1993 Oldsmobile 3.3 SL sputters then stalls ALOT

100

Asked by Kevin Aug 12, 2015 at 02:45 AM about the 1993 Oldsmobile Cutlass Ciera SL Sedan FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

My issue is the car sputters and then dies MUCH like almost every other 3.3 ciera
owner I'm totally stumped at this point and really just wanna swap in to a 3.8 LG6 but
dont have the money right now and need this thing to work, I have replaced the fuel
filter, air filter, and fuel pressure regulator, still having the same issue Im sure the
pump and plugs are fine, I dont know what it could be. The olds always seems to
sputter at half throttle and will sputter at full throttle as well but around 40 mph kicks
you back in your seat and your off and running fine however once you stop it dies ( the
more abruptly you stop it dies faster also if the a/c is on it makes it stall out quicker as
well)...if you baby it, it usually does an okay job and doesnt sputter....until you stop.
I'm totally lost it seems to SCREAM fuel to me however ive replaced or ensured
everything that seems logical in the fuel system. I read that someone suggested a
cam sensor was causing the sputter and stall...if you suggest that could you please
explain your reasoning because i cant seem to wrap my head around that
conclusion....but pretty much willing to try anything to keep it going until i can do the
LG6 swap. So any ideas? please help

6 Answers

189,385

It could also be the crank sensor as well as the cam sensor both with produce the trouble you are having. The only way to tell if they are bad is to test each of the of these parts. You may also want to check the throttle body sensor and clean the throttle body. A bad catalytic converter can cause what you a experiencing as well.. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=itMXO56z1tw

2 people found this helpful.
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No auto part store carries a cam sensor for my car only the crank i have a cam sensor dont I? because alot of people have suggested for me to clean the egr valve and my car doesnt have one. So is this another part that i dont have in the 3.3L or can i just not find it and im screwed?

100

Also its not throwing any check engine loight or anything its like the car dont even know whats up. Would a crank sensor (because i dont think i have a cam sensor) cause a check engine light?

100

turned out my MAF (mass airflow sensor) and my crank sensor were bad....causing the wierd running issue...when i put the bad crank sensor back in it, it would idle fine I just had the same problem at half throttle that i had before i began the project. So i havent got a MAF yet but timing turned out to be fine...it was a puzzle but with the crank sensor and MAF both being bad it can run however if i had 1 good and 1 bad....it only hits on 3 or so cylinders. Interesting but I've heard of this sputter problem with alot of the 3.3's so if you have this sputter issue and its none of the mechanical things here you go! I hope this helps someone in the future because the 2 day headache just to wait for a MAF and put me back at square almost 1 wasnt worth it.

1 people found this helpful.

I have. Replaced every thing buyable on my 1990 oldsmobile cutlass cruiser 3.3 and can't get a pulse to injectors. Fuel pump. Spark module CBS even injectors and computer. Can't find cam sensor and need help 80000 miles on car but thinking of burning it

10

Try removing the fuel injector electrical connectors one at a time- if the engine runs fine, you have a leaking injector, which trickle enough to run without power but runs rich with it.

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