2000 Pontiac Grand Prix GT(3.8 L) stalling sporadically when given Gas

Hey there,

I’ve been having a problem recently with my car stalling. It is very in-consistant, but when it happens it stalls MORE when I try to rev the motor. when I just let it idle, it usually doesn’t stall.The problem seems to be worse the colder it is outside.

Occasionally it happens right when I turn on the motor, but it usually happens after I’ve been driving for 10-15 minutes.

I changed the Fuel filter/air filter about a month ago, checked the gas a week ago and it was clean, so dirty gas seems to be out of the picture. I used fuel injector cleaner. I’ve checked all the spark plugs, and they seemed to be fine.



Any ideas before I have to drop a bunch of money into diagnostics?



Appreciate your time,

Fares A.

Is the check engine light on?

One easy thing to start with would be cleaning the throttle body - use throttle body cleaner and just follow the directions on the can.

I don’t know how you checked the spark plugs but if they are even close to due, I’d just do them. How are the wires - those too.

The Check Engine light has been on since I purchased the car, so I didn’t even think about it. >.<

I will definitely try the throttle cleaner, thanks for the suggestions.

Any other ideas?:slight_smile:

Cleaning the TB can’t hurt. But when you go to the auto parts store to get the cleaner, ask them if they can pull your codes. Many of the big corporate chain stores will do this for free. Write them down exactly (format “P0123”) and post them. The codes may provide you the best info for sorting it out. Either way it is best to figure out what they are and see what can be done. No matter what codes come up, don’t accept any “diagnosis” or suggestion from the parts store until you know exactly what is going on.

the “TB”? Sorry, not too savvy on the car-related acronyms.

Could a defective or clogged Catalytic Converter cause these problems? A mechanic I know mentioned it, and I was wondering if there was any credibility to the suggestions.
Also, is Throttle Body cleaner one-type-fits-all? If I buy a bottle of throttle body cleaner will it work as long as I have a fuel injected engine?

The “TB” is the Throttle Body. Intake air flow is controlled by the throttle plate in the throttle body, and by the idle air control valve (iacv). How much air flows through the intake into the engine combustion chambers is MEASURED by the MAF (Mass Air Flow) Sensor. Cleaning the throttle body and iacv with Throttle Body Cleaner can improve the air flow, and cleaning the MAF, with MAF Cleaner, can help ensure that it measures the air flow correctly. These things affect how the engine runs.

Did you get the codes read? Yes it is possible for this to be related to a clogged exhaust. But the thing is that there are a huge number of things that can be involved. Without being able to lay hands on the car this is all wild guessing in the dark. The trouble codes can help point in the right direction. So get the codes read.

Alright, We replaced the plugs and cleaned the Throttle body and the underlying problem is still there, although those two changes were quite the nice little tune up.

What parts store in particular offers the free coding? Autozone? I went to a local chain’s store and they said they did not.

There are places where no one will do it (I have seen reports from California about that). But in most areas of the US you can get it done. My area has Advance and Autozone and both do it. Other large chains that might include places like Pep Boys or O’Reillys. Autozone & Advance (and probably others) also have loaner tool programs. If you can’t have the codes read you might be able to “buy” a code reader, read the codes and then just get your $$ back (that’s how the loaner tools work).

Yeah, in Missouri we have O’Reilly’s and Autozone. I think there is a Nappa around here too. O’Reilly’s has the loaner tool program, but that’s it. I’ll try Autozone and Nappa aswell=D