1998 Chevy Tahoe Tahoe stalls won't restart in traffic but

MIKE ROONEY

MEMBER
1998 CHEVROLET TAHOE
V8
4WD
AUTOMATIC
165,000 MILES

The truck runs fine on the highway but if you hit stop and go traffic, it will feel as if the truck is gas starved when you hit the peddle. The longer you idle or sit at a light when hot, the worse the problem gets until you can't accelerate at all and it stalls. Immediate restart is out of the question as it normally takes 5-10 mins to "cool off" before it will start. Restarting isn't easy as the starter winds very slowly but it eventually starts. Engine temps and all gauges are normal. Turning on the A/C makes the problem worse. I just replaced the inline rail fuel filter thinking it was clogged but the problem is still there.

1 Reply

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

Hi mike rooney. Welcome to the forum. When the problem occurs, have you checked for spark? If it's still there, and it appears to be fuel-related, suspect the pickup screen inside the fuel tank.

Your description sounds like exactly what happened to my '88 Grand Caravan a few years ago. Took me four hours to nurse it through stop-and-go traffic in Minneapolis, then it ran fine at highway speeds for the next three hours. Died as soon as I let off the gas to leave the main highway. The strange thing was the harder I accelerated, the beter it ran. It stalled consistantly when letting off the gas.

Without going into a lot of detail unless you're interested, I figured out months later that the highest volume of fuel is pumped when coasting, (that's not the same as the volume going into the engine). Most of that fuel goes right back to the tank. Fuel volume slows down when cruising or accelerating. The lower volume can get through the collapsed pickup screen. The higher volume can't so the fuel pressure goes down as a result and the engine starves for fuel. You'll need to watch fuel pressure with a gauge as you drive to see what is happening to pressure when the problem ocurs.

Caradiodoc