L.Kingston's first project -No stall ya'll!
 

Aloha,

Recently bought a 2006 300 3.5Lt. Having some issues. Wish my first project could be a fun one, unfortunately its a mechanical issue. :mad:

Issue: Stalling out at low speeds/stop lights. Most of the time oil pressure light flashes on and off right before and during.

My thoughts from research:
1. Oil pressure sensor leak (I really, really, really hope)
2. Fuel/Exhaust issue
3. Oil pump

Steps:
1. Jack this lady up and get a look under the skirt - oooh, she leakin', soakin' wet (and not in any good way).

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...WFJRmlKN1RFcWM

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...jN1QnlRUDM2SGM

Looks like oil and coolant leaking over cooling unit, filter and hoses. Bottom of oil pan covered in oil as well.

From the top side, there is some sort of sensor (haven't worked out which yet) that is covered in oil. I wiped some away to reveal a neon green connector. Anyone know which one this is?

https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B9...mNxLWZEbm0xMDA

Where this project is heading:
1. Clean throttle body
2. Figure location of leak (a hose maybe), figure why it is both coolant and oil.
3. Clean engine bay (Hope to paint/customize plastic covers to snazz it up eventually)
4. Tune-up, flush liquids and replace, tighten hoses... yada yada yada
5. Replace front tie-rod bushing (a mechanic said one side was torn)
6. The list goes on, but I'll stop here for now... (preview: fix torn carpet, interior blackout!)

I hope to do most, if not all, of the work myself even though I have little experience, I learn fast and listen well. I appreciate any help and time people are willing to lend, thanks for reading.

L.King

Photos
 

The photos I tried posting previously:

Attachment 1400

Attachment 1401

Attachment 1400

The oil pressure light coming on as the engine stalls is probably a result of the engine stalling, rather than a cause. Once the engine has stopped, the light is on because there's no oil pressure in a stopped engine.

Take it to an auto parts store and have them check for codes in the computer. A stalling problem may generate some error codes. Places like Pep Boys and Auto Zone will often check for codes for free.

One of your photos shows a green fluid. That's almost certainly anti-freeze although it probably should be yellow in that car. The car may have had some improper maintenance in the past.

Spend 25 bucks or so and get a shop manual like a Haynes or Chiltons and study up on what needs to be done. You can decide for yourself on which jobs you and your toolbox are capable of doing successfully, and which you will have to hire out.

Thanks for your reply, really appreciate it.

The oil light tends to come on before it stalls, many times it comes on and goes off WITHOUT the car even stalling. At first I would pull over and check the oil and so on but eventually I just drive through it and after a few seconds of driving it goes off by itself.

I've taken it to Goodyear to have the codes read, there were two: a tranny code (guy said could most likely be TCM) and a fuel/exhaust code. I don't remember them exactly but I've since (a week ago) purchased my own code reader that will bluetooth to my phone so that I can monitor it will driving. Once it comes in the mail, I will post the results. I'm not that experienced but the car shifts fine and I feel the tranny code could have more than likely be a symptom and not the issue. The fuel/exhaust code that it threw I'm itchin to check out and see if I can replicate that code myself.

You are right, the car definitely was not maintained properly (some military kid that trashed it and obviously spent more on audio and rims/grill than proper maintenance.) I just hope it isn't too far gone. That greenish liquid is definitely a coolant mixing with the oil that is also leaking onto the filter and so on, I just gotta figure out where.

I actually have the LX manual (parts and service) downloaded on my phone, ipad and computer and have been reading it every chance I get. It's a lot of info to decipher (9,000+ pages) and the pics don't always help, so I figured while I was trying to figure it out I would throw some info up here and see if anyone more experienced could pinpoint the issue quicker, but trust, I am reading everything I can get my eyeballs on.

Appreciate the reply, I will keep updating as I try different things.

Went and got my battery tested today at O'Reilly's, guy said it was not looking too good. Was over 14 and then I started the car and turned on AC and lights went down to 11 and stayed there. I have a red top Optima in there now, he suggested I stick with Optima but get a yellow top. I'm researching cheaper/more reliable AGM alternatives. I also will take it elsewhere for a second test/opinion as i dont have my own multimeter to check.

The oil light problem may be a symptom of a bad sender or it could be an indication of a major engine problem. The cheapest and best approach is to replace the sender, making sure the passage leading to it is clean. If that solves the problem, then great. If not, if could be something much more serious like a weak oil pump or worn bearings.

The "tranny code" could mean that the guy at Goodyear pulled up a generic transmission error code that the transmission computer puts out that will tell a cheap code reader that there is a real error code stored in the computer that will require a better code reader to pull out. A transmission shop will have a good code reader that can drill down and find out what's going on.

Not sure what's going on with the battery. Was he reading voltages with the engine running? If you're getting only 11 volts with the engine running then there's a generator problem, but how did the battery get up to 14 volts before the lights came on?
If he was testing without the engine running, then I would expect some voltage drop but it's not a real meaningful test. Sounds like the guy is trying to sell you a battery.

Thank you so much for your help Dennis. I finally determined that the oil pressure sender is leaking oil which is what that neon green connector is attached to. Once I get the time to replace I will and update this thread on the status. Still got to find where the coolant is leaking from.

A quick question, even though the service manual does not mention needing to remove the belt, should I cover with a cloth so that oil and debris does no spill on to it?

Battery
Still need to get a second opinion on the battery - I would think the guy wanted to sell me a battery too, except he was the one that suggested I shop around and look for better deals on Optimas.