engine/transmission, and general maintainance

[pipes1]

the problem i am having with me 2001 MGM is that when my engine hes been sitting overnight, and it is cold outside (-5 and colder), i go to put my car into reverse to back out of my driveway after about 5 mins. of idleing, and my car nearly stalls. the rpm's drop horrible low, and my whole car jerks to the side. is this something i should be concerned about, or just a cold engine? as for the maintenance part, i have access to a fully tooled shop with a hoist for the next few weeks, and was wondering if there was anything i should give my car before i have to start paying someone to do it.

[johnunit]

You should not be having that issue, something is up.

Fuel filter is an often neglected maintenance item, best done on a lift. No promises that it'll fix your issue though.

[IPreferDIY]

How many miles on it? Age alone might be a basis for being concerned about the various steering and suspension joints and bushings at this point, though having over 100,000 miles on original parts would also be a big red flag for checking them out and being prepared to change them eventually. Doing them all at the same time rather than on a piecemeal basis would save you from having to get multiple alignments.

For the stalling problem in particular, does it occur when you're turning the steering wheel? I had occasionally experienced stalling when backing out of my driveway with the steering wheel turned. I later discovered that my Pitman arm was practically seized, and the outer tie rod ends were on their way to seizing. I would presume the strain on the power steering pump had caused the stalling. I've never had a problem since changing them.

As a purely maintenance matter, you might as well change all fluids and filters that haven't been changed in awhile. Also, having the car on a hoist would be a great time to do a thorough inspection underneath and spray a crapload of rust inhibitor.

Maybe a J-MOD to boot? (It's essentially a do-it-yourself shift kit process that makes the tranny shift more firmly.)

[gadget73]

a dirty IAC can do this too.

[IPreferDIY]

Another general maintenance item would be changing the intake manifold if you still have the original one with a plastic coolant crossover. Those leak eventually, sometimes catastrophically. And don't forget spark plugs if you're getting up to 100,000 miles.

[HiFiMerc]

My '92 did a similar thing with the stalling. After it ran for 5 minutes or so, it would start running like shit and stall. Bad O2 sensor was throwing a wrench in the works.

[pipes1]

its got 189,000 kms on it (117,000 miles) ill check out the fuel filter, but i am still wondering why it does this only when the engine is cool?

[IPreferDIY]

If it's a IAC issue, it could be that something is gumming it up and needs a certain amount of heat to become unstuck.