Engine will stall when driving?

Check fuel pressure with mechanical gauge hooked up to test port on fuel rail, should be 40-50psi.

Check spark with calibrated spark tester, look for blue snapping spark.

If the above checks out then this may be transmission related, shift solenoid, TCC clutch for example.

All "crank, no start" conditions are approached in the same way. Every engine requires certain functions to be able to run. Some of these functions rely on specific components to work and some components are part of more than one function so it is important to see the whole picture to be able to conclude anything about what may have failed. Also, these functions can ONLY be tested during the failure. Any other time and they will simply test good because the problem isn't present at the moment.
If you approach this in any other way, you are merely guessing and that only serves to replace unnecessary parts and wastes money.

Every engine requires spark, fuel and compression to run. That's what we have to look for.

These are the basics that need to be tested and will give us the info required to isolate a cause.

1) Test for spark at the plug end of the wire using a spark tester. If none found, check for power supply on the + terminal of the coil with the key on.

2) Test for injector pulse using a small bulb called a noid light. If none found, check for power supply at one side of the injector with the key on.

3) Use a fuel pressure gauge to test for correct fuel pressure, also noticing if the pressure holds when key is shut off.

4) If all of these things check good, then you would need to do a complete compression test.

Once you have determined which of these functions has dropped out,
you will know which system is having the problem.

Hi redeemed03,

This is the kind of problem that has given the Impala a bad reputation. When you take the car to a mechanic and he can't find anything wrong, it can be very frustrating. It's almost impossible to do the tests for the diagnosis when in only 5 to 20 minutes the car can be started.

I had a similar problem with my 2000 Impala. It was shutting down while I was driving on the freeway.

I found a mechanic who would stick with the job until he found the problem. It took almost a week and a declaration by the mechanic that the car was possessed, but he finally found the cause of the problem. It was the Crankshaft Position Sensor.

There must be a heatsoak problem that affects the ability of the sensor to relay data to the computer.

Anyway, I believe if you change the Crankshaft Position Sensor the problem will go away.

TakeChargeSarge

Just because the Crank sensor was the cause of a problem in one care DOES NOT mean it will be in your car and simply throwing parts at it will get very expensive and it the car is not tested during the failure, that's exactly what you are doing.

Hi larr283,

I had a similar problem with my 2000 Chevy Impala.

The engine would shut off at the most inopportune times (on the freeway at 65 mph, pulling away from a stop sign, in the parking lot at Home Depot, etc.).
Also, it usually happened about 20 minutes after the first start-up of the day.
Always, after a few minutes wait, it could be restarted and driven with no problems. The only indication on the instruments was the red battery indication that you normally get when you start the car. There was no check engine light or trouble codes.

After living with the problem for 6 months because the mechanics at the dealer could not find anything wrong with it, I found a mechanic who would do some actual troubleshooting.

The problem was the Crankshaft Position Sensor. It was interupting the power to the ignition module and causing the engine to shut down.

After it was replaced, all the problems went away. That was in October 2005 and there's no problem with the engine to this date.

TakeChargeSarge

HAs the check engine light come on?

Without a check engine light and the fact it starts right back up makes it a guessing game. My first thought would be the crank sensor, but I can't be sure. I was also wondering about the fuel pump pressure, but again, the quick restart makes me question that.

Have you had either of them checked?

Let me know what you find. Remember, when checking fuel pump pressure, it will be tough if it is running correctly.

Hello cassie2007,

I had a similar problem with my 2000 Chevy Impala.

If your engine stopped running while driving and the check engine light didn't come on and you were able to start it again within a few minutes and drive, then you should have someone check out the crankshaft position sensor. If it is going bad, the amount of current it passes will vary outside the limits and the engine computer will shut off power to the ignition module.

Almost any mechanic you take this problem to will tell you that they can't find anything wrong with it unless it happens while they are working on it, so you'll have to tell them what you want them to check.

Good luck,

TakeSargeSarge

Check fuel pump pressure and spark when the engine is not running. My guess is either a bad fuel pump or and ignition module.

Had this same problem with my 2000 Impala. It drove me nuts, but it always seemed to start again.
The problem was the Crankshaft Position Sensor. It's been 3 years since and no problems.
TakeChargeSarge

What he said could be correct. It is part of the ignition system and can shut down spark to the engine.