1996 Oldsmobile Aurora Engine stalls

YURIBALLS

MEMBER
1996 OLDSMOBILE AURORA
V8
FWD
AUTOMATIC
158,000 MILES

My car is stalling and the dealer had me replace the Crankshaft positions sensors. That didn't fix the problem. Now they said it could be the ignition, the PCM, a ground somewhere, the Ignition control module, etc. They don't have any idea what is wrong. They tested the fuel pressure system and are not seeing any problems there. There are no error codes other than the engine stalled code.

Symptoms: The car seems to stall the most when you stop giving it gas, while driving. It doesn't seem to happen until the car is warmed up. It starts great when it is cold and before it gets warmed up, but is very hard to start once it has stalled. The battery voltage looks good while driving (15.3 V) and while cranking 13.4V. It doesn't sputter or shake when it dies, it just simply dies very suddenly like you turned off the ignition. The lights stay on and don't flash when the car stalls. It is not giving any error codes when it stalls. I tried using a secondary key thinking the resistor might be bad but that didn't make a difference.

Is there a way to test the ignition, PCM, or other system that might be failing here?

1 Reply

ERNEST CLARK

MECHANIC
1,730 POSTS

If the dealer charged you to replace your crankshaft sensor, but that didn't cure your problem, then they need to refund your money, or fix the problem at no more cost to you.

If you retained your service order, contact a lawyer. They'll know how to proceed from there.

As for what could be your problem, the proper way to diagnose this is to connect a GM scanner and conduct a drive test while a qualified technician monitors all of your systems.

When your engine dies, the computer will take a snap shot of your control systems at that moment, giving the technician the exact cause.

There's a whole list of possible causes, and for me to play a guessing game would only lead around in circles.

Your best recourse is to file a claim against that dealership.