Car sputters and stalls

Asked by Slappy069 Dec 22, 2021 at 03:10 AM about the 2008 Chevrolet Cobalt LT Sedan FWD

Question type: Maintenance & Repair

2008 Cobalt sputters and stalls when I
accend my accelerate from the stop and my
gauges go haywire had AutoZone look at it
said it was canister purge valve replaced it
and at same problems also cleaned throttle
body and MAF sensor anybody have any
idea what my problem is I'm going crazy

5 Answers

307,255

Wiring or BCM problem. Try the dealer, it might need a reflash.

Yeah that sounds like it's going to be kinda expensive thing is I already dumped what money I had see I thought it was gas related at first the gauges weren't going all crazy like it just sputtered and stalled and money being so tight for me right now haven't really bounced back from this pandemic crisis fully then Christmas had to come at me so fast I was hoping you would've said it was a fuse or for me to unplug my battery for 5 minutes while flushing the demons out with burning sage and maybe a priest but I'm sure you're probably right thanks for the help

307,255

On this year of vehicle you don’t want to disconnect main power as it could cause more problems and make it undriveable. To reset the engine computer you can pull the ECM fuses. Then run the drive time protocol.

38,925

" probably right " is what auto zoo did , and you still have the problem , Things need to be tested , MAF sensors are sensitive you may have ruined it depending on what you cleaned it with . What do the plugs look like ? Are the plug wires arcing in the dark when it's running ?Oil / Air filter ? Maybe a can of octane booster or injector cleaner if you're looking for mechanic in a can . GA is knowledgeable but doesn't have remote viewing .

18,255

I've had similar problems with my '06 in the past. In my case replacing the battery did the trick. Even though my old one seemed fine, I knew it was getting weak and it was about 6 years old. I put in a fresh one and all my problems went away. Modern electrical systems are extremely sensitive, and at least in my case a weak battery was all it took to make guages go crazy and my power steering to shut down intermittently. In more recent years it does the same weirdness from time to time, but it seems to be moisture related. In damp weather, after sittining for a day or two the electricals all go nuts for a while. Neither I nor my tech have been able to find the problem, but strangely, switching the headlights to high beam for a few seconds often fixes the problem. Once the car dries out it goes away altogether. My theory is that a molecule or two of moisture finds its way into a connection somewhere and the extra power draw from the high beams creates enough heat in the connection in question to make it evaporate and restore contact. In your case, if your battery is more than 5 years old I would replace it anyway. If its newer, have it load tested and make sure battery connections and other connections as well are clean and tight. Don't forget to go through the several ground points on the car to make sure they are all clean and tight. This is all stuff you can do yourself without spending any money, well, except for the new battery, and might be all it takes to get you up and running again. Good luck, and Merry Christmas.

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