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My Cobalt is sick...Stalling

Old Jul 7, 2006 | 02:10 AM
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My Cobalt is sick...Stalling

[edit]I have a 2006 ss/sc [/edit]

I really need your guys help. My car has been stalling for some reason and the engine light just came on.

Ever since i first purchased the car new i have been having issues. These issues were not that bad and i thought they were break in ones.

What would happen is, when i was in the process of parking my car or at a stop light, my cars RPM would drop to about 300-400 then jump back up to about 1200 then level out. As time got worse that also got worse until yesterday, my car finally stalled out.

Today a new symptom just came up, and now when i am at a light, my engine is shuttering, but not bogging down or anything just lightly shaking. It felt almost rough like a mustang gt. Then a few minutes later my check engine light came on. Also my performance significantly dropped.

Also, every time i am done driving my car, my exhaust or something in the back is making a weird pinging noise, like if water was dripping and hitting the metal pipes.

Here are the thing i checked.

-I am at 3200 miles:
-the oil is at 77%
-I manually checked the oil.
-no leaks of any kind.
-no smell
-it is not bad gas because it has been doing this for a while.
-And i did not mod my car in any way

Any suggestions?
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 02:26 AM
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I'd go to the dealer!
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 02:45 AM
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are you letting go of the clutch while its still in gear?
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 02:57 AM
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I have the clutch fully pressed. When my car was stalled out for the first time i was making sure i wes pressing down on the clutch.
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 08:27 AM
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I believe that there is a ECU reflash that may cure your idle problems. Also, the exhaust "pinging" when you turn the car off is normal... my SS 2.4 did it until I put the magnaflow system on. It's just the stock pipes heating and cooling.
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 08:32 AM
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There should be a TSB for rough idle. Contact your dealer. Do you still have the CEL (Check engine Light) on? take it to autozone or a place that can read your ODBII codes.
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 09:24 AM
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Originally Posted by drslash
What would happen is, when i was in the process of parking my car or at a stop light, my cars RPM would drop to about 300-400 then jump back up to about 1200 then level out. As time got worse that also got worse until yesterday, my car finally stalled out.
I am having the same problems. Its happened to me 3 times since i got my car last weekend. I thought it was just from break-in as well. I haven't had a stall out as of yet, but I've been worried about it. Its happened at different times for me, once after a harder than usual run, and once after a normal drive on the way to dinner. So an engine reflash is the answer? Maybe I can get that done at the same time as I get my busted mirror fixed next week.
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 05:00 PM
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I got it fixed today under warranty. I found out it was a misfire on #3. Supposudly the ac belt or something like that messed up the wire causing a bad connection. Now the car is running like a champ. It runs much smoother.

Thanks guys.
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 05:11 PM
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Originally Posted by drslash
[edit]I have a 2006 ss/sc [/edit]
What would happen is, when i was in the process of parking my car or at a stop light, my cars RPM would drop to about 300-400 then jump back up to about 1200 then level out. As time got worse that also got worse until yesterday, my car finally stalled out.
I know that the stage flash fixes this, but as for the cause, I "think" GM set the idle too low on these cars. Not sure if anyone else would agree, but with the idle too low, your brake booster is pulling vacuum when you're coming to a stop and I think thats what does this. Anyone else?
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 05:20 PM
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Originally Posted by Witt
I know that the stage flash fixes this, but as for the cause, I "think" GM set the idle too low on these cars. Not sure if anyone else would agree, but with the idle too low, your brake booster is pulling vacuum when you're coming to a stop and I think thats what does this. Anyone else?
i agree with you on that one... i've thought that since the first time i drove my ss/sc...however doesnt stage 2 raise the idle??/ that will help
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Old Jul 7, 2006 | 05:49 PM
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ahem. replace your intake air temp sensor, its $2 !!!
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Old Jul 8, 2006 | 06:49 PM
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The pinging noise is the exhaust pipe contracting as it cools down. It's more of a ticking sound though.
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Old Jul 11, 2006 | 10:54 PM
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I"m going to the dealer tomorrow to get my passenger mirror replaced and plan on having them check this out too. They thought it might have been a combo of the AC and brakes at the same time and the enginer struggling to maintain vacuum but after i told them it has happened with, without AC and with adn without the brakes applied they were dumbfounded. More answers sometime tomorrow.
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 11:40 AM
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So I just got the call from the dealer about the engine diagnostic. Thy downloaded the data to GM and found it was the PCM acting up. They reprogrammed it and say all should be well now
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 11:50 AM
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I 'll hafta take mine in too. It has been doing the same thing. I think Witt hit the neail on the head about the idle being too low though.

It hasn't stalled yet, but I intervened the other day cus I thought it was going to.
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 12:08 PM
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My cars stalled several times, but mines an auto 2.2L, its usually after sitting in traffic and then having to make a hard turn like a U turn or an offramp. I've made a bunch of post but no real answers yet.
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 12:13 PM
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^^Our (LSJ) problem is apparently fixed with a reflash, so I don't know if yours could be similar or not.

Obviously our cars have totally different PCM's, but my 03 cavalier had a similar TSB on it for idle issues, so it can't hurt to have your dealer take a peak
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 01:48 PM
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Originally Posted by Stealth06LT
My cars stalled several times, but mines an auto 2.2L, its usually after sitting in traffic and then having to make a hard turn like a U turn or an offramp. I've made a bunch of post but no real answers yet.

Dude your automatic should not be stalling. I would take it in.
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 03:25 PM
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Originally Posted by drslash
Dude your automatic should not be stalling. I would take it in.

yea I know I did but the dumb asses test drove my car, wasted all my gas and said they didnt find anything. bastards left my tank on empty and told me if it happens again to call. Its happened 3 times.
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 03:35 PM
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This is weird because mine just died this morning for the first time. It has been doing the idel drop/climb/then ok thing since I bought it. But when it died this morning I decided I'm taking it in. I'm just glad it isn't only me having the issue.
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Old Jul 12, 2006 | 06:37 PM
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Originally Posted by Witt
I know that the stage flash fixes this, but as for the cause, I "think" GM set the idle too low on these cars. Not sure if anyone else would agree, but with the idle too low, your brake booster is pulling vacuum when you're coming to a stop and I think thats what does this. Anyone else?

Well just got back and take a gander at what the reflash did? Upped the RPMs at idle to 900!

That takes care of that. I got to chatting with the head guy of the service department at my dealership. He was saying it sounded like i'd been on the internet. I told him yeah i was and its been a good place to find out where things might go wrong with the SS/SC. He was curious to know what I had found so I listed off the wheel hop, axles problems, idling issues and he threw in gas pump failure as another one that seems to be popping up now.
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