Hello Everyone,
Please, if anyone has had this below problem, let me know how it was solved. Thanks in advance for your assistance !<!-- google_ad_section_end -->

PROBLEM:
Last August, car began "pausing" just a little , only SOMETIMES, going down the road, as speed increased to about 55. Took to repair shop, they could not find the cause, nor the problem either, as it was only a random occurrence. They told me to just drive it.

Problem worsened, as now it will barely go, after stopping at traffic lights and stop signs, only SOMETIMES, not all the time. It will go up to about 30-35 mph and no matter if I give it more gas, it has no effect, for a very few hundred yards. Then IT ABOUT FLIES on it`s own, even if I don`t give it gas, for a short distance . Then it drives normally. SOMETIMES, from standing still , as at traffic light, it DIES , but it will restart OK, being a bit rough for a short distance. I put a gas treatment in the tank, but it hasn`t made a difference.

I LOVE my 92 Caprice, it has: a 3 year old engine & radiator, new battery, new brakes, new tires , new hoses and most other things under the hood have been replaced in the last 3 years. It is in repair shop now, but they have not found problem cause, nor solution. Anyone have any ideas about cause and possible solution to this problem? This is very frustrating and I do not want to buy a new car .
Thanks for reading this !


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A sticking EGR valve could be the culprit.

Almost all these cars will need this replaced if it hasn't been.

The #1 clue it needs replaced is usually the car stalling when you're going very slow, like 10 - 15 mph and you slam on the brakes.

If it has had good spark plugs, dist cap & rotor and spark plug wires I would look at that.

You can spray it with something like WD40 while you move the diaphram with your fingers and loosen it up and frequently the car will run right for a few days, if it is indeed the EGR valve, and that's how I'd test it too.

 

Hi Dintymoore,
I appreciate your reply, thank you !
Perhaps that valve is the problem. If I can find it, I will check it myself and then get it replaced . I thought they had put some kind of valve in last August, I`ll have to look at my paperwork on that. So far the garage didn`t find the cause and I had them check the car out 2 times already. That`s why I posted here, while it was in their garage the last time. They kept it 3 days and it never acted up while they drove it, they said. It still acts up with me !
Again , thank you !

Capriceus

 

Not sure if your year car has a distributor cap but check for cracks, does it happen more on damp days ???, anyhow just a guess

 

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Hi 300winchester,
Thanks for your reply.
The mechanic checked it all over and simply hasn`t found the cause of problem. No, damp days don`t make the problem worse. It is at random.
-------------------
DintyMoore,
To follow up:
The EGR valve was replaced already, along with some other parts. However, the problem is still not solved.
The mechanics at the garage are all stumped . They tell me to just keep driving the car, as they can`t find the problem`s cause .

 

One possibility is that you're fuel supply, i.e. faulty fuel pump or injectors.

I'm assuming you've done all the tune up stuff, including fuel filter.

If it's got TBI you can visually inspect the spray pattern to see if it's a good cone shape.

Also, do a spark plug visual check and verify a strong spark. There's a pick up coil in the distributer that can fail and result in a weak spark.

Another possibility is that your catalytic convertor is all clogged and about now (15+ years) that can happen. Usually you can sense that the car is not free flowing. Broken off, rusted metal parts can be floating around inside the cat. You can go over a bump and all of a sudden the thing is mostly closed off.

 

Hi DintyMoore,
I appreciate your reply !
Some of those things , I don`t even know what they are. The garage guys insist they have done all kinds of checking. They keep saying , just drive it ,as it is, until it totally quits running. It is mostly a frustration to me , as it still only randomly "acts up", but the car still operates good at other times.
I have been a good customer and spent a lot of money with them, ( have 2 vehicles), so I don`t think they are ripping me off.
I`ll probably drive the car another year or so, and then just buy a new car. In the meantime, I plan to stay in town, as I don`t want any long road trips ,with it as it is.

Thanks again !

capriceus

 

Hi DintyMoore and All who helped,

After 4 garages and way over $1,000 in bills for parts and labor, the car was not fixed . I then got a ''shade tree " mechanic who once owned a garage to drive it a week . After many hours of checking everything and much gnashing of teeth , he finally found that the right side fuel injector thingy only dribbled a little, did not spray, as a wire/pipe ? whatever, was crimped. He replaced it, the car runs beautifully now, I`ve had it back a week, no more problems . It appears to be fixed FINALLY.

Thank you and everyone for your suggestions, I relayed the messages to all the mechanics, but I suppose they had their own ideas and I have a lot of new parts as a result of their ideas. The "shade tree" mechanic was very determined to fix the car, for which I am grateful.

Many thanks to EVERYONE !
capriceus

 

Visually inspecting the TBI spray pattern, like I suggested, would have revealed that problem in 15 minutes. Anyone familiar with those cars, or any TBI car, should have had that within an hour max. It's easy, but you have to know to look at it!

 

Hi DintyMoore,
I`m sure you are correct ! However, they all assured me that they had checked everything and the "Chevrolet factory trained mechanics", didn`t find the real problem and fix it and the "shade tree mechanic" finally did.

I know basically know nothing about what`s under the hood, so it was a REAL problem to me.
Now I don`t have to buy a new car , just yet. I`m elated !
Many thanks !


capriceus