car dies whenever at complete stop

[1994Vib.RedGT]

Recently Ive been smelling gas in the car a lot, and whenever I come to a complete stop it dies. You can roll in neutral at like 1 mph all you want but as soon as you hit a complete stop it dies. It cranks back up with no problem though. I took it to the delearship because Ive been real busy and I dont know a reputable shop in the area and the dealership said no codes were being thrown, but maybe my MAF sensor is going bad, and I should take it to a speed shop. So what do you guys think is going on?

 

[Methodical]

I had that problem (not the gas smell) when I first purchased my car back in 1995 and the dealer replaced the MAF sensor under warranty and that cured the problem for me.

 

[ProKiller]

try cleaning it first before you go buy a new one. and your smelling gas problem might be from your charcoal canister. check the lines going into that. pull off your passenger inner fender and look inside the fender, that black box should have lines going to it from the fuel system.

 

[95gtdude]

I agree with the gas canister theory. If you find that it isn't the MAF check your fuel pressure regulator. Check your fuel pressure at the rail and see what it's doing.

 

[greenlantern]

Its definately mass air flow related. My car was doing the exact same thing. My problem was I had a cold air kit on the car with the 90 degree bend. For whatever reason the way the air was comming through there the mass air meter was not liking it. Rotating the mass air meter (black box to the 10'0 clock position) helped a lot. Afterwards I had to reset the computer but it cured the rich gas smell and the stalling problem.

 

[SVTtripleblack]

try cleaning it first before you go buy a new one. and your smelling gas problem might be from your charcoal canister. check the lines going into that. pull off your passenger inner fender and look inside the fender, that black box should have lines going to it from the fuel system.

+1
Do the easy/free thing first and clean the MAF sensor wires with some rubbing alcohol. I had to do this once when I had some of the same symptoms. These sensors rarely need to be replaced, but often get oil on them from a K&N type filter and need to be cleaned periodically. This causes the computer go into limp mode which causes stalling, loss of power, bucking, etc. Mine was so filthly, after I cleaned it my car felt like it picked up 30 horses and solved all my driveablility issues. You will need a torx bit that matches the tamper proof screws on top of your sensor. What I did was carefully chissel the center out of the screws and used a regular torx bit to get them off. Be very carefull!

 

[sleeperstang199]

personally sounds like the IAC( idle air control). see if after you start the car up after it dies give it a little gas and see if it will stay running. if it runs with your foot in the accelerator and dies when you take it off its most likely the IAC. im a tech so if nothing else give it a try.

 

[dans89lx]

another thing to check before you throw in the towel is the vacume lines going to the FPR. I had this problem in my 89 hci car (gas smell and no idle etc.) and it turned out that i had a loose vacume to the FPR (this means your regulator is running at max all the time). just an idea

 

[SVTtripleblack]

personally sounds like the IAC( idle air control). see if after you start the car up after it dies give it a little gas and see if it will stay running. if it runs with your foot in the accelerator and dies when you take it off its most likely the IAC. im a tech so if nothing else give it a try.

The IAC can also give you problems because it gets clogged up with all sorts of nasty black carbon and can screw up your idle and make your car stall. It's attached to your throttle body with two screws. take it off, spray throttle body and carb cleaner in it, let it drain out and dry, then put it back on. I would try cleaning the MAF and the IAC first, because it's easy, quick, FREE!, and should be done at some point anyway to keep your car running its best.