'98 SE starts rich and stalls when it feels like it..help!
 

Here's a little background....at 98K the engine blew, spun the bearings. Replaced the motor, spun the bearings in 20 miles! Replaced the engine again, spun the bearings again in 20 miles! Third engine.....found out that the oil pressure bypassed the first time that the engine went to high rpm, but pressure did not come back up when you let off the gas....replaced the oil filter mount where I'm told there is a check valve. We put probably 2000 miles on this new engine that has 54K on it. First problem.....check engine light...replaced something in the emmission system..installing mechanic did it, I don't know exactly what it was. Second problem...stalls at will, it may run for 2 weeks and then stall twice in the same day. When it stalls there is no warning, it's just like the key was shut off. Pop it in neutral and it restarts every time. Third problem...every time you start it, it runs rich for about 10 seconds. There was a code once...knock sensor. I replaced the knock sensor and later found that there was a plug wire pinched between a plug and the manifold, it had burnt thru.

Any suggestions on why the motor stalls? Any suggestion why the engine runs rich on startup?

Give me a small block and I'm right at home. These newer engines are somewhat a mystery to me.

Thanks for you help!

Is it stalling while driving or at idle?
How did you determine that it's running rich at start up?

It stalls while driving, the other day I was moving slowly in a parking lot and blahhhh. My son had it stall at 40 MPH. Today I had it stall in a parking lot, I kicked it into neutral and restarted it. 50 feet later it started to stumble but never quit, it cleared itself up and I kept going...that was a first for that scenario.

When hot, sometimes it doesn't want to start . When cold, it always starts up but you can tell that it's loaded up. It runs like its loaded up and the rich fuel fumes are noxious. It feels like it needs revved up to clear it up. Once running, it never does it again.

Let's check for a faulty fuel pressure regulator. See if there is fuel getting into the vacuum line going to the FPR. If so replace the FPR.

I pulled the vacuum line off of the FPR and I don't see any signs if fuel. There was no visible liquid so I smelled the line on each end, there is a hint of a fuel smell on the FPR end, but not on the end by the throttle body. I don't think that it's leaking fuel thru the diaphram from what I can tell.

Here is another possability......I replaced one of the terminals connecting to the battery with a crappy looking clamp on terminal. This isn't the one that goes to the starter, but the one that probably powers everything else. I guess that it's possible that it's causing me problems.... I wouls assume that it I lost that connection, all accessory power would be dead.

You'd be suprised what a bad battery connection will do to these cars. :lol: Pull em' and clean em'

My car went dead teh other night - dead - no nothing while turning into my apartment complex. The + terminal to the battery was loose :x

Definitely check those cables. If you’re still having trouble check your coils, plugs & wires. Keep track of which cylinder each plug comes from & let us know what you find. Here's an article on checking coils.
http://www.bonnevilleclub.com/forum/...e=article&k=33

Another stupid question here... Did your mechanic ever perform a Crack Variation Learn Sequence when he changed out the engine/s?

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Another stupid response...A crank vari what???? My small block 350 doesn't have one of those so I'm lost.

I can call and ask the guy and he would gladly do it for me, tell me what it is and what it does so that I can sound like I know what I'm talking about when I ask.

In case I havn't said it before.....this is great! I appreciate all of you guys pitching in to make suggestions regarding this!