Greetings,
If your 1998 Buick Regal is the GS model (supercharged), there is a resistor that is either switched into the circuit to the fuel pump or it is bypassed. The idea is to not put as much voltage to the fuel pump under idle or low load conditions. However, under high power conditions, such as when you punch it or drive up a steep hill - which usually also brings in the supercharging, then the circuit bypasses the resistor to give the fuel pump more voltage and, hence, more fuel pumping capacity to meet the higher fuel demand.
The resistor is located in a bad spot where it can pick up lots of road debris, slush, dirt, etc. Thus, it can fail. When that happens, you can start the car but then the resistor circuit is activated and, because the resistor has failed, no voltage gets to the fuel pump and it shuts off, then the car shuts off. If you immediately hold the accelerator down after starting the car (but not to overspeed the engine), the engine will keep running but at a very high RPM.
The fix is to replace the resistor, or bypass it altogether. The resistor is located on the inner front tire wheel fender on the passenger side. If I remember correctly, you get to it under the car, but you may also have to access it by opening the hood and reaching down from the top. It was 10 years ago when I fixed mine and I do not remember. This fixed the problem for me. I hope it works well for you. If you have other questions, you can reach me at
[email protected].
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