Nicki88

I helped a friend of mine buy an '85 Camaro 2.8L V-6 a month ago. It went into the shop and had a basic tune-up (spark plugs), oil change brakes,etc. etc. It failed emissions for inspection, and I've heard the cat rattling like mine did when it was toast. Her mother drives the car and said that it has been stalling at stops. It did this when I drove it home after she bought it, and I also noticed a smell of burning oil at this time. I'm going to take it for a drive and check it out further... but does anyone have any suggestions as to why the car is stalling? Clogged cat? Fuel filter? TPS? Throttle Body? And what's with the burning oil... anything to do w/ the stalling? I had a stalling problem because of my distributor, but I think that hers was already checked. Her mother asked me for any ideas so that she could tell her mechanic.

85f-bird

i do believe that mines developing a stalling problem (haven't driven it in a few days now, thanks to having more cars available to me) I'd put all of the things you've mentioned as fair game, also a faulty fuel pump can give the same problem, althoguh it won't just fail at stops , it can fail at all times.....Fuel Filter may be a problem, although i dont konw if it'll only give a problem at stops also, but it's a possibility. Think i'm going to drive mine a little today to see if i get the smae troubles, around the neighborhood also, so i don't find this need for a tow home....

LinuxGuy

iTrader: (1)

The minimum air adjustment screw (aka, idle speed screw) may need to be adjusted. I was having this problem with my '89 RS w/ 2.8L and a 5-speed. Off and on, engine speed would drop really low at a stop and then the engine would die. It was fine if I kept the throttle open just a tiny bit. Make sure you adjust the TPS after doing so. Also, make sure the engine timing is correct before adjusting the minimum air screw.

For the adjustment procedure, see:
https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=235452

br()bert

My car did that when i had the 2.8 in it., Turned out i was adjusting the min idle air the wrong way. Once i did it the correct way it stopped stalling at lights.

TomP

I think you're definately right about wanting to replace the catalytic convertor; if it's rattling, it's probably about to clog up.

When does it stall? Warm/cold? Stalls after you go 50 mph and come to a stop, if you're only limping around town at 25 mph it'll never stall?

After it stalls, does it start right up, or does it take a while to start? And when it restarts, does it run great, or does it run like crap?

When will it stall again, as far as "time" and "road speed"?

Is it an automatic trans?

The ideas so far (besides the clogged cat) are:

1. IAC system needs cleaning, see https://www.thirdgen.org/techbb2/sho...hreadid=175177
2. TCC solenoid sticking
3. MAF sensor is intermittant
4. EGR valve sticking
5. Dying fuel pump

And mistake #1 was when they went to a garage for a tuneup- how much did that tuneup cost them?

2_point8_boy

The very first thing that I would look at is the IAC. If you havn't messed with the minimum air rate, it shouldn't need to be adjusted. If the IAC is lazy, it won't open in time for the motor to idle. If you put it in neutral does it stall when you stop, or is it OK?

Nixon1

I'll make a quick note here, that my Camaro had a clogged up fuel filter when I first got it. And it only stalled as I was slowing down. I'd let off the gas, come to a stop sign, then my brake pedal would go hard and I'd blow through the sign and almost get hit. Happened once every 2-3 days until I replaced the filter, and the problems went away...

85f-bird

should start up an independent thread for my problem (might do that here in a second) but it's a tad different. Once the car warms up to op-temperature it has a problem with a minor hesitation (RPM's will drop completley off for a second, and it happens in a slip second) then rise back up to normal driving. I also had the stupid thing die at a light....i replaced the Pickup Coil in the distributor a while back, which solved my high end hesitation issues, think it could be related there somewhere (somethinggoing bad again?) also....ive got a code 13 from the stupid O2 sensor, along w/ once getting a code hmmmm, maybe 43 ...i know it was the ESC or EST setup. but wasn't sure what was wrong, just checked connections, and called it good.

vsixtoy

Do this inspection- With the motor running

Put the car in park (foot off the brake) and look at the rpms.

Now press the brake pedal. Do the rpms drop? Does the pedal pressure improve when the rpms raise? If so, then you have a vacuum leak. If you can't find it, it very well may be a bad diaphram on the EGR valve that is causing the leak. This will give you a stiff brake pedal at low rpms.

