I have a 1990 lumina 3.1 car not the van..... it runs really rough and seems to miss...plus it has no power at times... I had it tested and the mechanic said it needs a new coil and a new ignition control module ...i bought the parts and am in the process of fixing it...

My question is this can it be just the coil that is bad and not the module as well... it seems when we took the bad coil off the car ran the same so we think it may be as simple as just putting a good coil on...


any ideas??

I have a 1990 lumina 3.1 car not the van..... it runs really rough and seems to miss...plus it has no power at times... I had it tested and the mechanic said it needs a new coil and a new ignition control module ...i bought the parts and am in the process of fixing it...

My question is this can it be just the coil that is bad and not the module as well... it seems when we took the bad coil off the car ran the same so we think it may be as simple as just putting a good coil on...


any ideas??

It may be just the coil, and since each fires two cylinders, it is a huge loss to the engine if bad. But the coils and module have similar service lives, plus running the motor with one coil removed may have damaged the module. I'd go ahead and do 'em both, or you will probably just be in there doing it in a short time.

we pulled the wires to test it we didnt run it with the coil off.... still do you think we should still replace it?

It could also be that the module has degraded in a way that is causing erratic firing at that coil. Either way, I'd do 'em both.

k thanks now another question is is there an easy way to get at the bottom bolts? I got one off but i can barely touch the other 2 and have no chance it seems of getting a socket on them

ok fixed the first problem the ignition module and a new coil worked great... car now sounds better runs smooth and has POWER!!! I love it.....

NEW problem is every once in a while when just cruisin along no foot on the gas it seems to choke out and stall ..... it starts up fine and goes good but just when i let it coast at any speed it seems to wanna die?? also when i start it it revs up then settles again something i have never ever seen a car do without someones foot on the gas?

any ideas??

ok fixed the first problem the ignition module and a new coil worked great... car now sounds better runs smooth and has POWER!!! I love it.....

NEW problem is every once in a while when just cruisin along no foot on the gas it seems to choke out and stall ..... it starts up fine and goes good but just when i let it coast at any speed it seems to wanna die?? also when i start it it revs up then settles again something i have never ever seen a car do without someones foot on the gas?

any ideas??


It sounds like what they do when trying to "relearn" the proper idle strategy. Did you disconnect the battery during any of this? If so, that's what's happening. It will correct itself as driven. To speed up recovery, you can pull the ECM fuse, and leave it out for about 20 minutes, letting it revert back to factory settings. It is probably currently trying to operate under the parameters it encountered while running with a dead coil. The ECM hasn't figured out that the problem no longer exists.

Where do i find the ECM fuse. Thanks for the great advice if I knew you i would buy you lunch! :P

I can't remember on the older ones. You gotta owner's manual? Keep me advised, there is another problem you might have if this doen't help. Not going to worry you about that yet. How many miles on this one?

The ECM fuse on older luminas is located in the fuse panel in the glove box, I'm not sure which one, but there is (or should be) a diagram right on the back of the fuse panel cover. Like jeffcoslacker stated, just pull it, and leave it sit. Maybe want to try an idle relearn procedure also. They can be found various places on the net. Sorry I dont have a link at this time.

Do you leave the Car off when you pull the fuse? I pulled the fuse and notihing seemed to change I am wondering if its maybe a thermostat problem it seems to wanna stall out like its not hot enough.... any thoughts...

I tried the ECM fuse method and the battery unhook method and I even did the relearn idle procedure and none of these things did anything ...Actually the car stalls more often now then before ....any ideas pls!!!!

I think I fixed the problem.... so simple it hurts I changed the fuel filter.... the old one was plugged tight.... also the relearn idle procedure worked like a charm for the strange idle patterns

That would do that. Wierd how a spent fuel filter can do different thing in different cars. Last time I had one go bad, it would hack and gag trying to accelerate, but idle perfect.

PLS Help Read my last post it was called REPLAY ASAP ........etc



I thought the problem was fixed but its not the fuel filter swap made it run better but it still stalls ..... even stalled on a hwy doing 60 in loads of traffic that was scary..... now what do I do I am frustrated and at a loss.... pls help!

fuel acumulator? fuel pump? fuel relay? Just a few ideas. I'm not sure if its fuel related or not, but sounds like it. It just may be the ECM trying to relearn what makes the car run best, Just drive it for a while, it might fix itself.

