Car will idel fine, but won't run in gear?

Tim Groth

SCCoA Member
I think the title explains this fairly well but I will explain the situation to help everyone help me.

Sept. 12 : Driving home from work car dies after running like a champ...wait 10 minutes on the side of the road and she starts up and runs fine all the way home.

Sept. 13 : Hop in the SC to head to college, make it about a mile from my house and she cuts off for no reason again...but this time she won't start back up. Notice shift up light when starting so assume its the crank sensor.

Sept. 15 : Replace crank sensor along with the addition of a 10% overdrive pulley on the SC. Car starts up and runs fine for 10 minutes...then sputters and cuts off. Continues to do so for 2 or 3 hours and then runs fine.

Sept. 20 : Driving to work after I feel the problems are solved. Drive 30 minutes without a problem and then the next 5 minutes the car goes from great to terrible. So bad that I'm stranded on the edge of the road and have to get towed. After having her towed back to the house I turn it over and she runs flawlessly for 45 minutes. So I figure let me take it for a spin...but it in gear and back out of the garage and then she starts spittin and sputtering, so back in she went.

Sept 25 - present : Car is at shop and mechanic is dumb founded. At first he figured the problems laid within the DIS module but after replacing, the problems persisted so he scratchs that idea. Next he tried the coil pack and yet again no change.

Need some help as to what "SC owners" think it may be since I miss my car so much!

Here's what I've done or replaced since Oct. 2002 when purchased.

Head gaskets
Magnecore wires
Autolite Double Plats
Cam sensor
Crank Sensor
Alternator
Temp. Coolant Sensor
73mm C&L MAF
10% SC pulley
SCP Freeflow cats with 2.5 -3 -2.5 pipe
93 gas tank
Tranny rebuilt w/ performance everything, transgo shift kit and cooler.

From what the mechanic has told me is that he has let the car just sit and idel from 30 minutes to and hour and it runs fine, but when trying to drive it gets into spastic mode and runs fine then rough...ect.

Also, the harmonic Balancer Bolt is broken (found out when I did the crank sensor) but there is no wobble as of now...so my thought is that the balancer is fine under idel but when under load it wobbles..but mechanic seems to disagree.

Please let me know your thoughts so I can get my car back! Sucks driving a 88 Chevy Celebrity!:eek:

-Tim
 
Your balancer is the cause....

If the balancer bolt is broken, the balancer is "walking" away from the crank sensor as you are driving. While idling, there are probably not enough RPM's at the crankshaft to overcome the tension placed on the balancer pulleys by the belts. At higher RPM's the balancer must be sliding forward causing a "loss of signal".

Do yourself a favor and replace the Balancer and the Bolt immediately!!!!!!! If you don't, the balancer will break off flush with the timing chain cover, leaving the "sleeve" on the crankshaft. It is a royal pain to remove that piece of broken sleeve. (If you think getting the piece of broken bolt out is tough, just wait 'til the balancer breaks....)

Get a BHJ steel balancer if you can swing it, or if the budget won't allow, then get a NEW stock unit. Do Not install a used balancer, it will break.

(How do I know this? Experience is the best teacher, and I'm a slow learner.... I broke three stockers in 2-yrs before investing in a BHJ.)
 
I would check the fuel pump also. I had asimilar problem in my 94 chevy truck. Always idled fine then I would take it out and it would die on me. Finally replaced the fuel pump and have not any problems since even though its gets driven less now that i have an SC
 
Thanks for the help guys. I've been leaning towards to the Harmonic Balancer this entire time but my mechanic seems to think other wise...wish he would listen to me!

Also as for the fuel pump, its a new unit which was put in when I changed to the 93+ fuel tank.

Thanks again for the help. It's going on a month without the SC and I'm getting so lonesome!

-Tim
 
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