84 buick rivera T type that starts then stalls, need help

T-TypeTurbo

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Joined
Aug 7, 2019
hello i recently purchased a 1984 buick rivera T Type. is this forum for regal owners only, were they just more popular? i know the 3.8L turbo was a cool engine so i went to look at the car, to my surprise it was front wheel drive.

[FONT=Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Fira Sans, Droid Sans, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif] i had driven the car a bit to test then after a 150 mile trip the car started getting hot in the streets and i replaced cooling system [/FONT]successfully[FONT=Roboto, -apple-system, BlinkMacSystemFont, Segoe UI, Oxygen, Ubuntu, Cantarell, Fira Sans, Droid Sans, Helvetica Neue, sans-serif]. the thermostat gasket was leaking (only part my mechanic "fixed") so i replaced it and [/FONT]When i was burping the coolant the car ran great, then 3 hours later for no apparent reason its starts and then stalls.


I REPLACED:
( the old cork valve cover gaskets that leaked tons on oil onto the exhaust, coolant, thermostat , both temp sensors, water pump, radiator and cap, spark plugs, wires, air/ fuel/ oil filters, probably some other stuff too lol)

CAR CONDITON:
the car is stock, except the exhaust ( cool pipes that run down the side of the car under the door). IT had sat in the hot sun only starting every now and then to run for SEVEN YEARS so the paint it cracked and the rubber parts are crappy under the hood. there is a ridiculous amount of gunk built up on engine and engine bay lower parts ( radiator was leaking. ??).

the codes said MAP or BARO problem or wiring to the ecu from them, i replaced map sensor, it made no difference. where do i go from here? thanks!
 
I will grasp at straws here but since you said the rubber parts under the hood are crappy, the vacuum lines are likely rotted. Fortunately this is a cheap though slightly time consuming fix. The MAP sensor reads vacuum or boost via a vacuum line so this ties in with my thought. Buy 4' to 6' of vacuum line, you'll have to measure the diameter of some of the nipple ends to know the size to buy, and replace everything you can get ahold of. Secondly, buy or borrow a small cheap fuel pressure gauge and hook it onto a fuel rail port and see what kind of fuel pressure you have with the key on but engine off, then while idling and then while revving. Finally take your ignition module to Autozone and ask them to put it on the tester. See if it is working within spec, nothing specific. Those are a few things that will not break the bank and likely get you closer to a solution.
 
hey, thanks for your help.

i already replaced all of those vacuum lines, because a rat chewed thru the boot on intake. There was another rotted/disconnected back by firewall, all the rest look decent on the outside. I actually purchased a smoke machine because there are so many vacuum lines and hiding places. i used it once and found nothing, i need to do it again (smoke thickens after first time). anywhere specific i should/ should not smoke? i checked the line and nipples with a dial caliper for size , the inside of the new line is very slightly smaller (closest from oriellys and napa) but it ran after i replaces these.

i also already borrowed a fuel pressure gauge and it read strong with key on ( i forget actual number 36 maybe) and then dipped a little when it started then well it shut off as it does now.

i will take my ignition module to be tested, i did not know they did that

im thinking something electrical because it came up so suddenly.

thanks
 
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