I'm haveng problems bigtime out here in California- this oxygenated gas is crap. The car runs different everytime I put a new load of fuel in it. Mobil premium91 (91 is the highest we get here) seems to be the most stable, car idle decent. I have tried mixing some xylene into the pump gas and that improves things (problem goes away) but at the cost of $10bucks a gallon, and the car doesn't need the 100 octane it produces at the ratio I mixed it. ( I should note that my car doesn't stall, the idle just fluctuatesup and down more at times than others)

Nixon1

Never thought of that test...that's some good info there man! Lemme ask ya something though....let's say I pump the brake pedal a couple times real quick, my rpms will go *up* by about 100. Not much. Could that signify a very small vacuum leak or is that pretty much normal behavior? It's hard for me to tell as far as vacuum goes because my cam only gives me between 10 and 14 hg's at idle, which gives me very poor brake pedal.

Edit: Not hijacking this thread, just wanted to ask a quick question while the opportunity exists...

vsixtoy

Thats just your vacuum sensor calling for more air. The brake booster is lacking pressure from your longer cam duration. When you press the pedal, the booster calls for more pressure than you have and the computer ups the rpm under the load to try and help out. Thats normal. Often a heavy cam calls for an electric vacuum pump installed if things are too low.

edit my typing skills- I cleaned it up

Nixon1

Thanks man, much obliged. I guess 220/220, and .498/.498 at .050 is a bit much for a daily eh? Bah, never too much.

TomP

Odd, Niki88 sent me a PM. That won't help anyone else, though, so I'm reposting it here.

Nicki88 wrote on 06-02-2004 10:38 AM:
Tom,
The car is an automatic, stalls usually when warm, and is used mostly for slower, city driving. It starts right back up after it stalls. That's when I noticed the burning oil smell... I'll have to ask her if she notices it too after it stalls. I don't know is this helps to narrow the problem down. She had a lot of other things done to the car besides the tune-up... I saw the list, it's pretty long. This is why I have my car worked on primarily by my younger brother or my friend who is a mechanic at a Chevy dealership. I'm still learning... and would love to do my repairs myself eventually.[/quote]

I'd suspect the TCC solenoid, then. Scenario is like this:

1. Car cold, TCC won't go into lockup

2. When car is warm and goes above 35, with a few other conditions, the TCC will engage, and put the torque convertor into lockup.

3. When the car slows down, or the brake is pressed, the TCC normally disengages. BUT- if the TCC sticks, when the car slows to a stop, so does the motor. For those of you with manual transmissions, this is the same as not pushing in the clutch pedal when you come to a stop- the engine stalls.

4. After the motor stalls, the TCC falls back out. It's fluidically impossible (meaning, there's no fluid routed to the torque convertor lockup circuit) for the TCC to be in lockup when the trans is in first gear.

5. Next time the torque convertor goes into lockup, as soon as you come to a stop, the car will stall.

So I'd do a test like this... don't know where, but- Drive until the car stalls. Start it back up, and as soon as you start driving, take note of the time. Wait until the car stalls again, and note the time. So lets say 5 minutes went by.

Now restart the car and (the hard part of the test) drive for twice that time at speeds lower than 30 MPH! Note that the TCC could still kick in... so this isn't a really accurate test. But my bet is, that after twice that long, the car won't stall.

Or you could just replace the damn thing anyway! It's about $40, and you can get to it just by dropping the trans fluid pan. Since the mech's gotta drop the fluid pan, might as well ask him for a new filter and 6 quarts (or, whatever's needed) of new trans fluid.

This is also a fairly common problem in the front wheel drive GM cars from the 80's with the 3-speed trans... can't remember the damn model number of the trans... shoot. But on those 3-speeds (1, 2, Drive), there was a lockup torque convertor, and the TCC solenoid could stick the same way as I just described for our 4-speed auto's.

Denis.V

THM 125C (Turbo Hydra Matic 125 C) for Corsica 1989 and others.

I replaced the transmission kit and problem was out. I did nothing with TCC. You needs descibt exactly the problem for a right identification & diagnosis: TCC or Tranny overhaul or both?.

In the auto tranny garage a man said me: Your TCC is bad. That is the problem! I can repair it.

(2 years after I continue waiting for a stall due to TCC failure, HA!).


Denis V.

camaro350man

I had the same problem and could not figur it out, I replaced my IAC and the problem vanished, I am willing to bet thats the problem, that controls vaccum. Hope it helps

Nocturnall

I had the same problem where my car randomly started stalling. I brought it to midas and they said I needed a new cat and oxygen sensor. I went to another shop and they told me to reset the idle strategy. Unplug the battery for 5mins, plug it back in and drive around for 30. Fixed it no problem. I'd try that before replacing anything because it could be that simple.

Akshay

I agree w/ camaro350man

camaro350man

Thanks man, I'm almost positive that is the problem.