98 Buick LeSabre Stalls Out After About 10 Miles

[N2TheRed]

I forget another thing. The sheet that came with the Fel-Pro LIM gaskets came with silicone and a sheet that tells you how to apply it. On the sheet it only said the four corners. After I had already installed the LIM I took a look at the back of the silicone container and it mentioned it's used to seal off coolant pathways. So, should i have used the silicone on the coolant pathways on the LIM? I didn't think to look at the back of the container because I figured the sheet of paper was what I needed to do.

[willwren]

Only if your mating surfaces of the LIM or heads were pitted.

[N2TheRed]

I Put Everything Back Together And Took A Test Run. I Drove 50 Miles And It Stalled Twice On The 50th Mile. It Made It 40 Miles Further Then Before. There Were No Leaks In The Bottom Or Top Manifold.

[1fatcat]

Try wiggling the wirring harnesses under the hood with the engine running. Stay away from the cooling fans and the drive belt area. See if you can make it stall by manipulating the harnesses. If so, inspect that area of that harness for rubbed through wires that are grounding out. You can also try to load the engine at a stop by holding the brake hard and give it about 50-75% throttle for short bursts (2 seconds). Don't go nuts with this, because it does make the trans temps go up fast. If it stalls doing this, I would take a REAL close look at the underhood wirring because it indicates that the problem happens when the engine and it related wirring are flexing on the engine mounts. Try it in drive and reverse, this will make the engine flex to it's extremes in both directions.

[N2TheRed]

I would like to add, just for the record, that while I test running the car this morning i stopped at Autozone for a computer scan that found nothing wrong. I also haven't changed the oil yet. I just got it so I'm going to do that.

Also, I bought an 195 thermostat and put it in. While the car is idling for 30 minutes in the drive way, the temp goes up to 250 with the two fans on. Driving down the highway I get about 210 to 220 on the temp gauge. Other then that, I just started slowing down to make the final bend in the road for the test run and it stalled while I was slowing down.

Anyway, I'm going to go change the oil and check the wiring harnesses now.

[1fatcat]

If it is only doing this on deceleration, you may want to clean the throttle body and MAF sensor if you haven't already. If you have, then ignor this post.

[N2TheRed]

I haven't done that yet so I'll go ahead and take care of that also.

I did find the below post on Answers.com

What are the symptoms of defective ignition module?



A bad ignition module is usually characterized by several frustrating symptoms. A classic example is when the engine will start, but when it gets hot, the ignition module's electrical properties change, causing the car to die suddenly, but restart after several minutes of cooling. Some people have reported pouring cold water on the ignition module causes it to start when hot (merely by cooling rapidly). Another way to test for this is to allow the engine to run for a total of 30 minutes, then gently tap the module with the back of a screwdriver. If the car fails, this is usually the source. Sometimes the car will not start at all, but this should lead to checking the ignition coil first. This is usually characterized by no spark, no combustion, but good power (or weak power) into the ignition coil. This is usually checked first, as both are common problems, but the ignition coil is usually 1/3 the price (or less) of the (often very pricey) modules (especially for later models). Basically, check for spark, if you don't have any, keep going back until you have checked the ignition coil, distributor, ignitor, module (in that order) and any grounds, resistors, capacitors, etc. Check all for power in, out, positive, negative, and power out. Use a test light, a voltmeter (multimeter) and get a book for your car from the auto parts store.

[1fatcat]

That sounds correct for symptoms. Mine went out a year ago and it would stall when fully warmed up. Restarted after 30-45 minutes of cool down time. I was able to verify no spark at any coil when mine stalled, so I knew it either had to be a bad module or wirring problems, because the odds af all 3 coils failing at once is astronomical.

[N2TheRed]

I changed the oil and wiggled the harness around and nothing happened from that. I let it set about 20 minutes and noticed that both fans cutoff around 205/210 on the temp gauge. Once the fans cut off it goes up to around 240 and starts to stall. However, it stalled at 200 on the temp gauge before that, and I don't think that's consider overheated. The overheating light hasn't came on yet either.

It appears, for me anyway, that the only way I'm going to get anywhere is by putting it into a shop later on.

[trf_ssei]

A friend of mine had a similar problem on a different car. ended up being the crank sensor. i dont know if there is a way to test it but it might be somthing to look into.

[Adam Marcum]

i don't no what the problem is ..but my 1995 ssei did this and it took forever to find out the problem it was the fuel pump.. but when i cheeked it it was fine..cause i was checking it when the car was cold .. it would run 10 to 20 minutes and the car would stall found out the pump was bad when it got hot ...

[N2TheRed]

I ended up forgetting where I posted my question some three years ago and just found it by accident. So, I will post what ended up being the issue in case anyone else has a similar issue.

It turned out to be the dreaded GM 3800 intake gasket issue. The two gaskets where in pieces and the coolant ports where blocked by sludge.