Car is stalling/choking out when its in drive?

Hello mnelson85

Is your 1986 Oldsmobile Cutlass 3.8L 2BL OHV 6cyl. A RWD and diesel engine?
Or it is a different cutlass?

Hello mnelson85

2.8 ltr v-6 front wheel drive should be a cutlass ciera.
I just want to make sure what vehicle it is.
Does the car stall/chock when it's in drive only or this happen in idle too?It happen when you come to a stop?
Have you tried to put dry gas in the tank? How did the fuel filter look like when you remove it? Lot of rust from inside the filter?
Give me more informations so we can continue.

Hello mnelson85

I suspect the throttle position sensor.
The TPS is essentially a variable resistor that changes resistance as the throttle opens. Think of it as the electronic equivalent of a mechanical accelerator pump. By signaling the computer when the throttle opens, the computer can richen up the fuel mixture to maintain the proper air/fuel ratio.
I have 2 tps;
Model 700 TBI assembly or Model 300 TBI assembly?
If you do not know which one you have, let me know so I can give you both diagrams, you can identify which one you have before we can do adjustment.
If adjusting the tps does not solve the problem, I will show you how to perform fuel volume test.

Hello

Try to adjust it, only if the sensor has slots on the mounting screws; if it does not have slots, it is not adjustable.
Remove air cleaner. Disconnect the TPS harness from the TPS
Using suitable jumper wires, connect a digital voltmeter from the TPS connector center terminal B to the outside terminal A
With the ignition ON and the engine stopped, The TPS voltage should be less than 1.25 volts.
If the reading on the TPS is not within the specified range, rotate the TPS until 0.42-0.54 volts are obtained. If this specified voltage cannot be obtained, replace the TPS.
If TPS is good, next step will be the fuel pump.
Check the tps first and tell me what happens so we can continue.
fuel pump is expensive and we want to make sure we doing the right thing.

Here are the 2 different sensors, find which one look similar to yours

Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) on a Model 300 TBI assembly

Throttle Position Sensor (TPS) on a Model 700 TBI assembly

Hello mnelson85

You should test before replacing anything.

The fuel pump is located in the tank.
The fuel regulator could also cause the same problem.
Remove the fuel pump fuse, crank the engine 3 time to make sure there is no fuel in fuel lines before removing the regulator or fuel pump from the fuel tank

It seem like we have been looking in the wrong direction.
When it loses power, at that moment check for spark.
This can be done by pulling off a plug wire and placing the end near the block while a helper cranks the engine.
If you do not see a spark or hear the plug wire snapping when the engine is cranking, the fault is in the ignition system.
The underlying cause is often a bad crankshaft position sensor, or sometimes a failing ignition coil. A faulty ignition switch that loses contact intermittently may also cause the engine to suddenly die for no reason.