Oldsmobile - Alero :: 2002 - Shuts Off Randomly - Won't Start
Apr 26, 2016
I have a 2002 Alero with 124,000 miles and it's been giving me problems lately. Sometimes while I'm driving my car just shuts off. Radio still on and lights work, but the car just stops running. There are days where I can start my car with no problems and there are days where my vehicle doesn't start at all for days/weeks. I've taken my car to two different shops and they didn't find anything wrong with it but as soon as I got it back it started doing the same thing again. What is wrong with this car or what I need to do?
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When driving down the road, usually at speeds greater than 55 mph and usually in hotter weather, the vehicle will just shut off. Temp gauge stays firmly in the normal range, coolant level is fine. The vehicle will eventually restart after 5-20 minutes before repeating it's little 'siesta mode'.(It turns over, just won't start) I've been all over the internet and can find dozens upon dozens of identical problems in 1998-2002 Bravada, BUT NEVER A SOLUTION! There are suggestions from wiring shorts to fuel pump to the temperature sensor to PCM - but nobody has the courtesy to get back online and post if they ever found what the actual problem was. I can only surmise that either people just don't feel like posting the solution, or they are still trying to figure it out (which doesn't bode well for me).
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My 02 Alero will start, but when I went to put it into reverse it looked into neutral and wont come out. I can move the gear shift but it won't come out of gear.
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I am writing this about my fiances 2000 Oldsmobile Alero 3.4 liter. I live in MN so we see our fair share of cold weather. After her car has sat over night it will not start in the morning when the temp is below 32F or so. It started happening at the end of last winter and then it got warmer out and the car became normal...which is hard to figure out the issue when you cant verify the problem when you want to. Anyways we just had one of our first pretty cold nights and we went out to start her car and it barely started.
I have suspected it to be a fuel issue because while trying to start it if I hold the gas pedal in it will start to backfire lately and just acts like it is flooded. This last summer I looked over some things and found that the Fuel Pressure Regulator was leaking into the vacuum line which would go into the intake manifold and flood the car. So I replaced that convinced that it would solve the issue. It didn't. I also found that the PCV valve was stuck so I replaced that. Last winter I dumped in a bottle of gasoline de-icer or whatever that stuff is called thinking maybe she got some bad gas and her lines were freezing. That didnt change anything.
When the car wont start I can literally crank until the battery is dead (newer battery in the car) with no luck. I have had to be jumping it and cranking it over for a good hour to get it to start. Not cranking straight time obviously. But about an hour worth of time before it starts. And at that time i am thinking it starts just because of the air temp going up in that amount of time or something... I don't know. I am not quite ready to bring the car into the shop because I know it will need to stay there for a few days to be able to get the right conditions for them to verify the problem. My fiance and me have very busy schedules between both working full time and going to school full time. So to be without a car for a few times isn't an option.
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My 2000 alero was WAY low on oil so I added a quart then drove for about 45 mins at 40 mph the car seemed fine. the following morning when I went to start it the car turned over but would not start when it finally started the engine knocks and it is putting out a lot of white exhaust. obviously I need to see a mechanic but what might be wrong. my neighbor said one of the cylinders isn't doing what ever it is supposed to do he said it passed a compression test but I don't know what that means...
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Having some issues with my 2003 Alero 4 cylinder. Upon start the entire engine shudders and the check engine light flashes. I have to turn it off and turn it on and it will stop most of the time. I've taken it in and the mechanics can't get it to reproduce the same issue for them. Just replaced all four plugs, boots, ignition coil.
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My husband bought this car 12 days ago. Had NTB check it out and they said we were good to go.
This afternoon, out of nowhere the car started getting usually hot, even though is was almost freezing outside. (Pic of temp below)
I pulled over and let the car idle for about 10 minutes. It cooled down by an amount so small its not even worth noting. I decided to try to make it home. As I drove it started to drop in temp... The car started sputtering as I slowed down at a red light. It started to shake. Then it cut off. I think I made this worse because I keep stepping on the gas hoping to get it back on. It did but it shook worse and anything close to 20 mph made it shut off again. It did this a total of 4 times before I made it home. Each time I stepped on the gas repeatedly to get it going again.
Once home I popped the hood and the pictures below are what I saw. Its in what I believe to be the radiator overflow. I checked the oil, and I do not see it there. I got down on the ground and looked for other leaks but all I see is the gunky stuff. The consistency is light very watery caramel. There was like smoke coming from the engine and it looks wet (included below).
Called my local repair shop and they are quoting me 3 grand. They said I need to replace the engine. My husband can't get to the car for another week and it is our only vehicle.
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There is a car i am interested in buying but the person selling it says the water pump is going out. The car is an Oldsmobile 2003 Alero with 141000 miles on it. How much would it cost to fix this water pump and how can i check to see how its working?
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The car is a 2004 Oldsmobile Alero. At some point a little ways back, the cruise control stopped working. Checking the brake lights, I discovered that the brake lights were also out (all 3 - two on the side and the one on top). I checked the fuses and they looked fine, and I even swapped a spare 20A fuse to the stop lamp spot just in case. To no avail there, I replaced the brake light switch. This also did not fix the issue. Anything else I can/should check?
