Well, here goes again,
One owner 98 Regency 206,000 miles (great car) after driving for a while, car all of sudden just quits. Get it out of the road (just coast if possible) wait a few minutes and it wil start back up and drive like a new one. No codes with the latest GM TECH1. My highly qualified, many years experienced (dealership) GM specialist tech believes this is a fuel related problem and has run the car in his shop with a fuel pressure guage attached (and driven the car on the h'way) for hours and has never had the car quit with him. One thing that I noticed when the car quit with me driving was none of the usual "security" or "check engine" lights ( on the right side of the instrument panel) ever light up, just the ones on the left. Another reason to think about fuel or other mechanical problem. The car will not restart right away, cranks like its about out of fuel, but wait 10 15 minutes and it fires right up. My tech guy is hesitant to start tearing apart the entire fuel system but WTF? With all the newest ethanol enhanced fuel now a days maybe the rubber hose connections? This is an older car, but was always very well cared for (my inlaws are not "car" folks they just carried it to the dealership.) I getting worried about my wife driving it.

Anybody have any ideas?

Thanks

Hey,
it could be a fuel problem. (Fuel pump) maybe? But from wat ur saying my bet is it would be the "Crank Sensor" its mounted behind the Harmonic Balancer.. Can be a very cheap fix if u can doit urself.
I have a 97 Park Ave, same symptoms not long after purhasing it, along with my old 94 Olds Regency Elite i had before... These sensor sometimes have oil & gunk buildup over em & overtime go bad.... If u havnt changed it in a while. ill start there.

Probably a crank shaft position sensor. Best way to know for sure is to check for spark when the engine won't re-start. If you have spark the problem is likely the fuel pump. If you don't have spark the problem is likely the CPS.

CPS failure is a very common failure on the 3800 ... we hear about it all the time. Also, it won't throw any codes.

I agree........I don't know what you have for tools, but would recommend 4 things....can of carb cleaner....rag....spark tester and a noid light.....

When the car dies and won't start, that is when testing is the easiest.....

First, pull snorkel from throttle body, open throttle plate and spray carb cleaner into the intake....if car starts and runs, and then dies when carb cleaner is used up, you know it'* a fuel delivery problem......take a rag, remove cover to schraeder valve on fuel rail....remember this is a hot engine! use a key or small screwdriver(OK, 5 things), position it over the valve, and cover with rag...then depress...if the rag doesn't get soaked, you have a fuel pump problem...If it does, then attach the noid light to an injector harness and crank...If it doesn't flash, then you have an ICM/PCM problem(not a crank sensor problem, because you had spark that ignited the carb cleaner).....the famous red, white, and blue PCM'* of the early 90'* were famous for this....sometimes a "tap test" would detect a problem...

If it didn't start with carb cleaner, then you check for spark and injector pulse....if you have neither can be crank sensor or ICM....if no spark on all coils, but have injector pulse, it'* an ICM(all three coils would not fail at the same time).....

Thanks Tech II
I just may drive it myself for the next week or so, carry the emergency stuff with me and hope that I can pin it down with the tips you suggested. FYI I am a formerly ASE cert Master Tech, more tools than I could possibly carry around with me and just too *^^#! old to be crawling around under the hood anymore. But I could definitely handle what you suggested. These days I just teach young folks how to drive big trucks ( at the same college where I used to teach um how to work on um ) I'd rather go fishin.
Steve

I have taken Tech II'* advise and after the last time the car died I pulled out my tools and checked Shraeder valve, noid lite at injector and sprayed carb clearner. Absolutely had to be fuel related, so changed filter and dropped the tank, purchased OEM Delco brand pump (spent two hard days for these old bones working on the floor of my garage) and car ran great.

Aproximately 2000 miles later HELP in the Walmart parking lot it refuses to start. Same checks were done. Carb cleaner is the only way to get a sniffle out of it

But wait there is more. Sitting out there in the hot Alabama sun I try to lower the windows and nothing works! It cranks the motor over like a champ so now I get out and with the door open the alarm goes off (blows the horn) key fob shuts it off but still wont start

Left it overnight, next day, after all the attempts to start I just take a guess at maybe the battery is a bit drained , although it still sounds strong. Hook up jumper cables and yes it sounds a little stronger but still won't fire without carb cleaner, still no window control
so I'm on the cell trying to set up other options, jumpers still connected to the other car (which is running at fast idle) and now after 15 20 minutes I touch the window switch and PRESTO it works, get back in the car and now it starts. Drove it about 300 miles back home and every thing is OK.

I now recall that I have had other incidents with electrical stuff. One trip I took recently the turn signal were very stuborn for an hour or so
the alarm went off for no reason another time. The passenger side A/C temp control doesn't work sometimes and other times it is OK

I like this car but this is getting crazy This car has always been in the non corrosion south but I don't even know where to start with a likely ground connection problem or ??????

Steve Neal

See if this is causing it...

https://www.gmforum.com/electrical-1...1999-a-303224/

Mike 1995,

Thanks, that sounds like a real possibility. I'll check it out this weekend.

By the way, I was born and raised in New England, noticed your home base, moved to Alabama in 1975 to purchase a National Franchised auto service facility and please my southern born wife. Also the climate was easier to deal with for my hobby interest (drag racing) but had to give that up due to other commitments. Wish I had kept the drag racing and given up the wife. later had to replace her too!

Steve Neal

But on a cold morning, which one was easier to turn over?