Stalling and hesitation probs w/1990 Pontiac Bonneville SSE
 

Heyas everyone

I'm hoping someone here can help me with my problem. I have a 1990 Bonneville SSE and about a month ago, the harmonic balancer broke. We replaced the balancer and the car would not kick over. Found out it was the crank sensor, so replaced that. Now, the car will start, idle, but when you put it in reverse, or drive, it dies. I can get the car moving and she will stay running for the most part but if I slow down to much, she dies.
I am at a point now with driving her, I have to keep one foot on the brake, and another foot on the gas to keep her from dying on me. (mind you, not pushing on the gas pedal hard enough to move her while the brakes are pushed, just enough to keep her RPM's up so she won't sputter out). She is also hesitating BAD on takeoff and at certain speeds, also feels like she is "sputtering" at times while she is being driven.

I was told to drive the car around for about 10-15 minutes to reset the computer, but that didn't work either.

We have cleaned the throttle body, thinking this was the culprit, but to no avail. She is still doing the same thing. She will sputter out and die on me if I push on the brakes and take my foot off the gas.

I am now being told that it could be the fuel pump, the fuel lines, a vacuum hose that is not connected properly or disconnected or the timing is off.

Anyone have ANY ideas on how to fix this or what is causing this? This car is my only mode of transportation for me and my kids. Plus, I am very attatched to this car and would like to get this fixed. I'm afraid if I keep driving her, I'm only gonna make matters worse.

Thanks

Kara

do you have an SES light? this sounds like what mine was doing....it drove ok, but when you would stop, it would stall. With me, I had to replace the MAF sensor and the TPS...that fixed the problem completely...she had not had a problem since....

other than that, maybe, unlikely a furl starvation issue, or plugs might be fouled out bad, o2, vacuum lines, but really sounds like an electronic or vacuum issue...the gurus will be on soon to help yah out. Good luck...it is so sad to see these cars when they are feeling under the weather... :roll: :?

After changing the crank sensor you should disconnect the battery for a couple of minutes to "reset" the ECM. Then try running the car again. If you then have a service engine soon (ses) light you will need to pull the codes. I believe there is a proceedure in the Tech Info on this.

In my opinion, anytime you change any sensor, the battery should be disconnected to prevent anything from shorting out and damaging the electronics.

Did the crank sensor get installed correctly? There is a close tolerance issue and if it is not adjusted correctly you could end up changing it again.

Yes the SES light is on. And from what the guys are telling me, (they're the ones that did all the work) the battery was disconnected when the sensor was replaced.

I'm about to go out and disconnect the battery again and let it sit for a bit, then reconnect it to see if that fixes the problem.

Thank you for your prompt replies.

Kara

get the codes, look at top of the page in techinfo for code retrieval using a paperclip clip.

Ok heres an update. We found two things that were not connected. One was a wire that connected to the AIC, and another I'm not sure what it is (located in front right of the engine compartment, has a metal adapter on it). She is running a bit better now, just still some hesitation on take off and she is still sputtering when I hit speeds over 45 mph. (at least now I don't have to keep my foot on the brake and one foot on gas when driving). And the SES light is no longer on.

Not sure why she is still hesitating. I'm thinking it might be the timing now as her idle doesn't seem to be set right. I can watch the rpm's sit between 500-1000 when she is still and she kinda tries to die, but doesn't.

Thank you all again for your help in this matter. I am still tryin to figure out what is causing the problems.

Kara

check plug wires.
 

If you are sure the crank sensor is adjusted correctly, you may want to test the plug wires. Set you meter for resistance, and put a lead on either end. I'm not sure what they're supposed to read. Whenever I suspect a bad wire I test them all and wiggle them around keeping the leads on the ends. If you get one that intermittently shows no reading or reads infinity, it's time for a new set of wires.
If you don't know when they were replaced last, go ahead and replace them.
First thing to do is make absolutely sure the crank sensor is adjusted correctly.
How do the spark plugs look?