Quick help... Brothers car just stalled, cant jump

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xBa380

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Hello!

My brothers 2002 Grand Prix just stalled out around the corner from the house, after stalling out a few time prior today. This time, it wont go anywhere else.

Battery was dead and we jumped it.

It ran for a few seconds and died out... It will not run for more then a few seconds, regardless at idle or at higher RPM.

Everything else looked fine, but it just will not run long enough to do anything.

Is this just a simple bad battery? If it were a fuel pump or something, would it not even run for just a few seconds? And a fuel filter would probably show signs prior, such as stalling at idle and whatnot?

Just trying to give my brother an idea of what it may be... I am thinking it is just a bad battery, shot to the point of no return. But looking for just a little confirmation, or help
laugh.gif


Oh, and it was towed to the local shop for tonight. So for sure we will find out tomorrow morning, but just trying to give him an idea
smile.gif


Thanks!
 
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When we were trying to jump, it would run better at higher RPM before stalling. It would die out faster at lower RPM.
 
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well when my sierras pump died it would start for 1-3 seconds then die. When I hit the gas it would die immediately.

But if it runs better with higher RPM it probably is not the pump.
 
I say either fuel pump or fuel filter. Had a similar issue with a 1990 K5 Blazer. Would stall out and hesitate randomly. Some days it would start, others it wouldn't run for a week. I replaced the fuel filter and it helped, but it was actually a bad fuel pump.
 
If it was related to the fuel system, it wouldn't need a jump. DUH! Come on people, I know you guys are smarter than that...

It's a lack of electron flow, not hydrocarbon flow. If you leave the properly attached cables on it, and it continues to run, then that'll prove it.
 
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Originally Posted By: rshunter
If it was related to the fuel system, it wouldn't need a jump. DUH! Come on people, I know you guys are smarter than that...

It's a lack of electron flow, not hydrocarbon flow.


Exactly.
 
There are some dumb implementation of fuel pump override which is mandatory in case car gets in to an accident and fuel pump does not stop. Some manufacturer provide cut-off relay in the trunk (e.g. Ford). Some try to use electronics to figure out when the engine is stalled. The dumb engineers take the output of the the alternator as the proof of running engine. During the cranking, this cut-off is bypassed thus fuel pump runs and allows the car to start but if the alternator is not providing the juice the engine dies very quickly as soon as any load is applied to the engine.

My older Honda had a version of this scheme; twice the car stranded me; both times when the alternator needed a replacement.

- Vikas
 
So how are the idiot lights? I agree on the alternator system idea; they are driven by the body control module now. And the "battery" idiot light is not as directly connected as it once was.

Best bet is to get a good charge on the battery and see how things go. Some systems don't energize the alt for a few seconds after startup, goofy I know.
 
Sounds like a charging system fault to me too.

I'm assuming your scenario was this: car died. Trying to start it back up resulted in typical dead battery sounds, such as a clicking starter relay or slow starter. Jumped it, started, removed the cables, then it died after a few seconds. Tried to restart, typical dead battery sounds, jumpstart worked, then stalled after removing cables. Repeat. If that's what happens, it sounds like the charging system isn't working.

It could be a bad alternator, or a bad connection, corroded wire, etc.

Try leaving the jumper cables attached for a minute or two after it starts and see if that has any effect. Also, this will give you some more time to troubleshoot the issue.

Even a battery with a bad cell won't stop the car from running after being jumped. I have driven several miles on a jumpstarted battery with a dead cell to find a replacement, and that was an older car with much a much less powerful alternator than today's cars.

I suppose that if multiple cells shorted, the battery may try to draw too much current and make the charging system look like it has failed. I have never seen or heard of this happening. Check the voltage on the battery with a multimeter and report back. This should be done with the engine off and the jumper cables disconnected.

If you can get it running, even for just a minute or two, check the voltage at the battery terminals and report back. The jumper cables must be disconnected while doing this. Normally a good alternator produces around 14 volts, give or take .5 volts.

Even if the battery light is off, the alternator could still have an issue. The light should be turning on when the key is in the RUN position without the engine running. If not, you will want to let us know and be prepared to look at an electrical diagram for the car if you can get one.

No typical dead battery sounds or behaviors? Then I would start to look at the fuel pump, fuel filter, etc. A clogged fuel filter or bad fuel pump could cause it to run a few seconds and stall. But you wouldn't have needed a jumpstart.
 
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The shop is trying to put the blame on the MAF... Highly doubt that?

And even letting the battery charge a few minutes, it would stall out quickly.

I guess the shop said they fully charged the battery and when running it, the car was throwing a bunch of MAF codes or something. The RPM's were fluctuating all the over, and when they unplugged the MAF sensor the car ran fine? Supposedly?

Make sense?
 
If the MAF were bad then all the symptoms would magically disappear if the MAF were unplugged. The engine would then run fine with a lit "check engine" light. That's a known 3800 V6 trait, if that's what's in you brother's Grand Prix.

And, assuming it is the MAF, a junkyard part is highly preferable to a new or remanned replacement. On the 3800-powered car boards there are horror stories of going through new replacement MAF after MAF in a year. A junkyard part or cleaning the MAF with MAF/electronics cleaner was the solution every time.

To check the MAF, it's the square-shaped thing on the top of the throttle body held in by 4 security Torx (T-25, IIRC. It's a small security Torx bit) screws. If there's visible debris on the wires, then that's your issue.
 
Well that is what they are claiming, that the engine ran fine when it was unplugged.

Its at the shop now, so I could not remove the MAF... But they did. And my brother just replaced it six months ago, so he went to pick it up and swap it for a new one under warranty at AutoZone... So now the shop is going to install it and see.
 
It's the MAF sensor; I've replaced 2 on various 3800s with the exact same problem. Unplug the MAF sensor and it'll run fine. It's super easy to replace.
 
That was the problem. The MAF was replaced and car runs fine again!

Thanks for the help everybody!
 
I'm guessing he ran the battery dead trying to start it. That threw us a curve ball. BTW I would never have guessed MAF sensor. Glad you got it fixed.
 
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