Chevrolet: 1986 Caprice stalling, ed imhoff, chevrolet caprice

Question
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Followup To
Question -
Hi:
My dad has a 1986 Chevrolet Caprice. I am not sure of the engine but I think it has a V-6 in it.
The problem which only developed within the past year or so is that when driving, within the first 20 minutes or so, the engine will just quit as though someone has turned off the key. It will restart immediately without any problem, but it stalls randomly and intermittently. The dealership where he bought the car has worked on it 2 or 3 times without success. One of their supposed remedies was to replace the thermostat.
After these few repair attempts, without success, he took it back to the dealership and in discussion with them, when he pressed them, they told him "No we really don't want to work on this car, it's too old." I think they are mainly new vehicle R & R specialists and don't want to take the time to diagnose this problem. I would certainly not buy another car from them!
While I don't have all the details, I thought I would initiate a contact and then I can provide further information which may help direct me to a solution. Obviously this is a problem with potentially deadly consequences. He has limited his driving in this car to a minimum and stays close to the side of the road just in case.
I checked NHTSA's website for recalls and TSB's
but there was nothing about stalling.
Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Thanks
Ed Imhoff
Answer -
I cant believe that they said it was to old and didnt want to work on it. At the dealer that I work at, we would have taken it in. In fact, we get alot of 80's cars in the shop.
Let me know what all they have tried so far and I will try my best to help you.


Hi:
I'm back. So far the dealership has done what they termed an incomplete diagnosis:  Erratic idle,  engine not coming up to full operating temp.
They checked and replaced the fuel filter, noting minor blocking, replaced thermostat, and replaced idle air control valve.
The car still stumbles and stalls intermittently and randomly. It apparently runs somewhat better on damp days.
I asked my dad about their response again and what they said was, "We really don't want to work on the car because it is so old, we're not sure we can get parts for it and it will probably cost more than the car is worth."
The car is in excellent condition, absolutely no rust on the body, it has 71,000 original miles on it, and has always been garaged.
It has the 4.3L V6 engine. The VIN is 1G1BN69Z5GY161205.

Answer
This is a tough one. The low engine coolant temperature should have been fixed by replacing the thermostat. The fact that it runs a little better when its damp leads me to believe that its not an ignition related problem. I'm thinking that you might have an EGR problem. If it is sticking open partially, you will have a rough idle and the engine temp could be lower than normal. If when the EGR valve opens, as it should, and then does not close properly, the car will stall. This is the place that I would start. Replace the EGR valve and gasket. You could still have fuel system problems or a problem with the ECM(computer) but I am sure that the cost of the repairs will be far less than the value of the car.
It sounds to me like the dealership that you were at might have been hinting around to you dad that it was time to buy a new car. I cant see any reason that they wouldn't want to work on it. Its not that old and they probably have most of the parts still in stock for it. I know we do at the dealer I am at.
As before, if you need more help, I'm here.