My mechanic and I have replaced the idle controller, the air mass sensor, the plugs, plug wires, fuel filter, fuel pump...
The car has a new head and valvetrain, complete A/C system, belts & hoses. No vaccuum leaks either.
Still, about 50% of the time, when I come to a stop, the engine sputters and dies. I'm about to give up and sell the POS to the first person with $1800...
I'm about out of ideas. Could it be the cat is clogged up? Happened on an old Mazda pickup I drove for a while.
Please, any mechanically minded individuals...

 

distributor? ignition coil? check those?

 

Yeah, I did.
Further explanation - ONLY when RPMs approach idle it will start to stall. It's acting like it's not getting gas. This is really scary, especially when I'm taking a turn, because when it dies, EVERYTHING goes (steering, brakes...). Twice yesterday while turning it stalled out, and both times I had to e-brak it to a halt, put it it park and restart it. I try to pop it into neutral before hitting the brakes, then braking with my left foot while revving with the right, but it will still stall out when I put it back into gear.

Muy, muy pissed off.

I think I'm going to talk to the guy I bought the car from (my mechanic - I know him well) and see if I can either trade-in for a running car (he also has an 88 CRX si and a couple of early 90s Accords), or get my $$$ back. Granted, this car only has to last a little while, but in that little while I don't want it to kill me.

 

mine did that in my Oldsmobile I had...
found out it was the cat.

also happened in my Tbird.... same thing..

 

Kind of what I'm thinking. It's an 89 and has the original cat - altho at some point a generic muffler was bolted on. My old Mazda truck would do the same thing.
Isn't there a sulphur smell when thte cat is gone. I DID finally notice a smell this morning, but it did't smell like sulphur... Maybe beans! jk
That would make sense, given the amount of work done to it lately, and it's still dying.

Would a bad cat cause fuel efficiency to be reduced, too?