HEY YALL,
I JUST BOUGHT A 92 PONTIAC BONNEVILLE SSEI SUPERCHARGED W/ 86,000 MILES. IT RAN GREAT THE FIRST 3 DAYS; HOWEVER, NOW THE CAR WONT START AFTER ITS BEEN TURNED OFF...FOR EXAMPLE:
IF I WANT TO GO SOMEWHERE RIGHT NOW I CAN GO BECAUSE MY CAR HAS BEEN SITTING FOR LONGER THAN AN HOUR, BUT WHEN I GET TO WHERE I WANT TO GO, PARK, AND TURN THE CAR OFF, IT WILL NOT START AGAIN UNLESS I WAIT FOR 1 HOUR (I GUESS UNTIL THE ENGINE COOLS DOWN).

NO LIGHT SHOWS ON DASH EXEPT FOR THE ABS LIGHT BUT I NEED A WHEEL ALIGNMENT. IT HAS CUT OFF ON ME WHILE DRIVING 2 TIMES. I AM NOT DRIVING IT UNTIL I FIGURE OUT WHAT THE PROBLEM IS..EVERYTHING WORKS IN THE CAR PERFECTLY. CAN SOMEBODY HELP ME. WHAT IS THE PROBLEM AND THE CHEAPEST WAY I CAN GET THIS FIXED...THE CAR IS SO BEAUTIFUL SITTING OUTSIDE, I JUST WISH I COULD DRIVE IT WITHOUT HAVING TO WORRY ABOUT IT NOT STARTING!!!!

First step in fixing your car, is to turn off the caps lock. It'* like you are yelling at us.

Second, we need more info. When the car starts.. does it start quick and painless? When it doesn't start, does the engine crank and not fire? Or does it not even crank? Does it want to start, but just never fully catches? More detail, bud


-justin

Welcome to the club! Congrats on a low mileage SSEi!

Please don't type in bold caps. It'* distracting the audience reading your thread.

As for your starting problem, can you better describe it? Does it crank at all? Does the starter click if it doesn't crank? Please give us more information.

SORRY FOR THE BOLD TYPING..IM NOT USED TO THIS AND I JUST WANTED MY QUESTION TO BE READ!!!!!!
IT WANTS TO START BUT IT JUST NEVER FULLY CATCHES. TAKE IN CONSIDERATION THAT EVERYTHING WORKS AND THE CAR DRIVES VERY SMOOTHLY AND CALM WHEN IT DOES START. I AM NOT VERY CAR LITERATE SO PLEASE FORGIVE MY LACK OF KNOWLEDGE. I WAS TOLD TO GET A NEW IGNITION MODULE AND COIL, ALONG WITH A NEW CRANK SENSOR AND IT WOULD RUN LIKE BRAND NEW BUT BEFORE I SPEND ANY MONEY THAT I ALREADY DONT HAVE I WANT TO ASK YOU GUYS FOR HELP........THANKS FOR YOUR REPLY'*............IN THE FUTURE I PLAN ON TRICKING THIS CAR OUT....

sorry for the caps lock again...my apologies

what about a bad coil?? does it lack power??

Still not specific enough in your description. When you turn the key to the start position, does the starter crank the engine? Or does the starter just click? Or is there no noise at all? Is there a check engine light? Does the Security light come on and stay on after you try to start?

When you say it "cuts off" on you while driving. Do you mean the engine suddenly stops (stalls)? If so, are there any other clues when the engine stalls, such as after a sudden stop, or after a hard left turn?

The more detailed and precise you can be in your description of the problem(*) the more likely the guys here will be able to help you out.

I would drive it to my local auto parts store, borrow their scan tool, and see if the computer had set any codes to help with the diagnosis. If trouble codes have been set, write them down and let us know what they are.

Please don't use caps like that. It is rude. You may be upset, but it is unwise to upset those who might help you.

If your car cranks but sometimes doesn't start. And if it stalls for no apparent reason, then it may indeed be a bad crank sensor Or it may be bad wires to the crank sensor, or something else. Take some time and search this forum (92-99) for similar threads. Others have probably posted similar symptoms.

I don't think it is crank sensor related.. isn't it 1 in 10 times that the car will run with a failing crank sensor? It sounds like it is consistant in it'* running.. and non-running.


-justin

no warning lights appear on the dashboard, the car will start, but only when the car has cooled down and when it doesnt start it sounds like it is about to....the car only cut off on me twice (out of a about 50 times of driving it) and both times i was driving about 40 miles an hour and the only sign that the car was off was the fact that the steering wheel was hard to move.....everything else about the car is perfect......the car doesnt start only when the engine is hot other than that is starts just fine....
this is as specific as i can get due to the lack of knowledge on automobiles and i appriciate all the help that you guys are giving me......keep it coming...i love bonneville club!!!!

Okay, it sounds like you've got a heat-related problem there somewhere, possibly one or more bad coil packs. A couple of general items first:

1) With a '92, you don't need a scan tool to get error codes; a bent paper clip will suffice. Here is a link to the instructions in the TechInfo section on how to get error codes out, if any are stored: http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/techinfo/?article=34

2) Many items will generate and store an error code, so don't go replacing parts *****-nilly. With symptoms as reproducible as yours, you should be able to home in on the problem.

After it'* warmed up to the point that you're pretty sure you're going to have problems restarting it, what'* the reading on your temperature gauge? Is it past the midpoint of the dial?

Also, are you going to be doing the work yourself, or collecting our advice and relaying it to a mechanic or a friend someplace? Have you got a Pontiac-knowledgeable friend who can help you to check out whatever ideas we come up with here? (I'm thinking a deteriorated coil pack, myself...)

And on a more basic level: check all your plug wires to make sure that they're fully seated at both ends, and none are chafed anywhere that would allow a short to ground.