car turns off when im at a stop?

Question

it hadnt done this to me untill yesterday but it was warm (it had been cold) i pulled up to a red light and it putted (shook alittle) turnd off it did this about 5 times during the day what could it be? it was kind of scary i was turning and was in the middle of an intersection and it turnd off and my stearing wheel locked up while ill was trying to turn

1999 oldsmobile alero
134,5060 mi
4 cl

Answer 1

The BIG CLUE to your problem is that your steering wheel locked up while you were trying to turn.

This indicates that you have an ignition switch(what your key goes into) problem.

Your car key is backing up; which is causing both your ignition to turn off; and your steering wheel to bind.

Answer 2

Sounds like the O2 Sensor is bad. This same thing happened to my '94 Dodge Intrepid and I never got it fixed, but it just lead to more and more problems. I don't know for sure if it will tell you or not, but it might be a good idea to get a diagnostic check done on your car. Most auto part stores will do it for free and it will read out codes to tell you what's wrong. Sometimes you can do them yourself. Just put the key in the ignition and turn it back and forth three times, with the car off and don't turn the engine over, your check engine light will start blinking in codes then you will have a sequence of numbers to give the guys at the store.
Hope that helps. Just be careful and good luck.

Answer 3

Sounds to me like the classic intermittent fuel pump going bad problem. It runs just enough to start and runs for some time and then just as you might be turning or go to accelerate, it just stops dead. I had a Ford that did this. It started to go and then quit and the steering was hard but it still steered. Did the steering lockup or was it just stiff? If the ignition switch goes bad the wheel won't move no matter how much pressure is applied to the wheel. Get it to a shop as soon as possible.

Answer 4

a car with that many miles can have a multitude of problems.
if the car idles poorly all the time when warm, i would try cleaning the throttle body.
possibly in need of engine tune. is the car serviced regularly?
oil changes up to date?
if happens only on turns, the power steering pressure switch could be grounding and causing the engine to die.
more details would help in the diagnosis of this matter.

Answer 5

Could be a number of causes depending on the year and model of your car. Your revs could be too low to keep the enging running when the car is at a stop. Or it could be a computer problem, caused by a relay. The possibilities are endless with todays cars. i suggest you get the car a diagnostic test which will pinpoint the problem. jerry

Answer 6

Just going with what you're saying.

I think you just need a simple tuneup. The first thing I'd check would be the air filter. If its dirty, your engine is just starving for air and dying. At higher RPMs it will run but with greatly reduced power.

I'm guessing you're Check Engine Light (CEL) isnt on?
IF its about time, get your distributor, sparkers and sparkplug wires replaced in good measure. It cheap and good thing to do if you have 100k+ miles on your car.

Hope that works for you!

Answer 7

Dude in simple terms get a three farad capacitor and fee it the appropriate way (see the learning) and if it doesnt help lots, attempt getting a clean Alternator with bigger potential output.. proprietor of a 2000w 15" L7 Kicker.

Answer 8

Different cars have their own common problem ,So if you let them know what kind, model year,engine size, some body might give you a good advise

Answer 9

do you drive an old carbureted car? if so, may need some adjusting or a little finesse with the gas pedal.

have a mechanic or smog technician check and adjust your timing if necessary. i don't know, hope this helps.

Answer 10

What year, make and model is this car. I had one that did that but it was a 78 Nova so what kind of car does matter.