I just bought a 1991 Z28, LB9 5-speed car last week, I've been driving it for a week, having a blast, no problems, but it did seem like it needed a tune up and the timing may be a bit off. The car only has 95,000 miles on it, and has been meticulously cared for. I've easily put 400 plus miles on it this last week enjoying it, and today it just died on me!

It's about 95 degrees out, and its really humid, I have been all over town getting some pictures of it, it was running fine, 200-220 degree's. I was turning it off and on quite often around town, making stops and running errands. The car started doing this "surging", it was almost out of gas, so I stopped at a Citco, put $10 of 87 in it, started it up and started driving home, it died on me four times in the two mile drive home, now it won't even start, it turns over, check engine light comes on and it dies immediately. So now it sits, at the end of the street.

What's going on?! All of a sudden it just died on me, it's been awesome all week!

 

Update, so I went down about 10 minutes ago, the car started, idled, and when I threw it in first and started letting off the clutch, putting load on the engine, it died. Started it a few more times, it died right away. So I tried one more time, gave it a really good rev, and then it stayed idling, I gave it a lot of gas and let up on the clutch super slowly, and it drove the rest of the block home, and now seems to be running just fine with nothing wrong again... What could have caused this?

 

I dont want to jump on the "OMG ITS UR INJECTERZ" bandwagon, but I'd consider that being a possibility. I'd really think about giving the car a full tuneup first! If you have a timing light, use it, if not, rent (or buy) one from the parts store when getting supplies for a tuneup.

 

It just needs plugs and wires, I have all that, just have to put them in. I've heard from a guy who had the exact same problem with his TPI car right after he'd fill it up on a hot humid day, that there was moisture building up in the intake, and I forgot what he did to fix it, but it was super easy.

 

Cant say if its relevant to the TPI building up pressure, but all three of my camaro's built up pressure or vacuum in the tank depending on weather... Take the cap off and lots of air moves in/out. Search, there have been lots of threads about that specific problem.

I'd also buy a fuel filter. Lots of problems are made by stupid things!

 

That's a must! I'll pick one up. For some odd reason, my upper radiator hose will occasionally flatten out completley after I turned the car off one day, but it inflated right up again right after that. I have a new hose for it, but that would lead me to think it could be a vacuum related thing?

 

Hmm... Your upper radiator hose collapsing suggests a few things:

-A partial vacuum somewhere in your cooling system
-Old/Weak hose
-And maybe a weird problem with your thermostat/water pump?...

Notice any coolant coming out of your vents, dripping on the ground? Feel your passengers carpet below the dash and see if your heater core might be leaking.

 

I know the water pump was just replaced, it was leaking. The car leaks no fluids... it runs very cool normally, around 180 degree's. Today it was just incredibly hot and humid, and I was driving around in the city, stop and go, it rose to 220 degree's, never went higher.

 

my car ran like you said "surged had to rev it to keep it running " then on a trip my map sensor completely failed set the ses light on I changed it and never acted like that again

 

Took it around the block tonight, all went well until I got on my street to go home, got on it through first hit second and it held, all of a sudden, the car slowed down rapidly, almost threw me into the dash, it was like a huge miss, I put the clutch in, rpms went back down to 850-900, let off the clutch and it made it home just fine... what gives?! It doesn't throw an SES light when it does that... but that's what it did earlier today, too. When it did it earlier today, it died after it did that.

So I've heard three possibilities, vacuum leak, fuel filter, or map sensor going out.

 

does it still have the multecs?? nice car btw proud of you aaron haha

 

fuel pump??

 

change the fuel filter. and did the car set for any long periond of time before you bought it? Gas could have went bad or there may be trash in the tank that was sucked into the filter or injectors clogging them up.

 

map sensor is cheap and very easy

 

Update, took the car to my local gas station today, put $45 bucks worth of 93 Octane in it. It started right up, and drove good, but I was easy on it. Went to the weight room for an hour, came out, didn't want to start! It would turn over but stall right out as soon as you tried to rev it to keep it running. And then when it did stay running, it was loping at 4-500rpm, barely running, and would die after a few minutes. It started up about 10 minutes later, and I drove it home, it was running good again, and still is running good, it won't die on me anymore during normal driving, but if you get on it, it losses all power and shuts off, it starts right up again and won't die until you floor it again...