Car stalls/shuts off on deceleration and turns

[AlienInv8r]

Well, I'm quite confused right now with my car, pretty fed up with the whole thing right now also. I was driving into town yesterday, and leaving my development the car just decided to stall out as I slowed down for a stop sign (it's an automatic, so can't be driver error). Lights stayed on and everything, the dash flashed check engine once, then the SES was off and the car was not running. It wasn't anything rough, I didnt even notice the car was off at first. So anyways, we turn around and my buddy followed my home in his car. It's about a 5 minute drive through my development between our houses, and the car stalled out about 5-6 more times on the trip back to my house; either at a stop sign (which I began just rolling through them after that) and then it began happening around turns too. It sucks trying to take turns without power steering.

Anyhow, rewind about a week and a half for a little background. I got rearended about two weeks ago, nothing major, just messed up all the paint on the rear bumper cover. I dont think there's any correlation since I've put 1000 miles on it since then, but strange coincidence. I had to replace a turn signal bulb in the front passenger side. Now once I replaced this, all the passenger side lights (ie-hi/low beams, signals, drl, etc) will just blink out and it seems like they're shorting out somewhere. I found a wire that when I wiggle is what seems to be causing it to fade in/out, and it seems these wires are *only* wires from the lights (wire bundle just behind headlight in front of battery).

My question is would one set of lights shorting out cause the whole engine to stall out? I'm only seeing wires from lights in there, so it's nothing I would imagine to be connected with the engine running. The car would fire right back up once stalled, and it only happened when I was going like 10mph and less while stopping. Battery gauge read right on 14v and the working lights would remain on. Radio would stay on, but I turned it off after the 2nd time stalling.

I tried to give as much background as I could, I could cruise around 25mph or so just fine, only happened when stopping. When running it still seemed to have all it's power and run fine. I haven't done any new mods recently (been broke -$$), so nothing has changed really, all fluids changed appropriately. I'm gonna go in tomorrow and resolder all the lighting wires, but I dont see how lights would affect the engine. So yeah, I'm pretty perplexed, any ideas?? Thanks in advance.

[ May 26, 2004, 12:53 AM: Message edited by: AlienInv8r ]

[malice10985]

At first I was gonna say your fuel system sustained damage. After reading on though, it sound like a short or something. Maybe your fuel pump wire is shorting out along with the lights.

There is about 700 miles of wire in our cars, so I am not even gonna pretend like I know what the problem really is.

[Solnath]

I've had this same issue with my 98 3.8. I changed my spark plugs and wires. Changed my alternator as it was worn pretty badly and appeared to be failing. I changed my drive belt too, as I've owned the car for two years and the previous owner ragged it out more than I do. Of course I service it regularly. I changed my battery as well as it was shorting for some reason. I think this was due to the failing alternator. All in all the problem went away except now it draws down from 13.5V to about 8V, but it has stopped stalling in turns, stalling during hard decelerations, and my lights no longer dim. I've read a few different items on the boards and I may replace my MAF sensor as I have used top end engine cleaner and it could have chewed that sensor up. Waiting to see what happens after I get my pacesetter heads and magnaflow high flow cat and exhaust on it to see if my cat is the issue as it's rattling pretty bad due to bottomming out at 75 on the highway in Alabama, which busted my y-pipe. Damn thing is loud now but I'm waiting on parts. Only broke oneside so it sounds like a 3 banger! Anyways this is my first post. Good luck trackling this problem.

[Wally X]

I had the exact some problem with dying, decelerating and turning, is it hard to start when warm? And it was the FPR. Check the Fuel pressure, also an easy check for the FPR is pull the vaccum line from the FPR that goes around the backof the manfold. If there is gas in it, then your regulator is dead. I'm still trying to get all the problems outa my car (just got it) but that solved the dying.

[smiley49]

My car pretty much turns itself into accessory mode and brings up the check gauges light. It does it while driving. I don't even hear the fuel pump when it does it. Could it be a fuel pump on its way out? It only seems to do it when it reaches 210.