Engine Quits or doesn't start- ideas?

Hello,

I'm a new Reatta owner who's loving my red 1990 coupe... but I'm having a problem that makes it unreliable to drive. I've had it unexpectedly stop when driving, not restart, and just not start at all.... I can't tell if it is a fuel pump that is going... that air idle valve I've read about, a fouled filter. or something else. Anyone else have experience? I don't wnt to go on a part-buying spree without some idea...

help?

Bad fuel filter the car with sputter out on hard acceleration.

IAC dirty will run but dies at a stop, it will restart but you

need to give it gas.

Fuel pump you can be heard when key is turned to run {don't start the car}

primer relay runs pump before engine oil pressure rises.

Other items :

Crank sensor if broken car will never start, if wires are damage it can work

intermittantly.

Oil pressure Buick has a safety in the oil switch, if the pressure is too low

the fuel pump power is cut off.

Had a similar problem whe I fist test drove mine, for me it was the ignition module, will it start after it sits for a while?

Thanks ,

Yes it -for the most part- starts after while... but seems to be worsening... And the car seems to be misfiring a bit too... theres another post ***** Cranks But Won't Start ***** that speaks of some mem-cals and TSB... I have no idea what they're speaking of but it does seem to talk of similar problems... is the ignition module the same?

Thanks,

Thought about bad fuel filter... perhaps pump too.... can definately hear the pump preload with ignition. Car doesn't necessarily sputter so much as simply quit... wait ten to twenty minutes... starts up... recently its been happening more frequently...

Is there a way to test the fuel pressure to verify the pump is operational?... I'm suspecting it has more to do with ignition than fuel, but the symptoms seem congruent with lack of fuel too... In the 1990 model w/o the touch screen, is there a way to test the electronics and get a code readout? Would that help determine ignition vs fuel?

Classic ICM symptoms (like CL Reatta spoke of above). It can possibly be any of the above described repairs, but if it simply cuts off while operating and won't restart until cold, It would not hurt at all to try the ICM (device under the coil pack). You also may have multible problems (missing described). Coil pack, wires, plugs possible as well.

Advance will allow return in most cases if purchased part is not the problem....talk to the store manager and describe the situation before hand....

You said it won't re-start, but will it crank?

Yes, it has plenty of cranking power, just no spark or no fuel.... no combustion.

Then when it begins to spark... it is faulty... misses a cylinder or two... then it kicks in...

which sounds like either fuel or spark... right?

The two things are somewhat related, primarily through the ICM and crank sensor for starting. The ICM must get a signal from the crank sensor to start the spark and fuel pulse. For the most part it is possible to get spark without fuel, but not possible to get fuel without spark, or at least the signal for spark. ICM would be a good place to start. Usually the crank sensor doesn't cure itself. A harness problem could exist. There is a short harness across the front of the engine that ties the crank sensor, cam sensor and ICM together and it connects to the harness from the ECM at the right rear corner of the engine. There have been cases where the harness is out of position and some moving object, like the belt or a pulley, wears through it.

Replaced the ICM with a used one from an 89 Olds 3.8L engine and it seems to be working! I'll let you know more after a day or two of driving... but thanks everyone for saving me from having to empty a full tank of gas and drop the tank to replace the pump only to find it didn't work!

Now I have to fix the motorized headlights... they don't pop up.... I just bought a kit with new gears.... We'll see how it goes.

thanks again!

Sounds good. I would suggest, however, to replace it with a newer style Delco coil pack. Used on a lot of models, like all 3800s past 1991, but I use a '95 Park Avenue as a benchmark. They're much more reliable than the older units.