My car just stalled last night
 

Last night I stopped at a speedway and topped off the gas tank with the 93 Premium gas. After a couple of miles the car started to sputter and stalled. Subsequent attempts to restart kept giving a few sputters and after brief low revs stumbles stalls again. Needless to say I had it put on a flat bed and nurse it back home. This morning in an attempt to get it started again a cleaned the MAF sensos and tried starting it. It briefly started and once again after a brief time of low revs stumbles it stalled again.

I wanted to poll your collective wisdom, before I start calling shops in the local Tampa area, to see if anybody has had a similar issue. If so, is my suspicion of a faulty gas pump/fuel filter the culprit? Car has been running ok since it was brought in last July. All O2 sensors were replaced in June as well as a MAF sensor last May. I had been noticing a slight smell of fuel in the cabin upon hard braking a couple of months ago.

Any insight would be welcomed. Also if anybody knows of a trusty mechanic in the Tampa area would be immensely appreciated.

It certainly sounds like it could be the fuel pump. I'm sure others will chime in. Good luck.

Since it's a 98 there is a fuel filter.
Other thoughts:
Crank Position sensor (I believe Tach will NOT register when trying to start)
Fuel Pump Relay (I believe Tach WILL register when trying to start)

First rule in troubleshooting is ask "what was the last thing I did" In this case you just got gas and within short order you're now having fuel related issues. My suggestion would be to check your fuel for signs of water.

...haven’t thought of that.....How would I go about it?

Several ways. Probably simplest would be to attach a fuel pressure gauge with a bleeder tube onto the fuel rail port. Using the bleeder have someone turn ignition switch and draw a sample into a liter clear glass bottle. This will also allow you to test your fuel pump, relay etc. A bit more difficult and less safe, would be to remove the fuel filter and run some fuel into a bottle. If there is water in the fuel you will see separation at the bottom of the bottle. It will be a little more difficult to see if it is straight water. A simple test is to take a rubber glove and get it wet with your sample. If it is water it will bead on the glove. Gasoline will appear to saturate the glove but will not bead.


As far as fuel smell perhaps the attached will give some ideas.

http://986forum.com/forums/performance-technical-chat/39568-strong-fuel-smell.html

Just had the same thing happen to my boxster tonight pulling in my driveway got out of the car to put it in the garage and the engine started to run Rough then turned off.tried to restart and it would run for just a second then turn off.took outbthe MAF Sensor cleaned it now it just turns over but wont start at all.was wondering what you had to fix to get yours running again sence it sounds like we had the same problem Thanks for any help you can give.

When cranking watch Tach. If no RPM measured, possible Crank sensor, if RPMs, possible Fuel Pump relay. Of course there are other possible causes but those are common when cranking no start.
When my Relay went, car had been driving fine, came to a stop light, it just died

Try the easy things first. If you can get your hands on a fuel pump relay try that.

When I crank it over the tech does not move.if it is the crank position sensor would that throw a code or an engine light.i have no check engine light on.did you have your crank sensor go out or your fuel pump relay? Thanks.

For me it was Fuel pump relay. I got no code. It would get hot and car would not start. When it cooled I could drive until the relay over heated. If your not seeing RPMs during cranking then I would suspect first the crank sensor. For relay you can bypass to trouble shoot.
For Crank sensor, I don't know what the trouble shooting method would be I also don't think it throws a code either. I suspect voltage levels might be a way to determine it's health. They are a bit pricey to replace if you want to throw a new one on to trouble shoot

Im starting to think its the crank Position sensor.i just tried to start it after sitting over night it started for 2 or 3 seconds then turned off.then would not start again but would turn over.Thanks for the help.

A failing crank position sensor will not throw a code.

Thank you good to know..learning everyday.

Changed the crank position sensor with no change. Just turns over with no start.maybe the fuel pump or relay.
Any ideas.ran perfect yesterday till I got in my driveway and it just turned off.

Does the tach jump when cranking? Bad CPSes aren't unknown, especially cheap ones.

When im cranking the engine it seems not to move.but it will fire on sometimes for a second then turn off. I also put an original Bosh on there not a cheap one .do I need to disconnect the battery after installing the crank sensor.?

No, you do not need to disconnect the battery after replacing the CPS.

Sorry for the belated response. By the way, thanks everybody for your feedback the Collective knowledge here is second to none. In my case, you may not want to know how all turned out. I finally decided to take my car to Vortex Motorsport (its right near where I live as it turned out) and after a thorough diagnosis it seems my engine is dead. There was no compression in any of the cylinders in the left bank and the starter its just spinning without any reaction. It seemed pointless to keep looking after that. Chucky is out for the count and I’m looking for a replacement engine...

Hope you had better luck. In the meantime I’m keeping my ears open for any possible donor of a low mileage 2.5L or early 2.7.....any help on this matter will be greatly appreciated.

Just for our general education. Why would 3 cylinders suddenly have no compression?