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My 2000 Oldsmobile Alero's gas pedal sticks when its 70 degrees or higher outside. I can drive it all winter long without it sticking, then when the weather gets warm it starts again. I have to pull the pedal back up with my foot and it unsticks. I have replaced the throttle cable with one from a junk yard, but it does the same thing.
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I have a 2000 Oldsmobile Alero. Whenever my gas gauge gets to about 3/4 tank, my car acts as if it is out of gas. I know my fuel gauge is working and that my car has gas. I was told that it was most likely the fuel pressure regulator valve so I had that replaced but it hasn't worked at all. Is it my fuel pump? Or what else could it be?
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Have a 2000 Alero. Mechanic says oil on ground is from leaking head gasket. $3000 to repair, or buy rebuilt engine for about the same. I thought head gasket leaks were into the coolant, not outside. Is this legit, including the cost? Valve cover gaskets were replaced earlier this year. Should I get another opinion? Other possible sources of leak?
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After I turn left from a stop my 2002 Alero pulls hard to the left for a while. Then after a while the car tracks straight. The same happens when I turn right from a stop; the car pulls to the right for a short time - then tracks straight. I checked the tie rods - they are tight.
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My 2001 Oldsmobile Alero only starts about 50% of the time and has also turned off twice when I was driving, once in a parking lot and once when I was stopped at an intersection. It cranks and the radio and lights work. The fuel pump was replaced two years ago and sometimes you can hear the pump turn on and sometimes you can't. My husband replaced the fuel pressure regulator and has switched out the fuel pump relay but it hasn't fixed the problem. Based on this, can you tell whether the fuel pump might need to be replaced again or whether it could be something else connected to the fuel pump, or something else entirely? The fuel pump is under warranty at the dealership that replaced it, but unless the fuel pump is bad then I don't want to go back to this dealership and would rather go to different repair shop.
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my car turns off sometimes and takes a minute or two to turn back on. also when I turn on the car all my warning lights come on such as check engine or check oil. Could it be the computer in my car? if so can it be fixed?
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My wife's car has the check engine light on and she was told by her mechanic that it was the catalytic converter going out, to ignore it. I am thinking that I ought to be able to build a jumper for the sensor and fool it into thinking that it is working, reset the check engine light and wait till it starts to fall apart before replacing it. I'm tired of driving with the check engine light on, maybe missing something else that needs attention rather than the cat. it has 140k on this car but is in great condition. I am a diesel mechanic, no real experience with gas vehicles in a long time. oh, and we just got married. Or maybe I just ought to stay late at work and get this thing up on the rack and look into it. Put the scope on it myself??
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I have a broken gas gauge so i pretty much run it until its empty. Has been fine but just died about a week ago. Nothing else was wrong with it. Worked and ran great after for about a week then i went to start and it did the same thing. I have listened for the fuel pump and it sounds like its working. I have not checked the fuses...I am curious what else it could be if after one week with a fuel filter it would do it again
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I have an 01 Alero that is a great little car with only 80k on it. Runs and drives like a champ but it has 2 issues that drive me nuts. The AC doesn't work at all. If you press the button on the dash, it does not light up. The compressor doesn't do anything either. I did check all the fuses trying to eliminate the simple but I didn't find any bad ones. What would be my next thing to check? Is it ever the AC relay?
Then the one that really frustrates me: the rear defrost. I live in MI, so 75% of the morning I need it to clear either snow, ice or fog. The button works but the lines don't heat up. I checked them all for power and none have power. I also checked each one for breakage and continuity and they are fine. I saw somewhere that the connection at the module likes to fry but I inspected it and didn't see anything burned.
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2.2l '03 Olds Alero, 89k miles
My car has an unsettling noise. It is a loud clunk in the front end that can be felt. It only happens when turning right (just past where the wheels are aligned) when going forward. I believe it also happens when backing out of a spot to the left. It is only one solid clunk. This clunk isn't always loud, and can be subtle. If I do a figure eight, the clunk will be the loudest with the first wheel turn to the right, then will either get quieter or disappear all together. Let the car sit for a while, and the first turn will be the loudest.
Things that have been tried:Full Strut/shock assembly replacement on both sides of the front suspension.Sway bar link replacement on both sides.Both front control arms, complete with ball joints and bushings have been replaced.
Possibilities I haven't changed or on the list to examine/replace:
-Sway bar bushings
-Wheel bearings
-CV Joints
-Engine mounts
-Tie rod ends
What should I be looking at first? Is there something I am missing? It's been to the mechanics a few times. For a week after the control arms and sway bar links were replaced it was ok, or dull enough not to hear. Now it's back as loud as before.
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My 2001 alero 3400 engine is getting hot again this alero is running with a 2001 impala engine run great for few months, replace radiator, hoses, thermostat and suddenly coolant start leaking in the overflow, fans not working even with ac on, i replace the etc sensor and did not work, the fans turn on when I disconnect the etc sensor so i think the fan motors are ok. I got one pcm module from the salvage yard in case I need to replace it but I read that only the dealer can reprogram the computer system because vin number issues....
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The car cranks but doesn't start. I checked the fuel pump fuse & its OK. I sprayed carb cleaner in the intake & it started for about 2 seconds. What some of the possible causes?
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