[Jonsie]

Friend on mine has an '07 w/the 3800 engine, going down the interstate, engine suddenly quits, says "like turning the key off". Pulled safely out of traffic, tries to restart, engine will turn over fine, but won't fire up. Any known problems with this model year/engine he should look at? Thanks in advance....................

[67drake]

I had a ‘98 Lumina with the 3800. Pretty reliable car. I did in the later years run into some electrical glitches because of corrosion in the electrical fuse box under the hood. I remember having to pull fuses and even breakers and cleaning contacts, ignition included.
Simple check and fix.

[steve25]

Ton’s of things it could be!
My best guess from afar and going by its age is the fuel pump has died if it’s still the original, or maybe even if it has been replaced.

I had mine in my 06 die on me in Aug and then just 2 months ago it died yet again, so you never know.

Get a can of starting fluid, pop the air filter cover open and wet up the air filter good with it.

If the motor then runs for 2 seconds or so then you know it has spark but no fuel,

[OG68]

Crankshaft sensor in the wife's 07 SRX 3600 failed last month.
Driving down the freeway and the engine shut off. Luckily traffic was at 5-10 mph. She was able to get it restarted after a couple minutes and moved it to the shoulder under reduced power mode fault. When it happened the electrical system went haywire with lights flashing, doors locking/unlocking. Shop scanner showed Crankshaft sensor failure, oil pressure sensor partial failure and over 100 separate electric faults. Both sensors were replaced and all the electrical faults cleared without any further problems.

[mgarblik]

Originally Posted by steve25

Ton’s of things it could be!
My best guess from afar and going by its age is the fuel pump has died if it’s still the original, or maybe even if it has been replaced.

I had mine in my 06 die on me in Aug and then just 2 months ago it died yet again, so you never know.

Get a can of starting fluid, pop the air filter cover open and wet up the air filter good with it.

If the motor then runs for 2 seconds or so then you know it has spark but no fuel,

That's good troubleshooting and easy. Couple of other quick and dirty checks without a scan tool. 1. Have someone just key on to the run position, not crank and have a second person put their ear on the filler neck of the gas tank. You should clearly hear the fuel pump run for 2-3 seconds and shut off. If not sure, key off. Wait 5 seconds and repeat. If you don't hear the fuel pump run and shut off, it's dead. If you DO hear it run and shut off, that is not a guarantee it's really pumping much if any fuel. So open the hood and locate the Shrader valve on the fuel rail. Take the cap off and push the core with a pocket screwdriver or similar. Protect your eyes. Gas should shoot out of the valve under substantial pressure, if it just streams out or dribbles out, fuel pump is dead.
3800 engines may be the best V-6 ever by GM but as they age, there are a few minor issues. To get a quick check on the ignition system easy, crank the engine and watch the Tachometer. The needle should wiggle just a little while cranking, about 200 RPM's is typical. If it sits at zero and doesn't wiggle at all, good chance the crankshaft position sensor is dead. They get oil and coolant soaked as those engines age. Also there is a plastic sheath that covers the wires as they snake around the timing cover. The sheath has been known to pinch and/or cut the wires from the sensor. Those are the simple checks. There are many other possibilities including the theft deterrent system, ignition module, MAF sensor and others. But really need a scan tool and a Fluke meter to go much farther.

[Mr Twister]

After you test everything and find nothing replace the crank sensor. I had a similar issue on a series II 3800.

[Jonsie]

Great ideas, will pass them along and report back

[sdbob]

I had a Buick Park Avenue. Same problem shut off. Here the pump would run but not produce enough pressure. About month later after, the computer module(I think what it is called)went bad. I got good gas mileage. Then trans started not shifting properly. Car had about 90k.i gave it away.