stalling issues in a 1997

[hexxx6]

Alright guys...i went to a dealership to testdrive a 1997 SHO They only wanted 4,500 for it and i had 90,000 miles on it....Kellys, and edmunds says its worth about 9,000 dollars....so i had to jump on it! Got there and it was in PRISTINE condition...ONE little scratch on the passengers side in the rear! Engine was strong running...transmission shifted great...and interior was great! BUT i stopped at a red light and went on the green...just give it alittle gas not a lot...and it started up the hill...got halfway up and it stalled!!!!! Busy stinking road and everything ...slammed my 4 ways on threw it into park, started it, and put it back into drive in like 3 seconds...wife was impressed....still got dirty looks, fingers, and horns blew at me....then drove it about 4 more miles and went to turn into a parking lot to turn around and it did it again as soon as my rear was out of the road! Stalled AGAIN!!! and started right back up again....i hear NO NO NO ticking or clicking or anything to suggest cams are bad so i still am gonna buy it unless everyone here tells me it is something major...my guess it is a sensor of some kind....and the dealer says its probably the throttle body and that he will clean it up and make sure its not doing that before i sign papers.....any help would be totally appreciated! Thanks!

Just so everyone knows it was about 30 degrees out and the car warmed up about 10 minutes

Also...the radio antenna went up....but did not go back down when i shut it off....Dealer said that was because its really cold and will go down probably tonight or something...

 

[99V8SHO]

You sure it had gas? When the gas gets low, and I mean LOW, the fuel pump will get starved when going uphill.

 

[hexxx6]

No....it had 3/4 a tank.

 

[black93sho]

I dont know about the stalling. But my antenna was stuck this morning and only came up a little bit, so I pulled it up then turned the radio off and it went down, and I turned the radio back on and it went back up, I think he's right when he says its because of the cold.

 

[Jim Merriman]

I think you're looking at two issues. The antenna mast not going down is likely caused by dirt or water that froze when the mast got extended. On my '93 and '96 I periodically wipe them down with WD40 to take the dirt and grime off and to make sure they are lubricated. The other possibility is the the take up or rewind plastic portion of the mast is broken down inside the power antenna. That's a $25 fix and is a DIY job in 5 minutes.

The stalling issue is something of a more important issue. My guess is the fuel pump is bad, or the fuel filter is dirty, or maybe something like the MAF is incorrectly set up. I'm sure others will diagnose that issue more accurately than I. I need to be looking at the issue and playing with it a little to ID it. Sorry.

Lastly, please don't go by any book on puttting a value on these cars. At this point in the Gen3 SHO age bracket, every car has to stand on it's own merits. I've seen SHOs with less than 50K miles, sell for less than what you're looking at. But again, the right car in perfect condition, with no issues, just might be worth what they're asking. You need to be somewhat careful, and then figure on having at least a $1000 if not $3000 handy to fix anything that pops up like welding the cams, or doing a tranny. You're at the mileage range for new struts which are app $150 per wheel installed, and some other maintanence which you better be prepared to do. The good news is the Gen3 SHOs are nice and strong and use plenty of good components in them. they are a lot of bang for the buck, just don't let the bookvalue make you pay more than it's worth. To prove my point, look at these Gen3 SHOs on eBay:

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6238&item=4525587317&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6238&item=4526110639&rd=1

http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/ws/eBayISAPI.dll?ViewItem&category=6238&item=4526633706&rd=1

See my point? Good luck Jim

 

[hexxx6]

You're at the mileage range for new struts which are app $150 per wheel installed, and some other maintanence which you better be prepared to do.

WOW Holmes....you hit this right on the head! He did say it needs new rear struts and he was gonna go ahead and put them on free of charge! and yes i agree....im parking it if i do buy it...im gonna save the 700 to get it welded by Douchette in MA....I have read all about that cam failure stuff and i am NOT prepared to be another statistic! and as far as the cars on Ebay yes they will go low....but not as low as what im looking at for the 97....we have to figure on those auctions that the reserve isnt met yet.....no way to know what the seller is setting as a reserve price...usually on Yahoo autos in Pa for a 97 with that many miles they want between 6-7,000 generally....this one just stuck out to me was all!

 

[Sagabu]

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