CPS or something else?

[shokid24]

Ok where to start. A story I guess.
A month ago, perfect SHO

3 weeks ago car wouldn't start at a friends, but cranked just fine. Jump start failed as well as push start. Had it towed home and fired right up soon as it was off the flat bed. I was ******!

2 weeks ago SHO stalled while driving. Just a DEL then all lights appear and dead SHO. Waited about 15 minutes and all was good.

1 week ago I was returning home from hardware store. I'm in 4th gear just getting on it, and it was like someone hit my brakes. No acceleration . Then I shifted to 5th and it was ok. Weird I thought, perhaps that tranny output shaft seal is way worse.

Last night. SHO stalls while driving. Same scenario. CEL appears then all lights. I press the gas and nothing. Try to shift into another gear, nothing. Crap. Coast on to an off road and park. I inspect the car, check vacuum lines, oil, intake, connections. Looks ok. Still no start. Get tow strapped over to a nearby pals house and still won't fire. After a couple hours it starts, so I let it idle for a few minutes only to find it stalled. Won't crank over.

I haven't went over there yet today to see if it starts, and probably will.

I see nothing leaking. With these symptoms what would you all think the culprit is?

Maybe fuel related, not sure *** to check the psi. Filter is due.

Does a MAF do this?

Would I get codes even tho there is no CEL, only when car stalls is when I get a light

 

[shokid24]

Updates

Ran codes. Got the ole 111 and 542. Bout to start (try) it Get me home SHO.

 

[shokid24]

Crankshaft position sensor sounds likely

 

[Slo-Sho]

When you crank the motor during the no start condition, does the CEL go off or stay on? Also do you hear the fuel pump prime when you 1st hit the key during the no start?

 

[shokid24]

Fuel pump primes upon key turn. I can't remember exactly if the CEL was on during starting but I want to say no. I'm gonna try n start it in a moment. If it does I'm shooting for home

 

[sperold]

Best guess is Crank Position Sensor.
I have heard on this forum that the Crank Position Sensor does not always throw a code, so that fits.
Sounds alot like the old stories of the sensor getting wet, quits working, dries out and works again.

Let us know if the tach moves while it is cranking. If the Cam Position Sensor goes, the system puts in a guess what No. 1 cylinder is doing and it gets it wrong 2 times out of 3, so if you keep trying to start by going to off and trying again, it will eventually get it correct (2 plugs fire at once thing). It usually throws a code.

 

[shokid24]

Its started with no CEL. Made it home, but upon nearly getting home it tried to quit as if my brakes were hit. Then continued to run, and not die. Weird, but I have the front 60k stuff ordered.

 

[sperold]

It will be money well spent.
Get all the info off this site about the Crank Position Sensor gap (something like a match-book paper thickness) and the fact that the 2 little screws that hold the thing on are not ferrous, so if they fall off the screwdriver, they are extremely hard to retrieve. Check posts by Rubydist on this topic if the search doesnot yield results.

 

[rubydist]

typical symptoms of a bad crank sensor - often on the way to totally dead, they are fine cold and fail once hot. In my experience, only about 50% of the time will a failing crank sensor set a code, but one like yours is more likely to set a code that one that just totally craps out.

as sperold said, I've played this game a few times...

 

[shokid24]

Yeah that is what I was assuming is going on. Thanks for the solid replies all. Went to move it last night and it started only to die within a min. Still no codes. I've done only one CPS on my 91+ about 10 years ago. Took me like 14 hours. It sucked. I'm not looking forward to doing this again next weekend. I think the cam seals and water pump scare me most. But hey, I did happen to achieve successful rod bearing replacement last year. How hard can anything else be now. Lol

 

[sperold]

If you can get the front pulley off without too much trouble and get the lower front cover off, consider just doing the Crank Position Sensor. Take a good look at the electrical connector and the wiring while you are in there.

I know this will generate some hate mail.

New parts do not guarantee no failures.
My 89 had 300,000 on the clock and had the original water pump, timing belt, cam seals, you name it. I am not saying you can expect this, but it worked in my case.
If the cam seals are not leaking, leave them alone. They are not a wear item. Lots of tales on here of people changing them 2 or 3 times before a no leak situation occurs. And it requires taking the valve covers off, and that can have problems too.
The water pumps no longer are swinging a huge fan out front which takes out the bearings, so if nothing is coming out the weep hole, I would consider leaving it alone.

If you have the stamina, do it all at once and get it over with, and rely on not having any early mortality failures with your parts.

 

[rubydist]

if you are good, and if you are careful, you can change the crank sensor without having to remove the timing belt. but you have to be very careful, because the screws are stainless and not magnetic, so if you drop one behind the crank sprocket, you will not get it out without removing the sprocket.

if the waterpump turns over smoothly but with some resistance, that means the seal is still snug and it should be okay to keep.

 

[shokid24]

Timing help and crank sprocket question

Ok so I'm doing a front 60k on my 94 mtx. I had installed the crank sensor and gapped it. I put the crank gear on and it seems the lip of it will hit my CPS. Do I need to raise the CPS to avoid it getting hit by the gear? Or do in gap the CPS with the gear on?

Timing. I'm not quite understanding what sho Phoenix is saying. I lined up the crank gear to the dots and line but I've cranked it forever and it seems the cam gears won't line up. Do I just keep turning or can I turn the cam to line it up? Getting this timing right is beginning to really suck

 

[Toolman]

You can only set the gap for the cps with the gear on. The gap you set is between the cps and the vanes on the gear. What exactly did you set the gap in relation to before?

As far as timing, with the belt off and cyl #1 at TDC, line up marks on cam gears to their respective marks on backing plate, line up crank gear appropriately, then install timing belt with lines matching up to cam and crank gears.

 

[shokid24]

This was a duplicate post for some reason, but turns out I had the cps on backwards.