Help troubleshooting a Geo Metro

[JoLLyRoGer]

'92 Geo Metro 1.0L 3 -cyl, 195,000mi.

Car was running great and all of a sudden it's gotten to where it will die while driving. Sometime's you can go 20-30 miles before it quits, sometimes you won't get 5 miles up the road.... Once the car sits for about 15min, it's good to go again. Almost seems heat related somehow...

Checked the fuel pump and changed the fuel filter. Engine doesn't overheat, doesn't smoke, doesn't knock. I dunno? Plug wires? O2 sensor? Something else maybe?

Ideas?
Thanks..
JR.

 

[Vette73]

First thing is you need to knwo what is the problem. Spark or fuel?

Drive car until this happens. Get out and check for spark or fuel. Most of the time for F/I cars heat issues are on the spark side. Like a bad spark control unit.

But test first then come back.

 

[waffleironhead]

sounds like when the crank position sensor(cps) went on my sc2.

is it cranking but no start?
are you getting spark?

 

[JoLLyRoGer]

Car starts fine, runs fine, but then quits after you get going up the road a little while. Then you have to stop and shut off the car for a while then it will start and go a little more. I don't think it's a fuel issue because the fuel pump is good, the filter was just changed and other then it dies after going a few miles, the car runs fine.

 

[marvdmartian]

Knew a guy once, had an Olds Unlimited that would do that if it got stuck in traffic. Five or six minutes, you were okay. Once you got to eight to ten minutes, you'd better get moving, or you were guaranteed to stall out (and that was a HELLA heavy car to push!!!).

He finally sold it cheap, as he'd tried everything he could think of to fix it. New owner replaced the automatic choke device on the side of the carb, and it never did it again. Seems when it heated up too much, it would short out, and kill the engine. Once it cooled off again, you could start it up, no problem.....but until then, you'd crank it and crank it, and get nowhere. :roll:

 

[SJP0tato]

This can be a symptom of a plugged catalytic converter too. The more it heats up the more flow is impeded until the engine gets so stopped up it can't run any longer.

Unfortunately there's no easy way to test this at home without specialized equipment. I've heard testing the temp before & after the cat with a laser thermometer can sometimes help, but you would need to know what the temp difference before/after is with a working cat too.

 

[RU482]

I want an Olds Unlimited

 

[bpjz24]

had a Lumina do the same thing, several miles, then dies. A cool off period, ran perfect for several more, less time cooling off, less time it would run. Had a crack in the crank sensor that apparently was opening up with engine heat, and i guess oil splash from inside engine was shorting it out. Anyway a new one fixed it.