thousand miles every time I started up the engine be revving High like someone pushing the gas some times when I cut it off. It will backfired still can't find out the problem what it is then when I drive it hesitate and stall when I push the gas when I try to make it go up to 45 mph would could that be

3 people found this helpful.
30

Try this before you replace any more parts; it could be the fuel pressure regulator in the Throttle body.

1 people found this helpful.
20

I have a Caprice 88 classic 305 eng.with a Rochester quadrajet carbo. he start and drive but some time at the stoplights the engine begin to slowdown and stops I have put a new destributor inn but now he stopos evry time I put im in a gear D or R

2 people found this helpful.

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