Hi folks – new guy here.
I’m trying to help a friend whose car has an intermittent ‘run’ problem.

The car is a 1993 Olds Cutlass Ciera that has a 3.3 V6 with an automatic trans and about 100k miles. The owner tells me that it has both a temperature gauge and an ‘idiot light’ that looks like a thermometer. The car has been serviced regularly and is generally well-kept.

First of all, I don’t have access to the car at the moment, but the symptoms are unique enough that I’m hoping someone will recognize the problem. If more information is needed, I can drive the car.

Most of the time, the car starts easily and runs fine.
At times, however, the little ‘thermometer’ light will come on and the car will start to run really rough and sometimes dies.
The temperature GAUGE does not show that the engine is overheating (it stays about in the middle). If you check the radiator, it isn’t hot and the coolant level is OK. If the car is allowed to sit with the engine turned off, the problem ‘goes away’ and the car will run fine, usually for several days.
Thinking that the problem was the ‘temperature control sensor’ (I hope I got that right…), the mechanic who normally cares for the car replaced the sensor and related relay. The problem continued to occur.
The owner is ready to sell the car, but wants to FIX this problem before putting it up for sale so that she can sell it with a clear conscience.

Your experiences and input are appreciated!

alot of them have two sensors one for the pcm and one for the gauge. you could check rock auto see if they list two. if the one to the pcm is bad or the connector or wires is messed up it will run poorly because it determines fueling by temp