My 2012 Buick Verano starts fine, but it will stall going down the street and sometimes it will die completely. It always starts right back up. I just had a mechanic look at it, and he thought it might be a sensor, so he replaced it. But that didn’t fix the issue. Could it be something in the gas tank? If so, how do I get it out?
My first thought is that you need a new/better mechanic.
My second thought–from afar–is that the Crankshaft Position Sensor could be to blame for the stalling.
Is that the sensor that he replaced, or was it a different sensor?
Something in the gas tank as the cause is… not likely.
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First—does your check engine light come on?
If so, have the codes read, usually for free at an auto parts store such as AutoZone, O’Reilly’s, etc.
Then post the actually code numbers.
Second—Agree withVDCdriver, you need a better mechanic.
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Sadly, I don’t even know what sensor he replaced (I’m a single female and don’t know much about cars. lol) It was around $60 for the part.
That should be on the invoice you paid.
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The engine light came on briefly, and then went off and hasn’t been back on. So I guess my next step is to get the codes read. I’ll come back with an update after I do that. Sounds like I do need a better mechanic. Thanks for your reply.
Thanks for your reply.
+1
If the invoice doesn’t state the name of the part that was replaced, then the OP’s mechanic might be a thief, in addition to being a mediocre mechanic.
I think your car has a 1.4L turbo engine. These had a very common issue with their intake manifold/PCV system/Valve cover. A GM dealer or someone familiar with GM products should be able to diagnose.
not sure I’m as quick to condemn this mechanic. If (and I’ve done this,) I had a random stall come in that I couldn’t replicate, I would toss a Cam or Crankshaft sensor at it and hope for the best. Often times that fixes it. Sometimes not. But it’s a valid first try. Maybe this mechanic did that, maybe not.
@geminixx69_182352 - what has this mechanic said when you told them that the issue was still present?
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Intermittent without codes are a crap shoot. Tried everything with mine and would drive around at night with the fuel pressure gauge taped to the windshield trying to see if fuel or spark. Replaced a lot of parts but never found it. Finally traded and it went to the car lot in the sky. Might have been a harness someplace.
Might have been the crank sensor he replaced. In mine a cam sensor would prevent a restart but not stall the car like a crank or fuel pump.
Concur w/@eddo above, OP, don’t be too quick to condem mechanic. Intermittent problems like this often take multiple attempts to solve, especially true w/complex OBD II technology cars like yours. For more forum help on this problem, suggest to post which sensor was replaced, and what (if any ) diagnostic codes are or were present. There are quite a few possible reasons for stalling. Feel free to search this forum for what others have said about stall problem, link upper right this page. A problematic throttle-valve actuator is often the primary suspect, at least from the posts we get here.