We have a 92 Buick LeSabre with the 3800 engine, only about 70 miles, great car, but recently has begun stalling unpredictably. Then it will restart after a while and our good mechanic can’t duplicate the stall or diagnose the problem. Speculation about crank relay, fuel pump relay, and some guy with a similar problem says he replaced some little electrical box and the problem went away - no more detail than that, unfortunately. Has anybody had a similar problem and gotten to the bottom of it? Would really appreciate any thoughts.
Pete in Denver
It’s very difficult to be specific without knowing if any codes are present or more importantly, if the problem is fuel or spark related.
If the engine stalls abruptly and will not restart even with the accelerator pedal depressed the crank position sensor or ignition module may be at fault.
If the engine stumbles before quitting then this could point to a fuel pump or a faulty MAF sensor.
Nothing is etched in stone on this diagnosis since things can vary.
I’m guessing that the little electrical box you reference is a MAF sensor, which can cause a problem like this, but so can a few other things.
Has the fuel filter ever been changed? If not, this could lend some credence to a faulty fuel pump theory since a dirty filter can kill a fuel pump.
I have the same car with the same problem and have not solved it yet it is spark related on mine we changed the camshaft sensor and the coil pack and no luck but i am taking it to the shop tommorow and having the codes read the last time we did that and it said we had a bad cam sensor but nothing resolved after changing that. will keep you up to date.
Jon in Mass.
There are tons of things that could cause stalling but you really need to find out if it is spark or fuel that is the problem. When it doesn’t start, can you hear the fuel pump hum? Does it need to cool down first before it will start again? Don’t forget that a car that old can have wiring problems too. I guess if it requires cooling down and just kills without stumbling first, I’d be looking at coil, ignition module, fuel pump, pump relay (only $10), or even pump wiring.
hi, did you figure it out I have the same problem on my park ave.the check engine lite was on once and it said cam sensor but I had them shut it off,im afraid I wont get a proper diagnosis from a mechanic with out the light on.please let me no. ty