Engine Dies

footer · July 6, 2011

I have a 99 GMC Sierra Classic with 135,000 miles on it. Yesterday I was coming up to a stop sign and it suddenly sputtered and died. I put it in neutral and it started right back up. Today it repeated this same scenario four more times. The only difference is that I was only coming to a stop for one of those time. Once I was driving at 55 mph and it just shut off. I also noticed that my fuel gauge will not work for a few seconds and that when it is working it quivers. In two of these episodes the clock on my radio also lost the time and had to be reset.

Could it be fuel filter or fuel pump?

az'03Silverado · July 6, 2011

It sounds more like an electrical problem. Probably the battery or a ground. If the clock loses time, it's probably an electrical problem. Otherwise, I would have said it's a fuel pump problem. When it died at the stop sign, did the whole truck shut off or did the engine just die? Did you check the fuel pressure? Has the pump ever been replaced?

footer · July 6, 2011

It sounds more like an electrical problem. Probably the battery or a ground. If the clock loses time, it's probably an electrical problem. Otherwise, I would have said it's a fuel pump problem. When it died at the stop sign, did the whole truck shut off or did the engine just die? Did you check the fuel pressure? Has the pump ever been replaced?

I know it doesn't mean anything but the battery is nearly new. I checked the ground and didn't find anything but I will go back and check it again. The clock has only lost the time twice in the five episodes that have occurred so far but it does make one wonder.

At the stop sign, the first time, the engine shut off, radio went off, gauges went to their normal off position, and then the engine came back to life and everything was working fine. The only exception was that the radio was now off and the time had gone to 1:00. The same holds true for the other stoplight incident. In the 55 mph stall, the engine died, and the gauges went to their off position for just a second and then went back to where they were at before the stall. All of the normal pre-start lights came on and when I put it in neutral while still coasting, it started after it turned over a coupe of times.

RAT-ON · July 8, 2011

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It sounds more like an electrical problem. Probably the battery or a ground. If the clock loses time, it's probably an electrical problem. Otherwise, I would have said it's a fuel pump problem. When it died at the stop sign, did the whole truck shut off or did the engine just die? Did you check the fuel pressure? Has the pump ever been replaced?

I know it doesn't mean anything but the battery is nearly new. I checked the ground and didn't find anything but I will go back and check it again. The clock has only lost the time twice in the five episodes that have occurred so far but it does make one wonder.

At the stop sign, the first time, the engine shut off, radio went off, gauges went to their normal off position, and then the engine came back to life and everything was working fine. The only exception was that the radio was now off and the time had gone to 1:00. The same holds true for the other stoplight incident. In the 55 mph stall, the engine died, and the gauges went to their off position for just a second and then went back to where they were at before the stall. All of the normal pre-start lights came on and when I put it in neutral while still coasting, it started after it turned over a coupe of times.

Definitely an electrical problem. Check all the main wires. The main ground again, the hot wire off the battery and to the alternator. Sounds like you're losing total power intermittently. Find it soon before it starts killing electrical components including the pump