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Car stalls then no cranking wait a few minutes, starts easily

Tiny
GARBEAR44017
  • MEMBER
  • 1995 OLDSMOBILE CUTLASS
  • 100,000 MILES
After driving awhile, usually after around ten miles, if I am stopped at a red traffic light idling, the car sputters to a stop. And then when I immediately try to start the car
the dash lights come on, but there is no cranking whatsoever. I wait at the stop light about three minutes and then try to start the car again, it strongly cranks right up and starts. Then to keep car running at traffic light stops, I put the car in park and feed it a little gas until light turns green. I have a theory! There is a wire (or wires) going to the spark plugs and the wire has lost part of its plastic covering insulation. That wire is intermittently touching metal in the car and grounding out or shorting out so that the plugs are not getting electric current. Please help.
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Monday, October 24th, 2016 AT 6:58 PM

3 Replies

Tiny
AL514
  • MECHANIC
  • 4,677 POSTS
Is the engine size a 3.1Liter or 3.4L? And what is the sub model (Base, S, or SL)?

Also, it sounds like you may have two problems going on here. The no cranking is one issue and trying to keep it running with your foot on the gas is another. The theft deterrent module controls grounding the relay that controls the starter motor and also signals the ECM to start the other electronic control modules. But I would definitely change those plug wires to start with. A short to ground like that is no good at all, especially considering the high voltage that is going to ground off those wires. But I will need the engine size and sub model first.
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 AT 1:25 AM
Tiny
GARBEAR44017
  • MEMBER
  • 14 POSTS
It is a 3.1 liter engine and submodel SL
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Tuesday, October 25th, 2016 AT 5:00 PM
Tiny
KEN L
  • MASTER CERTIFIED MECHANIC
  • 47,574 POSTS
If I can jump in here, I would clean your battery cables and check the battery. I have seen the battery will short out and cause the engine to stall and not crank, then when it cools down it starts working again.

Please let us know what you find so it will help others.

Best, Ken
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Thursday, October 27th, 2016 AT 4:50 PM

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