supreme_style21 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 Just bought an '89 Grand Prix LE, 3.1L. We're sitting here in the yard with it and it won't run. I gotta get this started before dark so I can get home. It would start and run fine, but would die occasionally when stopping. So we replaced the fuel filter, because that has not ever been changed. NOW after we replaced that, the car won't run. It will turn over, and just as it starts to run, it dies. It'll start if you stomp on the gas, but as soon as you let off the gas, it dies. We made sure the filter was tight and it was installed in the proper direction. We tried resetting the ECU, so it has to re-learn idle. That didn't work either. Whats wrong!!????? Quote
Slade901 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 Failing fuel pump... If you have a fuel pressure gauge then test it. This is a worse case scenario.. It could be that the previous owner hollowed through the old fuel filter so it would let the fuel pass through unrestricted (just to help the failing fuel pump). You put a brand new fuel filter and now it got worse. You new filter of course has filter in it and it restricts the fuel a little bit to filter the fuel. You might want to put the old fuel filter and see if it becomes better. As you said that the old fuel filter at least let you drive but sometimes dies when stopping. I would just use my heel to stop the car while my toes is on the gas pedal to keep it dying when stopping. If you ever bring your car home, test the fuel pressure. Quote
hazmatic Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 my brother had the same problem wit hiz camaro when he had it n the engine wuz floodid so we put a brick on the gas pedal n let it idle in the red line untill most the fluid wuz gone Quote
Justin Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 Hey man, I just moved to forks from devils lake, if you're still having problems with it on monday I could help you out after work. I have a fuel pressure gauge, if you haven't come across one yet. Quote
supreme_style21 Posted June 8, 2003 Author Report Posted June 8, 2003 Hey thanks for the replies! We got it running... it was flooded, like hazmatic said.. after that, it still ran like ass. A friend of mine I took out there with me did that idle-relearn thing to it 4 times before it ran. I was honestly quite nervous about driving it back home here.. The car was about an hour and a half in the middle of nowhere and my cell phone conviently died just as I left. So all-in-all, it runs fine.. EXCEPT when it comes time to stop.. The car died at every stop sign on my way home. I was noticing that whenever I stepped on the brake and/or let off the gas, it would start studdering, lights would dim, and the voltage gauge fluctuated a lot before it finally shut down. This is an alternator problem I assume? I get no dummy lights at any point and the voltage gauge runs healthy when it cruises down the highway.. so I don't know that much about these to make that guess.. (I have a feeling I'm gonna be really embarassed when I take this across town tomorrow and it dies every time I stop) :oops: Anyone have an idea?? Quote
supreme_style21 Posted June 8, 2003 Author Report Posted June 8, 2003 I'm doing lotsa research. Yeah I doubt it is the alt. One site said it may be a plugged cat. converter. Where is this and how do I clean it out? Quote
badprix Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 hack the cat off, I did that to my '89 and I gained a whole tenth! (with the pipe ending right before the cab) Quote
chronic139 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 you dont really clean otu cat's. either replace or striaghtpipe it Quote
supreme_style21 Posted June 8, 2003 Author Report Posted June 8, 2003 you dont really clean otu cat's. either replace or striaghtpipe it Ok.. but I can't find it.. I guess I don't know what one looks like, but underneath the car, all I see is exhaust pipe? Quote
GrandPrix34 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 it looks like a turtle under the car...cant miss it. Just take it to a muffler shop and have them either replace it wit a high flo cat, a standard cat, or just reroute the piping before the cat to the side of the car...wait, no, just replace the cat wit a straight pipe. by the way, would that work on the DOHC? If i ws to remove the cat and just run the pipe to the side, kind of open header style? Quote
supreme_style21 Posted June 8, 2003 Author Report Posted June 8, 2003 There is not turtle anything under there. The only thing I see, besides the pipe, forgive me for sounding stupid, is the muffler thingy. You know how on the end of the exhaust, there is that big muffler, its all wide and stuff.. thats the only thing under there, and its all full of holes, like a kitchen strainer. bah I dunno. I'm gonna try look for vacuum leaks, somehow.. Quote
Slade901 Posted June 8, 2003 Report Posted June 8, 2003 The catalytic converter also looks like a regular muffler. The catalytic converter is usually located right under or just behind (the driver and passenger seats). Quote
supreme_style21 Posted June 9, 2003 Author Report Posted June 9, 2003 Yeah I found what you mean. That was fine. A buddy of mine set the engine to idle a little faster than what it was before.. I noticed that it was dropping down to 500RPM or less at times. We set it to 900-1000 and it seems to run better.. Hasn't died on me once yet! He also thought it would wise to bypass the emissions control? Don't quite know what he did. Quote
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