This has been bothering me for a whole month now, and it has finally come to a head lately.:rant2:
Okay, it starts like this. My car will start up just fine, I will drive it around a little, and it will stall. My stupid charge light and other red light will go on and my car shuts off. I will pull over, put it in park, and it will start back up. Sometimes it will do this repeadly for a minute or two.:mad:
Lately, though, it has gotten worse. Before this problem will not occure to me on the thruway, but it did. I had a hell of a time trying to get the car started again, I almost had to call a tow truck. In the past two days the problem has been such that the car will only start up if I jump start it or if I let it sit around long enough. Always starts up for me in the morning, and COLD upstate mornings that is since I am up here in the snow belt.:bighead: Yes, I even changed batteries and the problem still occurs.

This also happens when I apply just a little gas and the car stalls. Also of note it is a gentle stall, like the engine just shut off and I roll to my unschedualed stop.

:confused: Okay, here are the trouble codes I get often. Distributor signal fault. ECM and BCD signal faults, Parking sensor fault, and some other faults related to the fact that I have no refrigerant in the system now. I have changed my spark plug cables, cleaned out my battery terminals, and checked voltage comming off my alternator, 14.2 volts, and noticed though that the negative terminal on both batteries can get a little toasty. HEEEEEELLLLLLLLLPPPPPPPP!!!!!! I need my car since my other Deville is out of commision until I replace its waterpump, and in this weather, you guys know what a royal pain that can be!:want:

From your code discriptions, it sounds like it is electrical, but have you checked fuel pressure when this happens?

check for intermitt. no spark? distributor

You might also want to check the battery cables, particularly the positive to the starter.It could be rubbed open and cause a short to ground which would kill the engine. The toasty negative cable is a symptom of this kind of problem.

check your battery terminals, maybe just need to be tightened. It has happened to em several times where my car just dies, in my various fleet of caddies. Also since it just shuts off, maybe a fuel line?

Well those all sound like distinct possibilities. As for the grounding, I had that problem with my old, and thankfully departed, 2000 Daewoo where the whole car would shut off due to a short off one of the sparkplug cables. I loved being stuck on the thruway cause of that when it is -20 outside, never mind the windchill. As for battery terminals, I changed them back in november when I first got the car because it was dying on me everytime I hit a bump. I also religiously cleaned the battery terminals to see if that would aleveate the problem. No go. It is odd to me also how this is not a problem in the cold a** mornings we get up here on initial startup. I did not think about the GND on the Starter though, however it looked fine to me this morning before I set off on my illfated trip to work. Yes, it died on me on the highway, and now is the garage where it got towed.....I am having a wonderful week. Strangely enough, the Tow driver/ shop owerner and I were conversing about the problem and he was convinced that my problem was "module" in my care, namely the cam position sensor under my distributer cap and/or coil that is there, or ye old ECM under the dash board. The ECM I am not so sure of since I am aware, and correct me if I am wrong, but there is a bypass type circuit that allows the car to keep running, i.e. keep the sparks going, incase the ECM dies. As for the Cap and position sensor, I have hesitent to deal with them because I don't feel like playing around with the Engine's TDC, especialy in this weather without the benifit of a garage, heat, and time.

How about the crankshaft position sensors. That is a common problem on certain year Northstars. Can't hurt to check 'em.

Okay, I know is has been a week, but for the benifite of anyone having this problem, I solved it. The problem was that my ignition module was shot. This is a little black cresant shaped thing beneath the rotor in the distributor cap. What had happed was that coolant leaking from the neck of my thermostat had gotten into the distributor and wercked the module. I replaced it, along with Cap, rotor, and coil, and now she starts like charm and no more stalling. But thanks guys for your info. I'll keep on sharing my hard earned(read, more like painfully earned) wisdom.:)

How about the crankshaft position sensors. That is a common problem on certain year Northstars. Can't hurt to check 'em.


True, but I don't think that would be his problem. He has a 4.9 :).

My stalling was caused by a trashed cat. conv.

Oops, didn't realize you were talking about a 4.9. Glad you nailed it.