LT1-LT4 Modifications 1993-97 Gen II Small Block V8

car dying

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Old May 19, 2008 | 10:02 PM
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I have a 97 LT1 in a 71 chevelle. I just recently changed the opti, cap, and rotor. I was driving down the road today at crusing speed and the car died. Just like I shut it off. Sit on side of the road for a minute and it started up and drove less than a mile and did the same thing. It did it a couple of times before I could make it home. It is not the vented gas cap. I am thinking maybe the coil is heating up and causing it to die.....any suggestions are welcomed!!!!!
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Old May 20, 2008 | 01:03 AM
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have you checked your fuel pressure? mine had similar issues and i checked the fuel pressure and looks like its time for a new fuel pump
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Old May 20, 2008 | 03:50 PM
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X2 the same thing happened to my madza , even funnier i had just changed the cap rotor and coil
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Old May 20, 2008 | 09:41 PM
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i am thinking that it is either the fuel pump or the coil. The fuel pressure was reading in the mid 30's but the fuel pump may be going bad causing it to loose fuel pressure while driving down the road. Other guess is the coil is heating up causing the car to shut off.
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Old May 20, 2008 | 09:55 PM
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shouldnt be loosing psi while driving. you can also check the ignition module located on the coil bracket. what kind of fuel pump are you running? i have a 72 chevelle with a 95 lt1. i run a nos inline pump located in front of the gas tank. it works great and will also support enough fuel for a nos dry kit. BTW, any pics.?
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Old May 20, 2008 | 10:39 PM
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i am actually running the factory in tank pump... i modified the fuel tank. The pump is less than a year old. I am going to change the coil this week.
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Old May 20, 2008 | 10:41 PM
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i've seen the ignition module do this, also.
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Old May 22, 2008 | 10:43 PM
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fuel pump man. how many cranks does it take to start?
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Old May 23, 2008 | 05:24 AM
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have u checked the fuel pressure with a gauge ? I didnt even have to drive the car just let it idle and rev and the pressure would drop to 0, with the walbro i had i drove the car a few times ........well more than a few with the fuel light on which the experts say leads to there death , I even changed the coil just for insurance still did the same things

.02
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Old May 23, 2008 | 05:51 AM
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Originally Posted by LT1 chevelle
i am thinking that it is either the fuel pump or the coil. The fuel pressure was reading in the mid 30's but the fuel pump may be going bad causing it to loose fuel pressure while driving down the road. Other guess is the coil is heating up causing the car to shut off.
That indicates a fuel problem the pressue is LOW. Filter, pump. regulator If you remove the vacuum to it the pressure should rise to ~45 also the reading ~40 should not change as motor runs just wot is 0 vacuum causes highest pressure reading

Good luck
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Old May 23, 2008 | 05:29 PM
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hey fellow lt1 chevelle'rs lol yeah on mine i ran a seperate relay to my pump and the ignition as a reference wire to activate the relay. i lost power to my pump very similar to your situation .. and i would definitely change the filter to be safe...but for it to totally shut off would be more likely maybe bad connection imo ...coils very rarely go out and i think the same for modules. but i am running the complete factory 94 harness on mine.
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Old May 23, 2008 | 10:36 PM
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i have a street and performance wiring harness made specifically for my set up. I have already changed the filter right before this happened. I drive it about the same distance each time it starts dying. Once it starts dying it will keep doing it about every mile. Both times it has done this it did it about 3 to 4 times and then it would make until I got home which was about 5 to 6 miles. I had the pressure checked about a month before this started happening and it was in the mid 30's at idle. The only thing not changed ignition wise is the coil and the ignition module. The coil has about 90,000 on it. I am going to change the fuel pump also. Oh yeah, I am pretty sure I got some trashy gas after looking at the filter I changed.
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Old May 24, 2008 | 08:24 AM
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hmmm...so does it feel sluggish or run poorly in between the frequent dieing? well if you know for sure your pump isnt cutting off then you might be looking for a short...the thing about ignition components or any electronic components..when the take a dump they do exactly that..i still would lean on maybe a bad connection...oh yeah...i just thought of something...have you changed your o2 sensors? might not be this but mine for damn near a month would barely run everytime at certain distance from my house going to work and come to find out was just a bad o2 sensor...do you know if your car is in closed loop mode before this is happening?just a thought.
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Old May 24, 2008 | 08:27 AM
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ohh and just a thought...at one time i had a bad spliced wire going to my maf and it had a few random dieing moments until i figured it out but was more random than frequent
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Old May 24, 2008 | 09:43 PM
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i checked the o2 sensors a month or so ago, they were working fine. the car runs pretty good between dying. I do know that I have a bad spark plug wire somewhere. I think i may have cut it while working on something, because when i get on it it is a little sluggish at first then it kicks in and goes nuts. Hopefully in the next few days I will have the coil changed and I am not sure when i will get the fuel pump changed...still not sure about the fuel pump because i can hear it working. Even when it dies and i turn the key off and turn it back on i can hear the fuel pump working.
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Old May 25, 2008 | 10:55 AM
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is your pump still wired in to run through the factory oil press sender? if so do you have plenty of oil pressure? i have had this problem in a previous car...once it warmed up and oil pressure got low enough from the oil thinning , it would turn the pump relay off... doubt this is your problem but throwing everything i can think of your way lol
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Old May 25, 2008 | 12:49 PM
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not sure about how it is wired. i will have to ask the guy who installed the harness. I did relocate the oil pressure gauge the other day and had to unhook the wires going to it.
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Old May 26, 2008 | 08:17 PM
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how old are your spark plugs?
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Old May 27, 2008 | 08:47 PM
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they have been replaced this year. I do know that I need to replace a spark plug wire or two.
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