# 1990 Olds stops, hard to restart **URL:** \ **Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\ **Tags:** cutlass, oldsmobile, engines\ **Created:** [February 26, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-olds-stops-hard-to-restart/61881 "2011-02-26T15:14:11Z")\ **Posts on this page:** 2\ **Page:** 1
**Author:** ![jkamer39](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/j/76d3ee/32.png) [@jkamer39](https://community.cartalk.com/u/jkamer39)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 3:14pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-olds-stops-hard-to-restart/61881/1 "2011-02-26T15:14:11Z")
A friend has a '90 olds Ciera with the 3800 engine. The engine will quit running at a stoplight or almost any idle speed and then will be hard to start. May have to wait a few minutes before it restarts. He would like to get rid of the car a at a good price, but I’m a little afraid of the cost to fix it. ---
**Author:** ![cigroller](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/c/c68b51/32.png) [@cigroller](https://community.cartalk.com/u/cigroller)\ **Post date:** [February 26, 2011, 4:35pm UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/1990-olds-stops-hard-to-restart/61881/2 "2011-02-26T16:35:15Z")
I don’t know what “a good price” would be on a 22 year old car. If its just going to be sold, he’s not going to get much for it either way. So one option is just to throw it up on a Craigslist & see what happens. If you don’t like that option - no one here can tell you much b/c you didn’t tell us much. The car isn’t running right. If you want a list of possible reasons I’ll need a roll of toilet paper b/c the list will be that long. Start here: if any of the basic maintenance items on the car are not up to date then make it so. At minimum this means spark plugs & wires, fuel & air filters. I would also pull off the throttle body and clean that really well along with the idle air control valve and MAF sensor - if so equipped. The fuel pressure also needs to be checked, and someone should check for vacuum leaks. Basically, you need someone with a clue. If it isn’t you two then its a mechanic. Or you just dump the car b/c it isn’t worth much anyway.