Hi, i have a 1992 Firebird with a 3.1 V6. Runs great except for when i come to a stop. If i dont put it into neutral it will stall out. It starts and idles fine. Any ideas?

 

auto im assuming. where are you as far as a tune up? what is the overall condition of the driveline- engine, trans, etc. what have you replaced/repaired? there are a lot of things that could be causing this. can you give us a lil background on the car?

 

I have a 1991 3.1 camaro and i had the same problem all i did was put some fuil injector cleaner in it and it ran great after.

 

sounds like it could be the converter not unlocking,though it could also be a host of other things

 

When was the last time you used fuel system cleaner or even replaced your fuel filter? I had the same problem and that solved it right away.

 

I have the same problem mine is because I put the 2.8L pacesetter headers on my car. Theres no hook up for the smog pump so I have no smog. MY o2 circut stays open because it does not get hot enough. Mine does it when its fully warm and stalls when im going down a long hill under 40 mph. But lately has seemed to gotten better.

 

Sounds like the tranny, as I have gone through this before. Although I will have to say check the less expensive parts first as a tranny rebuild could get expensive.

 

i know my buddy was driving like sammy hagar (one foot on the break one foot on the gas) and all he had was a vacume leak and a leaky valve cover. But he also has a tempo

I know this is REALLY off topic but did we always have this annoying spell checker b4?

 

I had a similar problem, except I have a LB8 (2.8L 6-banger). It ended up being the fuel pump. I would also stall as I came to a stop (RPM's would just drop), so I had to shift to neutral, give it a lil gas to keep the rev's at ~1500. Although this would happen on and off. Like one day it would purr, and the next time I start it up it starts acting up again...

You might want to be careful because when my pump finally died, I got stuck in a shopping mall parking lot all night.

 

firstfirebird are you saying i might be having this problem from a tranny

 

No, racedude48's car sounds like the converter/tranny is having an issue.
Daskinnyguy, when you installed your headers, did you adjust your fuel to compensate for lean conditions?

 

No I didnt do you think I should and how would I do that?

 

Click on FAQ's at the top of the page to learn how to read the o2 sensor. Then hopefully you can adjust the stock Fuel Pressure Regulator (FPR). Otherwise, you'll need to tune the prom - and that's uncharted territory for me

 

Sorry about the long time no response thing. I tested around the upper and lower intake by spraying carb cleaner around it where the gaskets are. It raised the idle so Im thinking that this was/is my problem. Im changing them tommorow, so hopefully this will fix the problem.

 

The symptoms are text book examples of IAC or torque converter lockup solenoid issues.

1st...

Basically when you come to a stop, the throttle body closes, shutting off the air supply to the engine. The IAC meters a specific quantity of air past the throttle body through a bypass passage. When the IAC becomes dirty (from oil introduced from the PVC system, road debris, etc) it hangs up or sticks which can cause the engine to die or idle poorly when you come to a stop.

Pull the IAC and clean the pintle and spring with carb/choke cleaner. While you've got it out, spray out the passages in the throttle body. Also, pull the intake ducting and spray out the throttle bore, open the blade by hand and spray around the bore where the blade sits when it's closed. Also grab an old toothbrush and spray/scrub the back side of the throttle blade. Cost 30 minutes and $1.05.

2nd...

If the torque converter doesn't disengage when you come to a stop, the transmission can cause the engine to stall.

Disconnect the wiring harness from the middle-side area of the transmission. Or, disconnect the lockup harness from the brake switch under the dash. Disconnecting either harness will disable the TCC solenoid allowing you to isolate the issue. If it doesn't die at a stop with it disconnected, but dies with it connected, then you need a $30 TCC solenoid, several quarts of transmission fluid, a filter kit, etc.

I'd put my money on the IAC, but both problems are extremely common with these cars.