99 Alero...Dies while driving (or sitting still)
 

Passlock, fuel system, trac off.....oh my!

Okay I am loving the information on here and I WANT to believe it, but I am stuck on one thing:

1999 olds alero V6 2 door. While driving it dies like it was unplugged. MIGHT sputter once - I'll catch my rps's dip..then a min or two later it cuts off. I sit and try to start it until it starts. Sometimes 3 min, sometimes 10 minutes. NO flashing SECURITY light. Sometimes I get in it and it doesnt start. No flashing security light. I turn ignition to on - HEAR my fuel pump humming, then try to crank it and it cranks rough like its getting no fuel. After a few min it starts and runs like a champ (thats why this is frustrating - when it runs, it runs great). I'm afraid to drive it now since it is unpredictable. I have been going 25 MPH and 40 MPH and it just shuts off - no power, no nothing. If it is the Passlock I am amazed GM would not recall this unsafe thing - dying while driving - but alot of the posts talk about flashing security lights..mine stays on with the check engine light and various others.

There are GREAT posts on here with the same symptoms, but a lot of stories of "and I dropped 300 bucks on X and it worked for a week then the problem came back..blah..blah..." I am broke as a joke, so I cant waste money replacing working parts. Help?

how long has it been doing this?

I would start by checking the battery cables and grounds, especially if you have no lights right after it dies.

Corrosion in the underhood fuse boxes is also common, and could cause sudden death.

Worn out ignition switches also cause all sorts of weird, seemingly unrelated problems, with sudden death being one of them. This is a very common problem area, so I sould check it second. Get some compressed air and blow out your switch, maybe a little graphite lube would also help.
Let us know what you try, and how it works.

It has been doing this for a few months now. But has gotten worse lately. It was every few days. Now it is almost every day - sometimes twice. I dont think it's my battery because my alternator would carry it wouldnt it? Also, it happened at night and while I was trying it the lights were on just fine and I had good cranking power...

I'm not ruling out the passlock thing - but everyone talks about flashing security lights - and mine doesnt. But it has 140K on it so its bound to happen sooner or later.

I bought a new fuel pressure regulator and fuel filter so i will rule those out this weekend. New coil is getting put in also - while I am doing that I will inspect my spark plug wires. I also plan on taking a look at my ignition and giving it a good cleaning - as well as my BCM since I heard it gets wet sometimes and could corrode. I used a new cut key - and this still happened. I have fixed all the common Alero issues at this point - intake manifold, passenger window...etc so this is one more thing I guess.

Thank for all of these posts - it lets me work on the cheap stuff!!

Did you figure out the problem?