engine shuts off intermittently while driving along and check gauges light comes on
cafirebird
03-27-2009, 11:28 PM
I bought my 02 firebird 3.8L engine on 01-19 of this year. The second day I had it, I had just gone to the gas station and filled it up. As I slowed down to turn right to get on the freeway onramp, my bird just died out on me. No warning, felt like I was running out of gas. but i had a full tank. No warning lights ever came on at the time nor were my gages showing bad levels. A couple of times I was at a stop light and the engine would shut off while waiting and when I gave it gas, no power. So I turned off the engine and was able to restart it right away.
This has been happening intermittently ever since I bought the car, like once or twice a week. I had been able to start my car up right away until last week. The dealer told me they could not find anything wrong because there are no codes stored. Well I know there is something wrong.
Last week, on two different occasions, while driving along, my car hesitated, the CHECK GAUGES warning light came on and the car lost all power, even though I stepped on the gas pedal. I managed to coast to a stop on the side of the road. It took me nine attempts to restart the car. It would crank but would not turn over. Last night, while on the freeway, the dreaded check gauges light came on, my car lost all power and I was barely able to coast to the far right off the freeway. It took me ten tries before I finally started the car. No other warning lights came on. I also noticed that this problem seems to occur the next day after filling up the tank and 2 or 3 days after. I have had the fuel pump and the fuel filter checked and they were ok. The mechanic seems to think it is the crankshaft position sensor and the ignition module. I am afraid to drive the car now because of the danger of someone rear ending me.
Can anyone out there in cyberspace troubleshoot this dangerous problem and tell me how to fix it? :frown: Please let me know ASAP!!! I cannot afford to buy another car nor do I want to as I really love my bird except for this hazardous problema it has.
This has been happening intermittently ever since I bought the car, like once or twice a week. I had been able to start my car up right away until last week. The dealer told me they could not find anything wrong because there are no codes stored. Well I know there is something wrong.
Last week, on two different occasions, while driving along, my car hesitated, the CHECK GAUGES warning light came on and the car lost all power, even though I stepped on the gas pedal. I managed to coast to a stop on the side of the road. It took me nine attempts to restart the car. It would crank but would not turn over. Last night, while on the freeway, the dreaded check gauges light came on, my car lost all power and I was barely able to coast to the far right off the freeway. It took me ten tries before I finally started the car. No other warning lights came on. I also noticed that this problem seems to occur the next day after filling up the tank and 2 or 3 days after. I have had the fuel pump and the fuel filter checked and they were ok. The mechanic seems to think it is the crankshaft position sensor and the ignition module. I am afraid to drive the car now because of the danger of someone rear ending me.
Can anyone out there in cyberspace troubleshoot this dangerous problem and tell me how to fix it? :frown: Please let me know ASAP!!! I cannot afford to buy another car nor do I want to as I really love my bird except for this hazardous problema it has.
chevyrulespops
04-10-2009, 06:04 PM
it might just be the module...its the unit thats underneath the coil packs..very easy easy to replace..On the other hand the check gauges light coming on might be leading me to suspect that there might be a wire loose like on the alternator. Double check that the wires are tight on the back of the unit. Double check the cables going to the battery. Loose battery cables have been known to cause havoc on a electrical system. Check them for corrosion and build up. Also tap gently on the MAF sensor which is in the air filter plumbing with a screwdriver. If the car shuts off you've found the culprit
cafirebird
04-11-2009, 08:05 PM
Thanks for the info. After reading similar problems with GM vehicles on another website, I came to the conclusion that it was the crankshaft position sensor and or the ignition module. I decided to just replace the crankshaft position sensor for now and its been 2 weeks since replacement and so far, my bird has not stalled.
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