92 Firebird formula 305 tpi T5

Fellas, I appreciate all the help you have given to me with my 92. So TTOP350 recommended me check into my fusible links down by my starter, replaced them along with tons of other parts and got rid of all of my hesitation issues and the car runs great now. The car ran great for a day, however, just now on my way home it dies on me. On the freeway, about 70 mph, all of a sudden all power was lost. Still had lights etc, motor just shut down. Had to let her sit for about 3 minutes before It fired back up. It has never died on me at an idle. Only while i am driving. Also, it surges a couple hundred rpms once it is somewhat warmed up.

Key factors
Dies while driving
Doesnt die cold/takes about 20 minutes
Wont start right back up, takes a few minutes
Idle fluctuation (not sure if related or not)

Thanks guys!

 

I think we really need to ID what actually quit, fuel or spark. I recommend just shooting some starter fluid in the motor and see if it fires. That will tell us if this is a fuel or ignition issue.Just a shot in the dark but the ignition control modules are pretty sensitive to heat. You could try cooling the base of your distributor after the car quits and see if it fires back up again.

 

Yeah , I also wonder about the ICM, i have a ton of new ones in box. I guess technically, if my motor shut off....I could yank my cap off and replace it real real real quick. see if it fires ha. It does have a brand new richporter ICM. I have taped a fuel pressure guage to my window before and when it died, it wasnt a fuel issue. Also has brand new injectors. Im real confused...as far as I know, the car has a new "everything that could cause this issue" part. My factory gauge never goes over around 210 degrees. If it is accurate.

 

Everything that has been done in the last week/

New plugs before I dropped the motor in.
Msd wires
Cap
Rotor
Ignition coil
Several fuel filters
ICM twice
TPS
IACV
Map sensor
Richporter distributor
Brand new injectors


I believe it is a heat issue, I drove a longer distance a few days ago, temp outside was 25 degrees and it never died. This morning i drove 30 miles and it didnt die, around 30 degrees. On the way home, it was sunny and 60 and died. I think I will heat wrap my headers and see what happens.

 

lol You and the rest of the world. Funny thing about troubleshooting is many times the problem is overlooked simply put because it was a new part or something that was already checked or assumed to be correct. There is a very good reason your car runs the way it does but that reason will only be clear after you've fixed it.

While its good to see you have fuel pressure, I suppose its possible you lost your injector pulse (which could also be related to the distributor not sending the reference pulse). So I still think its a good idea to check with starter fluid to see what exactly was lost. Just to be thorough if nothing else.

Also while I'm not necessarily opposed to header wraps (heat is the enemy of many things) I do not believe that would cause your issue if everything else was working as it should. It may be aggravating the issue but I don't believe causing it and is probably not the best "fix".

 

No, not the best fix. I dont know if my factory gauge is correct because with my previous motor, (same fans etc) I had overheating issues. Yes it could have been part the old motor, but because of that I question my gauge. I do have a gun to check the heat. Also, the flucuating idle only acts up once it starts getting hot. I do believe they are related issues. I will try the starting fluid and see what happens.

 

If it just died and lost power, that sounds like the module is going bad in the distributor. Except for the fact that he replaced his distributor...

The one on my car did that, would die randomly but would always restart until it died for real.

 

Just replaced the ICM today with another new one I had. Also put on a spare MSD coil. No change. Still died. BTW I didnt mean to say 210 degrees earlier, doesnt even hit 200, not evel close. However, saw another guy post that his car doesnt stall when the ac is on, so after mine died today, drove it the rest of the way home without any issues with my ac on full blast. What could cause this? Computer going crazy?