Ok guys, first let me say I am not an experienced car guy.

I have an 1985 max (automatic) with 192000 miles on her. SHe usually runs pretty well and has good pickup. However, I have a major problem I need help with. About 3 months ago when I got the car, I took it to the station to gas it up. After I put the gas in, the car wouldnt start. It tried to, but wouldnt turn over. We towed it down to the mechanic and when he got around to it the next day, he said it started right up.

I thought that it was a fluke problem and put it out of my mind. I then filled it up again about a month ago, no problem. Yesterday, put more gas in it, started up fine, and i drove to school. Then, after school, I started it up, but it seemed really sluggish. As i turned onto a hill to get back home, i pushed in the gas and it stalled. Engine just cut out and wouldnt start again.

I left it for a bit and tried it again last night. No luck. But, I tried it again today and she started up and drove like nothing had ever happened.

The only time anything like this has ever happened is after a fillup. Thanks for the help.

 

Man, that's really odd. I've heard about problems like that before, but never immediately after a fill up.

The only thing that would come to mind then would be the fuel pump. I can't think of any other reason why it would do that after you fill up with gas.

Do you hear a humming noise coming from the back of the car? That would definitely indicate that there is a problem with your fuel pump.

Another thing that it may be is that you have a clogged fuel filter. It's possible that whenever you fill up, all of the sludge on the bottom is coming up and getting sucked through the lines and making a clogged filter even worse.

-C-

 

You also might want to check the condition of your fuel system. Check to make sure the ECU is throwing off codes and what not. Though it seems to be semi-spouratic issues, I would just start where C said, and with what I said too.

S

 

Hope youre not going to the same gas station everytime. If so try a different brand of gasoline.

 

Couple of things to check is the fuel pressure regulator
and it's cut-off solenoid.

If either of these are bad, you will experience a "hot start"
condition which sorta sounds like what you're describing.

A hot start condition is where after you've been driving the
car a while and you shut it off for a few minutes (like at a
filling station) and then go to start the car and it won't
start or it will start only to just die off.

Once the car cools down, it starts normally.

Another thing to check would be the coil, with the car having
low power like you mentioned one day, this could be another
possibility.

A possilbe sign of this being bad is hard starts even when
the motor is cool (like after sitting all night) and worse
when the car is warm.

Hope this helps!

Scott

 

Now no longer just a fill up problem and more stick shift symptoms. When I start the car cold, it acts like a stick with both clutch and gas out. It lurches along for a few seconds, then runs alright albeit with hardly any power. This happens about 50 % of the time.

It also stalled again today on the same hill. I started the car and it drove just fine until I started up the hills near my house. I then started losing power and it stalled on the last hill before my house.

Does this help with the diagnosis?

 

Yep, your tranny is going. That is also what is causing the stalling. I had a friend that had that happen with his 98 GLE. He got a lot of slipping and a lot of stalling. I would check your tranny fluid level..it's probably extremely low.

S