Car stalls, dies when warmed up

DUDE77

MEMBER
1998 SATURN SL2
120 MILES

I've replaced the ECT and crank position sensor on this car. When I drive it for about 5 or 10 minutes it stalls out and dies. It has to completely cool down before it starts again. It's actually dead on the side of the road right now.

When I was having the crank sensor changed the guys said it probably wasn't that, and that it may be a fuel pump because it had to crank for a second or two before starting.

My questions are:

1.) Are fuel pumps that temperature sensitive?

2.) A new fuel pump might be like $500, is it really worth replacing it?

3.) Is there anything else that could cause this?

4.) Would a fuel system flush be worth it?

10 Replies

SATURNTECH9

MECHANIC
30,870 POSTS

Heres what I need from you when it doesnt start check and see if there is spark?ALso when it doesnt start check and see what the actual fuel pressure is?Also any codes?To me it sounds like a ignition module if you already replaced the crank shaft position sensor. Those fuel pumps usually dont do that when they fail.

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Sunday, January 8th, 2012 AT 11:08 PM

DUDE77

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Hi, thanks for your reply saturntech9. There are no codes. I'll see if I can test for spark and fuel pressure.

Are there any other parts like the ETC or CPS that are problematic on saturns?

When I pulled the CPS I tested the old one with an ohm meter and it was a little bit out of spec when I tested it in boiling water. Could it be that the spark plugs got fouled with a too rich mixture from bad data from the CPS?

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Sunday, January 8th, 2012 AT 11:27 PM

DUDE77

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Also, I've tried to donate for this question but no matter how I try to pay, with paypal or credit card it tells me I'm trying to donate $0. If you want, you can give me your paypal email and I'll send you a donation directly.

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Sunday, January 8th, 2012 AT 11:34 PM

SATURNTECH9

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I will get back to you on how to donate. Now for your car you already replaced the two most common reasons for no starts and dieing the cts and cps. The ignition module isnt common but I think that could be failing on your car. But let me know about the spark and fuel pressure and we will go from there.

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Monday, January 9th, 2012 AT 12:26 AM

DUDE77

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Now I can't get the car to start at all even though it's completely cold. I'll have it towed, replace the spark plugs and see if they can test for spark and the fuel pressure.

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Monday, January 9th, 2012 AT 1:46 AM

THIS IS MIKE

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Our PayPal email is paypal@2carpros. Com We appreciate you considering us for a donation. We will do our best to help you.

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Monday, January 9th, 2012 AT 1:58 AM

DUDE77

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Thanks, I sent a paypal donation to paypal@2carpros. Com for saturntech9

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Monday, January 9th, 2012 AT 6:54 AM

SATURNTECH9

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Thank you so much for your donation.

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Monday, January 9th, 2012 AT 7:56 PM

DUDE77

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Thanks for your help! It turns out the problem was probably because when I installed the new ECT I didn't screw it in tight enough and it eventually rattled loose enough to start giving bad data. The tech screwed it in tighter and seemed to fix the problem.

One last question, they found the car was basically out of oil and I'd just had it changed about two months ago. I noticed sometimes it makes a little white smoke when I start it up.

It doesn't leak oil on the ground so I'm assuming the oil is being burned. Are there any oil additives that can help seal the leak?

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Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 AT 7:59 AM

SATURNTECH9

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I dont see how a loose coolant temp sensor is going to cause that even if its loose it should still read coolant temp. But hopefully it did fix it. If it happens again check for spark when it doesnt start. As far as the oil goes how many miles did you drive in those two monthes?How many qts low was it?Because two qts low it wont read on the stick.

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Tuesday, January 10th, 2012 AT 1:35 PM