i have a '91 camaro 3.1L. when i got back in my car and went to turn it on all i got was a "clink" (from the starter im assuming)....been having some problems w/ that so i thought it went. called a buddy to come meet me and figured i would just push start it to get it home....we hooked it up to his truck, started pulling. it runs as long as im on the gas. as soon as i get off the gas to "idle" it dies intantly....help?? got almost 3/4 of a tank in it

 

battery could have a dead cell in it. I've seen where they have enough juice to keep lights and accessories on, but no longer have the amperage to turn over the starter. Also, you mentioned that you have had some starter issues, have you checked to make sure the connections are good?

 

yeah check the battery even if you have to take it out and bring it to autozone or something. it really doesn't make sense that the car wouldn't idle because of i bad starter.
btw what do you mean it's got 3/4's of a tank? what are going to give up because it won't start?

 

everyone of my buddies kept asking if had gas in it..shouldve cleared that up...no im not giving up. said ive been having problems w/ the started b/c randomly it wouldn't turn over till the 3rd or 4th try..."clink" "clink" "clink" start lol....i cant get back to my car right now or i'd pull the battery. my buddy is bringing a trailer when he gets off work to go get it. maybe i can get my moms car to pull the battery and take it to advanced.

 

yeah it sounded like you where going to give up. i would try the battery but you do have a starter problem if you get the click click boom. has the car at all been running funny or different lately? and if it's above idle does it still run fine?

 

its been running fine. ya as long as im on the gas it runs fine as far as i could tell. usually when the car gets started i could let of the gas as thats what i did and it kept dieing. we "push started" it maybe 5 times all w/ the same result im hoping its the battery

 

maybe the alternator? but that doesn't make sence either b/c my car runs while i got my foot on the gas. and dies when as soon as the rpm's drop to idle

 

yeah a dead or grounded cell in the battery could do that. well the alternator if not charging at idle could be charging at a higher rpm. but it's hard to tell you whats wrong by what i've been told so far.

 

hmm. all i told you was the situation...what other info might you need?

 

ok how long did you let the car run with your foot on the gas. was that long enough for a battery with a bad cell to let some charge back in. if the computer reset because the battery died. you will have to let it run for about two minutes before the car will idle sometimes. does it feel like it's missfiring when it is running or fine but won't idle. it started off sounding like a starter problem and still might be. it is posible that you have two problems not just one. the iac valve could have gone bad or not getting enough power. you see with out knowing how thw car runs when it runs it's hard to point you in the right area to look.
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do you have a voltage gauge? if so what is it reading? is the check engine light on? does it smell like burnt fuel when it dies? does it smell like not enough fuel or burning cats when it dies? just some more questions

 

is my MAF a possibility as i switch intakes to the duel snorkel setup and had to extend the wires...car looked and sounded fine when i tryed. goin back later w/ xgtharo86x. he thinks it may be the ground wire on my block is loose. i only let the car run for about 1min - 30 sec. before it would die again

 

Maybe the alternator dies and therefore killed your battery. try to jump it with a buddies car. make sure you leave the jumpers on connected to your battery while the other car is still running. try to use a car with a battery that has more cranking amps than the battery in your car. if your car starts right up, your battery is toast. if it was a newer battery so is your alternator. if it still clicks and clicks the solenoid may be bad on the starter. smack it with the metal object of your choice and replace as soon as possible. you can probably replace them yourself in the parking lot, well at least the battery and the alternator. the starter might be a little difficult in a tight situation.

 

any more suggestions?

 

simulate the IAC by introducing a vac leak.
That is all the IAC is... a controlled vac leak. I wonder if the IAC is jammed shut somehow... although I wouldnt know how.

 

Geez, thank you Toehead, I was wondering if the rest of the people in this thread were on drugs or something.
No offense guys, but c'mon!

My guess is the starter solenoid, as far as why it won't start.

Why it won't idle has absolutely nothing to do with the battery, alternator, or anything else. If it runs while he's holding his foot on the gas then it's not those things. That's either an ECM problem, or IAC or one of those wonderful computer related thingies.

 

If it idles with the vac leak,

Take apart the IAC and clean it and the throttle body. Then, put it back together and follow the 3.1 L idle learn procedure... (I forget the specifics, search in the v6 forum )

 

i am on drugs!!!!!!!!
but i forget low out put from an alternator at idle and a battery with a grounded cell. put them together and car should run just fine. hmmmm NO!!!!!
oh yeah thats right i did say it sounded like two problems. yep i did. oh yeah toehead is right after reseting the computer you will have follow the relearn procedure. yeah i was getting to that yesterday also.

i'm going back to my drugs now.

 

lol thanks guys...got that trailer and my car is sitting in front of my house right now....pulling the starter later and going to have it tested/buying a new one. i guess i'll start from there and see what happens

 

didn't have the starter tested but it was good as i went out and bought a new one and the same "clink" sound......

NEW DISCOVERY: if i turn my key about halfway past "on" it'll turn over. still dies at every idle. neighbor thinks that ignition is the whole problem.

also gonna try to return that starter and get my $100 back. as that wasn't the problem.

went out driving today and stalled out at every stop sign and traffic light.

ground loose somewhere??

where is the IAC located???


thanks
tony

 

Are there any modifications to the car?
Usually a "clink" with the starter means the solenoid isn't engaging. I'm having a tough time understanding how this isn't related to the starter (but if it does it with a new one, then i've kinda gotta believe you eh?)

