Cadillac Repair: 1988 cadillac fleetwood brougham, ccc system, cadillac fleetwood


Question
QUESTION: i was at a stop light and my car started rattling like it was gonna shut off n then outta nowhere i tried to go and it was off. so i turned it back on and stepped on it really hard and it seemed to be working again. wut could be the problem?

ANSWER: Edgar,
The engine stalled. Could be any number of things. How does it run otherwise? Did it only stall that one time? How many miles on the engine? When was the last tune-up?

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: the last tune-up was about exactly 9 days ago and i replaced the alternator, power steering pump, water pump, airsmog pump, air filter, oil filter, gas filter, spark plugs and cables, radiator, belts, engine oil, oxygen sensor, and the car battery. it rides really smooth but like it seems when the engine is warmed up already and im at a stop light. it sumtimes starts to rattle like its goin to shut off. i have to slightly step on the gas pedal while pushing the brakes to keep it running smooth again. it only has 153,897 miles on it.

Answer
Edgar,
You say "I replaced". Shall I assume YOU did the tune-up and all the other work? If so, and your list is 100% accurate, I must say you missed some VERY important stuff. The distributor cap and rotor, PCV valve, and possibly the ignition coil. Whenever I do a tune-up, especially on a car like yours, I not only replace the cap and rotor, but thoroughly inspect the coil for carbon tracking. High secondary resistance due to bad sparkplugs and/or wires, or an overly lean A/F ratio, can (and usually does) cause the coil to overcome it's own insulation casing and find alternate paths to ground. Evidence of these paths can be seen in the form of carbon tracks.
On top of these issues, your mileage suggests that unless they've been replaced, your timing chain & gears are most likely WELL worn and in need of replacement. A carb rebuild would also do a world of good for at this point. And one more point to look at is a full CCC system check. The Computer Command Control (engine control system) is a very nice system but unless properly maintained and in proper adjustment, it can cause wide ranging driveability symptoms.