Clean out your EGR passageways underneath the EGR valve. They build up with heavy carbon deposits. This item may cause stalling at hwy speeds. It will kill you gas mileage for sure. And if you haven't yet, change out your crank position sensor in the back of the motor in the block. If it has cracked and oil is shorting it out internally, that also may be the cause. Crank sensors are VERY common to cause starting, stalling issues. -Chris

It stalls at all speeds it even stalls if i just start it and let it run. My mechanic thinks its teh crank position sesor so we will change that on friday... I hope thats it cause this is getting pricy!

Don't spend more than $50 parts and labor for the sensor. Hell anyone can replace that, really. With a few hand tools and some patience. It's only held in with one 8mm bolt. However I have heard people say that they break off and then you have to remove the oil pan(more money) to knock them through. Soak that sucker in PBlaster and it will come out. Good luck, hope you don't get ripped off. -Chris

wow the dude quoted me 80 - 90 bucks for the sensor and an hour and a half to 3 hours of labour depending on how hard mine is to get at...

Don't spend more than $50 parts and labor for the sensor. Hell anyone can replace that, really. With a few hand tools and some patience. It's only held in with one 8mm bolt. However I have heard people say that they break off and then you have to remove the oil pan(more money) to knock them through. Soak that sucker in PBlaster and it will come out. Good luck, hope you don't get ripped off. -Chris

A dealer mechanic said that if broken off, you can still drill into it, and run an extractor into it, just like a bolt, only you just pull straight out on the extractor. Sometimes this wont work though. They can break around the extractor, then have to be knocked through, into the crankcase. He advised, like you said, that if there is any indication that it is not coming out easy, that you spray generously with chemical penetrant, work the sensor around a little, and let it sit a few minutes. Then try to pull it out again. Repeat until it slides out. He said the best thing for 'em was spray carb cleaner, the methylated kind. It is hard to find, now (EPA) But some industrial cleaners available in hardware stores still have it.

I am not gonna monkey around with it i found the part for 41 bucks i will pay this dude one hour labour to swap it but what if thats not the problem any other ideas???

When it stalls, does it restart right away, or have to sit for a while? Does it occur more when the motor is cold, or as it warms up. Under throttle, or just rolling. Sometimes the backpressure of a hogged up fuel filter is the only thing holding an older fuel pump together. You raplace the filter, and the pump craps out in a few days. I'm thinking if it dies, and doesn't resart right away, you could leave the key on as you roll to a stop, don't turn the key off, and depress the sevice valve on the fuel rail and see if there is fuel pressure at the rail. (watch your eyes!) if so, fuel ain't the problem. I keep a loose spark plug in my tool kit. If I ever stall and wont start, I pull a plug wire off and pop that in the wire, and crank to verify spark. At least it gives me some indication what to look at next.

We think we fixed it.... i say THINK we fixed it ...time will tell...
I think I may have caused the stalling problem when i fixed the miss problem....it seems when the mechanic looked at the crank position sensor he found that i hadnt fully connected the wire to the ignition module so we think that whenever it heated up the connection was spread the car stalled after it cooled it went back in place and ran for a while again.....it has been fine since... will keep u posted

As I have stated here (not on this post, though) before, ALWAYS check any recent work done to a car, and check ALL fluid levels and check all wiring connections before attempting any diagnosis of a problem. Industry publications point out that the cause of up to 90% of all performance problems and check engine light issues can be traced back to loose connections and improper grounding of a circuit. Will save you a lot of head-scratching and tail-chasing. I'm glad your problem seems to be found. Your solution seems probable. Good luck!!

Im not mecanhic but my honda does that then the fuel gauge is on half full........... the indiator that tells the car how much fuel is in it is going bad ....so i fill it up every half a tank of gas ........been almost 3 yrs now still runs great .......unlesss it THINKS it out of gas

sounds like a crank sensor to me. They will act up intermittently and cause every symptom you describe. It's a common problem on these cars.