IAC should be a sensor in the air tract between the airbox and the throttle body. It controls the idle airflow (Idle Air Control).

I shouldn't speak on topics i'm not familiar with, V-6 and FI are both topics i'm not good with.
Let us know what the problem was.

 

o yea i'll let you guys know what it is....but it engages if i turn the key about half way as much as i would a "normal car" like if got in any other car....id turn the key till it stops and the car will start. mine i only go alittle past "on" now.
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and i did the switch to the "dual snorkel" intake.... so the MAF is extended with wires. but i do see some plugs that aren't plugged in..takin pics

possible problem?

car is stock except for that and k&n's

 

Hey man i dunno if anyone suggested it, and i cant remember exactly, but i thought mine had fuseable links by the starter and that all the power to the car went thru the starter. So, my thought is maybe your links are goin bad and your ecm isnt getn consistant juice. I'm no pro at this stuff, im just trying to remember what i did to fix mine. I would check voltage at the positive batt terminal, pos voltage at the starter, and positive voltage on the next connection from the starter to the fuse box, all using the same ground point n see if theres much of a drop. If it does have a link, those things can be weird. good luck.
-Kevin

 

thanks for that info...here are some pics i found of things not connected..
(this is by where my old intake base used to be..it wasnt connected when i pulled it out)


this was sitting under my IAC i guess?

(general engine pic)

 

bump!

 

Well, instead of guessing just ask yourself... What could make the car stall at idle???
If she is running with gas, maybe she is not getting enough gas to begin with
Fuel Pressure Regulator, Pump, clogged fuel filter.

Maybe the ignition has a problem, but it really doesn't explain why it runs with gas, and dies without it.
I would check the IAC (as many have suggested here). One of those vacum looking lines, looks like the pass side valve cover vent line that goes back to the throttle body. I could be wrong because I never owned a V6.

Is the battery new?? I've had a battery give me some serious gremlins until I replaced it. Worth checking out.

Check to see if you TPS is reading the correct speed. On idle you should be around 550-650 RPM's. If you idle anywhere under that the car will die.

Also check your timing, if the car is barely starting and not running, Timing might be extremely retarded (although it would not explain the click which sounds more like a battery).

OK, so it sounds like you have more than one problems (as some else reported). For starting, it really sounds like a bad battery. They all click when they go and we always blame the starter.

Check your fuel and your timing. If the car ran great before hand check the distributor hold down. See if its loose at all.

Good luck. Gremlins are a bitch. Go into this with an open mind, some times we like to dissmiss things that are wrong because we think they are OK. We really don't know untill we check them.

 

yepp, the battery in my car is an '06 and I even took my friends battery out of his car...i'll check the fuel filter and see how thats doing.


thanks for the help so far.

 

any more ideas?

 

The thing sitting under your IAC is the PVC system breather. You might wanna get a filter on that thing! The IAC is directly above that, out of the picture range. Unscrew that thing and clean it!


Are you saying that your key does not have full range of motion?

It may be the ignition switch going bad. They can melt and become obstructed. This could also explain the no start.

You may want to see if the big purple wire going to the starter is energized when you try to start. This should have +12v when the key is in "Crank"

 

oh no it has the full range of motion....it just wont start if i go ALL the way thru it.

 

Even so, Check the big purple wire.

The symptoms still suggest an ignition switch. ( or maybe a VATS issue... What is your security light doing? )

 

Have you thrown a code?

 

i haven't had the SES light show but the bulb may be blown...will an autoparts store pull my codes??

 

now it gets really wierd....if i put 93octane gas in no stallouts, sputters, anything......anything lower cant even stop at a light or sign w/o it stalling on me wtf.


where is my fuel filter???

 

under the car driver side by the rear seat right before the rear tire.

 

lol that sounds funny but i'll go look later its raining out

 

yeah i was doing drugs when i wrote that

 

haha have fun with those

 

just a joke dude from earlier in the post. i'm not i have to much fun for that s#!*

 

lmao i was trying to find that to quote it.......i wasn't taking you seriously of course

 

Hey man.

The only thing that I can think of is that your knock sensor is pulling rediculous timing.

did you CHECK your timing?

 

no i haven't checked my timing but why would that change all of the sudden? this has really got me stumped. talked to a mechanic at tire kingdom. he told me it was most likely a vacuum line. all my lines are connected and sucking.... still cant even go to the store without my car stalling everytime i try to stop at a stop sign or light......

 

ttt

 

I don't know why it would, but the fact that it runs well on premium suggests that the car is pinging on regular and the knock sensor is pulling timing. Just a guess at best.

 

NEW UPDATE: now no matter what octane goes in it runs like ****. guess i'll be checking my timing later see what im at.

 

Uhm, I dunno if your 3.1 has it, but I suffered the same problems (dying at idle and running badly above it) when my ignition module in my distributor died. Only cost like, $12 at the local parts house. Changed it out, and all was good.