Car wont stay on....

[Brownsfan4life]

When i go to start my car it will turn and fire but immediately stall. The thing that confuses me is that if i put my foot on the gas it will keep going until i take my foot off which then makes it stall out. I've been having problems with it starting but not like this. It would start and i would just give it a little gas and it would take it from there but now it seems like it just isnt capable of doing it on its own anymore. The FPR still holds it vacuum but i have no idea what this could be. I don't know much about cars so i am sorry about not being very descriptive.

[tgussie666]

Sounds like the starter......the seliniod may be bad. Just a thought. Good Luck......

[Brownsfan4life]

actually the starter was just replaced about a month ago that one just didnt even click anymore. This one is weird to me just because if i put my foot on the gas a little bit it stays going but once i take it off it dies, but my foot has to be on it to start it anyways so i dont know whats up gonna check the hoses once it cools down but it just a little warm under there. It was running earlier little hard to start but it would sustain itself now it just wont sustain itself.

[rixGAphx]

'99 V6, 8 yrs old, so about 100k miles??
Have you done the major engine service necessary for this car at this milage:
* Replace:
* * Plugs and wires.
* * Fuel filter.
* * Tranny fluid (with flush).
* * Oil and filter.
* * Coolant.
Check/clean/replace as required:
* * PCV valve.
* * Air filter.
* * O2 sensors.
* * Coolant reservoir pressure cap.
Plus various chassis/brake/suspension checks.

Not that any of these is likely to cure your present problem, but they sure will make your car run better, and pay for themselves in better gas milage.
* * *

Sounds like a problem with the Idle Air Control (IAC)valve/module/motor.

When your foot is off the pedal, then the throttle plate is closed; no air is entering the engine thru the throttle bore.
Instead, the air necessary for idle is going AROUND the throttle plate, thru the passages of the IAC.
The IAC has a little electronic motor that precisely meters the amount of air based on signal from the PCM (Powertrain Control Module, the engine-tranny 'puter), and works together with the signals to the fuel injection to provide just the right mix of air and fuel.

I never had trouble with my IAC, never even touched it.
So all I know about it is what I've read here.
It can be cleaned, and mebbe that's all that yours needs; afterall, it has been sucking dirty old Cleveland air for 8 years!! :eek:
(my family moved to AZ from Bedford, just south of Maple Heights, nearly 50 years ago).

Anyhow, the main problem with tinkering with the IAC, from what I've read, is that there's a little spring-loaded plunger inside.
It should NEVER be allowed to protrude too much as you fiddle with it.
Sorry, I don't know how much is 'too much', nor how to restrict it from protruding.

I would definitely do a 'search' on this forum for IAC probelms.

Since the engine cranks reliably, it definitely isn't a starter or solenoid problem, as you've surmised.
FPR was top on my list as possible cause, until you said it held vacuum; so forget about that.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

[Brownsfan4life]

a new thing i just noticed is there is a pretty good whistle at lower rpms between 700 and 1000 but once i go over that its not as easy to hear. all the hoses are connected and it sound like its coming right from the intake manifold itself which worries me....

[Brownsfan4life]

oh one other thing is about 2 days before i had the issue i had a cylinder 1 misfire would this have anything to do with this as well

[rixGAphx]

:banghead:

Ima gonna wait 'til you think of all the other symptoms. :roll:





Then I'll come back on Monday and:
* Ask you again, HOW MANY MILES?
* Ask if the SES light is 'on' now, and if so, what code(s) are displayed?
* Tell you to ignore my previous statement about the IAC until you solve the 'whistle'.
* Tell you to find and correct whatever vacuum leak is causing the whistle AND the inability to idle.

Do a 'search' here for idle symptoms and vacuum problems; you'll find some tips on where to look and how to find vac leaks.

[Brownsfan4life]

im really sorry i couldn't hear the whistle form inside the car when i was starting it but then i had my brother in there and i listened to it and i was like oh theres more sorry about that.

The car has 114k miles on it and no lights are on anymore the only code that ive ever had was the cylinder one misfire outside of that no other codes...

again im sorry about the new thigns but i couldnt hear them alone and thats all the symptoms i can come up with lol. im sure i bought a woman and shes gonna be throwing a fit with me for as long as I have her around lol

[rixGAphx]

im really sorry i couldn't hear the whistle form inside the car when i was starting it but then i had my brother in there and i listened to it and i was like oh theres more sorry about that.

The car has 114k miles on it and no lights are on anymore the only code that ive ever had was the cylinder one misfire outside of that no other codes...

again im sorry about the new thigns but i couldnt hear them alone and thats all the symptoms i can come up with lol. im sure i bought a woman and shes gonna be throwing a fit with me for as long as I have her around

It's cool, I was just jerking your chain.

Find and fix that vacuum leak, and you should be OK.

Are you having any problems with the HVAC controls, like vents that don't blow air as they should?
If so, then the vac leak is *prolly* the little line off the right (passenger) rear of the intake manifold.
It provides vac to the AC controls, via the vac reservoir (black plastic grapefruit-like bottle under the battery).

Hope this helps,
-Rick

[Brownsfan4life]

nah i get an airflow into the cabin no problem. haha i got a fix lets just throw and old book on the pedal and drive around with it holding it open to have enough air to run lol

[StUpId8000]

funny..I'm having the same issue...I cant start the car warm unless I give it a little gas...and I just started getting some stupid whistle at 700-1000 ish RPMs.....let me know if any of this was fix or what you found out....99' Gt 132k

[rixGAphx]

The 'whistle' is a vacuum leak from an underhood tube off the intake manifold.
It is also present at idle in your car, and it is making the air-fuel mixture at idle so lean that the engine can't operate.

When you press on the throttle pedal, that opens the throttle pedal.
It doesn't actually 'give more gas' to the engine.
But it tells the PCM (the Powertrain Control Module, your engine-tranny 'puter) that you WANT more power and gas.
So the PCM asks the O2 sensor how much oxygen is in the exhaust, and the O2 sensor says, "Too much".
So the PCM enrichens the Fuel Injection, and the engine starts and runs.

But it's sucking air thru that vac leak, which is not good.

Do a search in this forum for Vacuum Leak', there are severl threads with diagnosing and correcting the condition.

Hope this helps,
-Rick

[arthurgoboom]

Could the idle air passages in the throttle body be plugged with carbon? We had this problem once with an old F**d with fuel injection. We had to keep turning the idle up on it (it had a screw), then one day I took the throttle body off and cleaned out all the passages, blew the carbon out of them, and then it idled at like 2000 rpm. Had to back the screw back down.

Since these GAs don't have an idle screw and the throttle plate is completely sealed at idle, it would just die if the passages were plugged.

FYI on finding vacuum leaks, if you buy a vacuum gauge, you can hook it to the line that goes to the FPR and tell immediately if you have a low vacuum situation. Normal is around 20 in/hg when idling warm, a little bit lower (~18) when you first start the engine.