# Mysterious self healing car

**URL:** <https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790>\
**Category:** Maintenance/Repairs\
**Tags:** lesabre, engines, buick\
**Created:** [April 12, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790 "2008-04-12T01:14:37Z")\
**Posts on this page:** 5\
**Page:** 1

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**Author:** ![aleutman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@aleutman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/aleutman)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 1:14am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790/1 "2008-04-12T01:14:37Z")

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why is it my car is fine when i take it to  
  
 the mechanic, but when I am on my mail route the car idles down and cuts off. It  
  
 even cut off while in motion a few times.  
  
 The mechanics say for the computer to tell  
  
 them what is wrong the car has to be doing what I say its doing for them to diagnose  
  
 the problem. What can I do to help diagnose  
  
 my problem? If I pad the accelerator while  
  
 it is in this mysterious shut down it stays  
  
 running. It shuts down before I can put it  
  
 in gear. desperately confused by mystery shutdown.

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**Author:** ![americar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/americar/32/42_2.png) [@americar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/americar)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 1:20am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790/2 "2008-04-12T01:20:29Z")

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Make, model, year???

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**Author:** ![aleutman](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/a/e68b1a/32.png) [@aleutman](https://community.cartalk.com/u/aleutman)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 1:32am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790/3 "2008-04-12T01:32:53Z")

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The mysterious self healing car is a 2000 Buick LeSabre with 130,000 miles powered by a 3.8 ltr V6.

jrh

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**Author:** ![americar](https://sea1.discourse-cdn.com/cartalk/user_avatar/community.cartalk.com/americar/32/42_2.png) [@americar](https://community.cartalk.com/u/americar)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 1:41am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790/4 "2008-04-12T01:41:06Z")

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My guess is a fuel delivery issue. Possibly fuel pump or regulator.  
There may save been a recall on the fuel pressure regulator, if so see if the recall was performed.

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**Author:** ![GreasyJack](https://avatars.discourse-cdn.com/v4/letter/g/df705f/32.png) [@GreasyJack](https://community.cartalk.com/u/GreasyJack)\
**Post date:** [April 12, 2008, 2:09am UTC](https://community.cartalk.com/t/mysterious-self-healing-car/12790/5 "2008-04-12T02:09:11Z")

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My guess, especially if you’re in an ethanol state, is that you’re experiencing vapor lock. Doing all the drive-then-stop with a mail route gets everything really hot in the engine compartment, and if your fuel pressure is marginal from a weakening fuel pump or a partially plugged filter, even a newer fuel injected car can vapor-lock.

If you haven’t had the fuel filter changed lately, do it now. There’s a good chance that’ll resolve the issue.