84 2.5 for the past 3 days ive had to creep around right hand turns, otherwise it dies on me does it on full tank and 1/4 tank,
cold and warm

But not hard lefts?

nope ive tried

What does the tach do when the engine stalls.

quote Originally posted by ZombiePenguin: 84 2.5 for the past 3 days ive had to creep around right hand turns, otherwise it dies on me does it on full tank and 1/4 tank, cold and warm

This is your battery. When you make a hard right, the battery shifts out of the battery pan (probably) and your positive battery cable might be shorting on something.

This doesn't happen when you make sharp lefts because all that does is push the battery further into the tray (essentially, it doesn't move).

I would check your positive cable from the starter all the way to the battery.

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Todd,
2008 Jeep Patriot Limited 4x2
2002 Ford Explorer Sport 2dr 4x2
2002 Ford Crown Victoria LX
1987 Pontiac Fiero SE / V6
1973 Volkswagen Type-2 Transporter

The battery is tight
I did see a broken ground a few says ago when I installed my trunk popper. It's on the driverside, and I couldn't find out where it belonged at the time. I'll post a pic if needed

The tach stumbles, every once in awhile it dosnt completely stall.

So if the tach is dropping out during the stall the problem is either your pick up coil or your ICM.

what about low oil, on my way home tonight i took a right turn and it died completely had to get out to see if something came loose. checked the battery all the cables, and then the oil. only to find out it was bone dry. so i made it to the closest gas station put 3q in then drove home. there are a few right turns that i had to make and it did not stall or even stutter

So does your Fiero take a bunch of cranks to get it to start? Does it take more cranking when it is warm? And then once it fires, it starts like someone turned on a switch?

If you are running on only your oil pressure switch to suppy power to the fuel pump, and you have been dropping oil pressure on the hard right turns that could be the cause of your problem.

Both the ECM relay and the oil pressure swtich are supposed to be supplying power to the fuel pump.

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 02-15-2011).]

Check very carefully battery + cable. Check water pump pulley area where cable runs through/around, Exhaust burn cable, etc.

OE cable routing can cause a short w/o battery moving.

Check engine and trans mounts.

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Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should.
(Jurassic Park)

The Ogre's Fiero Cave (It's also at the top and bottom of every forum page...)

A broken ground Wire can also cause this

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: So does your Fiero take a bunch of cranks to get it to start? Does it take more cranking when it is warm? And then once it fires, it starts like someone turned on a switch? If you are running on only your oil pressure switch to suppy power to the fuel pump, and you have been dropping oil pressure on the hard right turns that could be the cause of your problem. Both the ECM relay and the oil pressure swtich are supposed to be supplying power to the fuel pump.

this seems to be exactly whats going on

So you should try replacing your fuell pump relay. When you first turn the key to on your fuel pump should run for two seconds. If you don't hear it do this. Crank the engine long enough to get the car to start. Then shut it off right away. You will hear the fuel pump run for a while after you shut the engine off. That is the same noise you should hear for two seconds after you turn the engine on.

The fuel pump relay is located on the firewall, in the engine compartment, right behind the drivers seat. If you find two of them there you can try swapping them back and forth and see if that clears your trouble. The other relay is for the AC. If that does clear your trouble a replacement relay can be purchased at your parts store.

Don't let the relays hang upside down on the wires. If the relays are not on their 'hangers' they will fill with water and fail.

Fuel pump pick up out of position?

quote Originally posted by ZombiePenguin: what about low oil, on my way home tonight i took a right turn and it died completely had to get out to see if something came loose. checked the battery all the cables, and then the oil. only to find out it was bone dry. so i made it to the closest gas station put 3q in then drove home. there are a few right turns that i had to make and it did not stall or even stutter

That is your problem... you need oil. I ran into the same issue last summer when I was down 3 quarts on my V6... pays to check the dipstick from time to time. I am pretty sure the ECM is set to kill the engine in the event the low oil pressure dummy light comes on. That's why running the fuel pump on only the oil pressure sender causes long crank times, it has to build pressure to turn it on.

It is funny how people didn't even read that you found the problem and continued on with other unrelated suggestions.

[This message has been edited by carbon (edited 02-16-2011).]

quote Originally posted by carbon: I am pretty sure the ECM is set to kill the engine in the event the low oil pressure dummy light comes on.

This is a myth. The ECM has no way to know what the engine's oil pressure is, and will happily keep firing the injectors and plugs in an engine that's been drained completely of oil, at least until it seizes. The ECM DOES keep track of the RPM, so when the RPM goes to zero on a seized engine the ECM will cut the injector(s).

The ONLY purpose of the fuel pump circuit going through the oil pressure switch is to provide an alternate path for power to the pump in case the fuel pump relay or ECM relay driver circuit fails.

Quick test: In a quiet space turn the key to ON but don't crank. If the fuel pump runs for two seconds then stops the ECM and relay are fine. If not, then there's a problem with the relay or circuit.

The oil pressure switch was not intended to be a primary source of power for the pump, so over time the contacts will fail (typically by welding closed).

[This message has been edited by JazzMan (edited 02-16-2011).]

My fuel pump was brand new at the time and primed just fine at key on... *shrug*

The only way the engine will die on low oil pressure is if the ECM/Relay is not functioning. As the previous poster stated, the ECM will keep the relay energized as long as the engine is turning and for two seconds past the last ignition pulse. The oil pressure switch just a second way the fuel pump can get power. Either the ECM/Relay OR the Oil Pressure Switch can supply power to the pump.

It still takes awhile to turn over, should I try replacing the relay

Do you hear the fuel pump prime? If not the relay isn't supplying power to the fuel pump. It might be a bad relay or it might be a bad relay socket.

I listened really hard radio off, fan off, and it was late at night so there was no road noise. I couldn't hear anything even after I cranked. It fired right up on the second try though

If you aren't hearing the fuel pump in a Fiero, it's not running.

Next time right after you start it shut it off. You will hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds until the oil pressure drops enough for the swtich to turn off. Do this right after it starts while the oil is still thick.

That's the noise you should be hearing when you turn the key to on.

A mechanical star wars whir.

[This message has been edited by phonedawgz (edited 02-17-2011).]

quote Originally posted by phonedawgz: If you aren't hearing the fuel pump in a Fiero, it's not running. Next time right after you start it shut it off. You will hear the fuel pump run for a few seconds until the oil pressure drops enough for the swtich to turn off. Do this right after it starts while the oil is still thick. That's the noise you should be hearing when you turn the key to on. A mechanical star wars whir.