Thread: 03 Top Swap now starts but shuts off while driving on occasion

Originally Posted by scottydoggs

have you tried to jump the starter with a screw driver yet?

Yeah. Still got nothing.

getting any sparks when you try to jump it?

Yeah there is.

id try another starter at this point. most of the time its just the starter solenoid that goes bad, they are replaceable. its the part where all the wires hook up to the starter, that part kicks the dog gear out, and powers the starter motor.

Alright here is the latest update.

Took the starter to autozone to get tested and it was bad. Replaced it and now the car starts.

I took it for a spin and the car shut off on me while it was driving. I noticed that the battery and oil lights were on when I was pulling over. I also got a P0101 trouble code. Cleared that and the car drove fine. The car cut out on me while I was on the highway at around 75 mph. It drives fine on the street.

My brother came and picked it up and the car again shut off on him again. The first time about 10 min after he went home. He was able to start it back up with no problems. He got the P0101 trouble code once again and cleared it. He took it for another spin and this time it shut off as he went over a speed bump that is outside of his place. He started it again with no problems.

I have no idea what is going on with the car shutting off like that.

Did you tighten up your positive wire going to the alternator?

It was the last time I checked but I'll double check that.

Drove it a few more times today and the car consistently stalls at highway speeds. The P0101 code is constantly being thrown. Sprayed around the engine to see if the rpms would shoot up to determine if it's a vacuum leak. That showed nothing.

Originally Posted by PokerBlakeB

I had the same problem. Car would shut off randomly while driving. Changed crank sensor, nothing. Changed the harness going to the crank sensor, nothing. After about two weeks of scratching my head I finally figured out a way to prevent the stalls. Go into your tune and change these DTCs: PO101, PO102, and PO103 to 3 - No Error Reported.

I don't have access to any tuning softwarre. I would need to take it somewhere or find someone local, which is pretty rare out here. It's dieing scene out here on the west coast.

The car's going to be dropped at the shop to have it looked at.

If you have access to the internet..how about listing out what P0101 is so the rest of us don't have to look up things to help out?

FWIW 101 is a maf code. You either have a wiring issue at the maf, or the maf itself is bad as well.

Also...if you have ever noticed..the oil and engine lights are always on when the motor is off but key is turned to on.

Tried a new MAF and it's still doing the same thing. I am looking for someone locally with hp tuners to scan the car.

Here is the info on the code it keeps throwing.

What does that mean?

Basically this means that there is a problem with the Mass Air Flow (MAF) sensor or circuit. The PCM detects that the actual MAF sensor frequency signal is not within a predetermined range of the calculated MAF value for more than 4.0 seconds. Other MAF sensor circuit DTC trouble codes are P0100, P0102, P0103, and P0104.

Symptoms

You will likely not notice any serious drivability problems, although there may be symptoms.

Possible Solutions

The simplest thing to do is to reset the code and see if it comes back. Then start with the cheapest, easiest repair procedures:

Inspect for the following conditions:

An incorrectly routed harness--Inspect the harness of the MAF sensor in order to verify that it is not routed too close to the following components:
- The secondary ignition wires or coils
- Any solenoids
- Any relays
- Any motors

A low minimum air rate through the sensor bore may cause this DTC to set at idle or during deceleration. Inspect for any vacuum leaks downstream of the MAF sensor.
A wide open throttle (WOT) acceleration from a stop should cause the MAF sensor g/s display on the scan tool to increase rapidly. This increase should be from 6-12 g/s at idle to 230 g/s or more at the time of the 1-2 shift. If the increase is not observed, inspect for a restriction in the induction system or the exhaust system.
The barometric pressure (BARO) that is used in order to calculate the predicted MAF value is initially based on the MAP sensor at key ON.
When the engine is running the MAP sensor value is continually updated near WOT. A skewed MAP sensor will cause the calculated MAF value to be inaccurate. The value shown for the MAP sensor display varies with the altitude. With the ignition ON and the engine OFF, 103 kPa is the approximate value near sea level. This value will decrease by approximately 3 kPa for every 305 meters (1,000 feet) of altitude.

A high resistance on the ground circuit of the MAP sensor can cause this DTC to set.
Any loss of vacuum to the MAP sensor can cause this DTC to set.
If you suspect the condition may be related to aftermarket accessories, refer to Checking Aftermarket Accessories in Wiring Systems.

Stock maf for the TB? Which maf, which maf tables?

Originally Posted by Burbman

Based on that it could be a couple of things. Have you ever replaced the ignition switch? Thinking more about this, the P0101 may not have anything to do with the problem. There's nothing in that description that would indicate a shut down, these are all driveability symptoms. When the motor quits do you lose all power to the vehicle? Or do lights and radio stay on? Had a problem like this years ago (not a GP) where no codes were stored, because right as the code was set the PCM lost power and couldnt write the code to memory. IIRC it was a cam sensor or something.

The ignition switch was replaced about a month ago. Also when the engine shuts off, there is still power to the car (lights, dash, radio, HUD, DIC etc....).

Stock maf for the TB? Which maf, which maf tables? .

Yeah it is a stock maf. I am looking to find someone locally that can scan the car and check the tune to verify the maf tables. The guy who tuned it was asking for a scan of the car with HP tuners to see if he can diagnose the problem. The only issues is finding someone out here on the west coast that has something like that.


The car drives fine on the street. It's when going on the highway that the issue arises.

Here's a little update of the car.

There was an issue with the car just shutting off after driving for anout 5 min on the highway. The car would start as soon as we pulled over. The car kept throwing a P0101 MAF code. The MAF frequency was within range while being monitored with HP Tuners and the aeroforce gauge. We were going back and forth with the tuner who thought the car was having issues with the MAF. Tried another good MAF and it did the same thing. Tested the harness and the MAF was getting the correct voltage levels. This ruled out the MAF. The tuner tried a couple things and thought it was a speed density issue.

I ended up contacting Tim at ZZP to get his thought. He told me that the MAF tables need to be tweaked a little more and to remove the P0101 code as was stated in a previous post on page 1. We tweaked the MAF table per Tim's response and the car has been running just fine for the past couple of weeks. It appears that this can be a common issue with a top swap on some cars. These 03's can also be a bit finicky than a 98-02.

As of right now the car is running fine.