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Shut off while driving and would not restart, engine cranks but does not start?

Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
  • MEMBER
  • 2000 BUICK LESABRE
  • 3.8L
  • V6
  • 2WD
  • AUTOMATIC
  • 160,000 MILES
Have a crank won't start condition. While I was driving and felt like it ran out of gas, the car shut off and wouldn't start. The car has fuel, the fuel pump runs, and the fuel pressure gauge reads 40 PSI key on not running. Should it start? What pressure should a good pump run at? Fuel pump was replaced 4 years ago.
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2022 AT 10:10 AM

13 Replies

Tiny
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  • MECHANIC
  • 6,383 POSTS
Hello,

With the key on and engine off the fuel pressure should be 48 - 55 PSI. So, you are not too far off.

This could be due to a faulty crankshaft position sensor.
Over time with heat and vibration the sensor can go bad and can send an error signal to the ECM. That can trigger the engine to shut down. After the shutdown you may or may not be able to start it back up. It will usually only crank.

Take a look at this helpful guide:

https://www.2carpros.com/articles/engine-stalls

I have attached the crank sensor replacement and relearning procedure below.

Let me know of any questions.
Thank you.
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Wednesday, July 27th, 2022 AT 4:41 PM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
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Is there a way to test the crank position sensor?
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Thursday, July 28th, 2022 AT 11:48 AM
Tiny
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You can test the sensor with a multimeter.
Check for resistance across the pins. If it is zero or out of limit the sensor is bad.
Also, you can check the output voltage of the sensor while the engine is cranking. Probe the multimeter lead to the wire, It should have around 200 millivolt output.
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Thursday, July 28th, 2022 AT 8:54 PM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
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  • 10 POSTS
If the crankshaft senor is bad will it through a code?
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Monday, August 8th, 2022 AT 7:15 PM
Tiny
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It will many times but not always. Were you able to test the sensor with a multimeter?
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Monday, August 8th, 2022 AT 9:40 PM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
I ordered a multimeter and code reader. Code reader came, still waiting for multimeter.
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Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 AT 8:14 AM
Tiny
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Let me know how it goes.
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Tuesday, August 9th, 2022 AT 3:33 PM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
  • MEMBER
  • 10 POSTS
I went ahead and replaced the crank pos sensor and still no go.
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Tuesday, September 20th, 2022 AT 3:49 PM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
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Is there a relearn process for the sensor or something I'm not doing?
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Tuesday, September 20th, 2022 AT 4:18 PM
Tiny
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There is a relearn process for the crank sensor. It will require a scan tool.
See below for the procedure.
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Tuesday, September 20th, 2022 AT 10:44 PM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
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Will this do the relearn process? Or do I need something else? I don't have a bunch of experience with the scanners and Tech stuff.
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 AT 8:37 AM
Tiny
ARTHUR SWEENEY
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Oh, and does the car have to be running to do the relearn?
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 AT 8:41 AM
Tiny
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Relearn does require the engine to be running. Take a look at the instructions on the previous post above.
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Wednesday, September 21st, 2022 AT 10:31 PM

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