95 SW2 dies while driving

I have had this problem for a while.

When driving the engine will stop. I have to pull over and it will
usually start right up. There have been a couple of times though that
it didn't. When that has happened I have been able to leave it for a
few hours, when I come back it starts right up.

The problem came back a couple of weeks ago. It went away for the
winter.(Utah) I don't know if it has to do with it being warmer but
that is what it seems like.

The check engine light does not come on when this happens. I took it to
Saturn and they didn't find anything wrong with it but suggested I
replace the key tumbler. They said that there was a TSB where the
tumbler went bad. The key was getting hard to turn so it made sense
that it could be part of the problem. The key does turn like new but
the engine will still dies while driving.

I have replaced:

- fuel filter
- Crank position sensor
- Ignition tumbler (part the key goes in)
- Ignition module (part that is under the coil pack)
- ERG about a year ago.

Would a bad coolant temp. sensor do this?

I'm suspicious that the PCM may be bad. Is there a way to actually test
it? I don't mind taking it back to Saturn if they can actually fix it.
I'm just concerned that I'll keep buying parts and more parts and...

Thanks for the help,
Jeff

 

No, it will gladly burn itself up.

Do you make it a habbit of running on fumes? Check for fuel pressure
when it does this. A fuel pressure gage is about 20-30 bucks. Also when
you turn your key on see if you can hear the fuel pump run for the first
2 seconds. If not wack the tank if you can get to it with a rubber
hammer. That might seat the brushes and get it running again.

 

I may drive for 30 minutes before it dies, then I pull over and it
starts right up. I could drive 5 minutes or could drive 20 minutes more
before it dies again. Eventually say after 5 or 6 times of this it may
not start for a couple of hours.

Does it still sound like a fuel pump?

Would I test that by using the fuel pressure gage during a time it won't
start? I'm assuming that there should be little to know pressure at
that point.

Thanks for the idea,
Jeff

 

Fuel pumps have a mind of their own and act up at random times. There
is a schrader valve on your fuel rail that the gage hooks to. You should
have a rag handy. You dont want to spray raw fuel on a hot engine. Very
bad.
Check for pressure in your driveway first. You should get about 40-45
psi. Then you want to hook the gage up again when it cuts out. You want
to turn your key on and see if you get a reading. Everytime the key is
turned on it primes the pump for 2 seconds. If the gage doesnt go up and
the car doesnt start you know its the fuel pump.
Fuel pumps go bad in 2 ways, lack of fuel filter changes and running
below a quarter of a tank. Fuel is coolant to the fuel pump. If it
doesnt keep fuel flowing through there the springs pushing on the
brushes usually over heat and lose their tension causing the brushes to
start making poor contact.

 

I had a very similar problem with my 95 SL1 about a year and a half ago. I
could be driving down the highway at 60MPH or sitting still at a stop light
when the engine would just die. A couple of times I did not even realize
that the engine had stopped until I hit the gas and nothing happened.

Like you this problem went away on its own for a couple of months then
suddenly started again. In the end I took the car in, had the fuel filter
replaced and the fuel injectors cleaned. That seemed to do the trick
because I have not had a single reoccurrence (knock on wood) since.

Mark.

 

Last Friday it died and wouldn't start again. Thankfully I was only
about a block from my house.

So the good news is it wouldn't start. Now I could really start
testing... I got it back to my house and checked the fuel pressure.
There wasn't any.

Got a fuel pump from Checker for about $160. Took just over 2 hours.
Once every thing was back together it started right up. The most time
consuming part was putting the fuel pump in the fuel pump housing. You
can get the housing as a whole but it costs much more...

Thanks again for the help,
Jeff