Crikey, what next?? **RESOLVED**

[Sarge1400]

As told in my other thread, I spent the weekend replacing the stereo in my car. Had the battery disconnected for 2 days. Yesterday, I started the car up and moved it from the garage to the other side of the house, where it usually resides. Started and ran fine, though I only had it running for maybe five minutes.
Today, I went to start it to go to work, and it didn't want to start. When it did start, it ran fine during the initial high-idle cycle (15-30 seconds or so), but then surged and poured black smoke once it settled down to normal idle. I shut it off, restarted, and then everything seemed okay, until I took off down the road. Then it got to surging and smoking again, so I turned around and went back home. Starts and initially high-idles fine, then surges and smokes.
I'm going to leave the negative terminal unhooked overnight, and try it again in the morning. If it starts and idles ok, I'll let it idle until it's warmed up, then road test it.

Anybody got any insight on this?

 

[Irish Pride]

Was it running fine before the stereo install? Have you done anything else to the car recently?

 

[Sarge1400]

Was it running fine before the stereo install? Have you done anything else to the car recently?

Was running fine, no other work done. Like I said, it even ran fine when I moved it from the garage to its usual parking spot.

 

[SHOdded]

Maybe try the idle reset procedure posted in this forum to see if that makes any difference.

 

[Sarge1400]

Maybe try the idle reset procedure posted in this forum to see if that makes any difference.

Thanks, I'll give it a shot in the morning.

 

[rubydist]

what you should do before disconnecting the battery is to read the codes to see what the pcm is complaining about.

 

[Sarge1400]

Idle reset didn't have any effect. Tried pulling codes, but I'm having trouble deciding which pauses are between numbers, and which are between codes.

I'm also out of time for now, won't get back to it until Friday.

 

[Sarge1400]

According to shophoenixproject.com I should be looking for 3-digit codes, is that right? It would explain why I'm having trouble deciphering the blinks (was expecting 2-digit codes).

 

[rubydist]

we could answer your questions better if you told us what you have for a car.

the 92-95 have 3-digit codes, the earlier had 2-digit codes.

 

[Sarge1400]

we could answer your questions better if you told us what you have for a car.

the 92-95 have 3-digit codes, the earlier had 2-digit codes.

Yeah that might help, huh? Added to my sig, sorry guys.

It's a '93 atx w/'95 D4UI computer.

 

[Sarge1400]

It wouldn't even start this morning (38 degrees outside). I tried to pull the codes, but after it went from the initial stage of clicking and whirring to the point where it was supposed to start flashing codes, it just sounded like the fuel pump (or other relays) were just clicking on and off rapidly, with the CEL doing the same.

I pushed it back into the garage and disconnected the battery. Tomorrow morning I'll warm up the garage and start over, maybe the cold had something to do with it not starting at all.

The whole relay cycling thing, instead of throwing codes, has me a little worried though.

 

[Off Road SHO]

First thing you should do before you even attempt to start it again is to read your battery's voltage at the post, at the post's clamp, and finally, if you can, at the post on the starter; not the crimped on cable end of the cable, the post that it is bolted to. You should not have more than a tenth of a volt of drop at each connection.

These electronic cars are so much more dependent on quality voltage than the cars of old.

Tom

 

[rubydist]

and it sounds like that the battery got low enough that whatever codes that were there have been lost....

 

[Sarge1400]

and it sounds like that the battery got low enough that whatever codes that were there have been lost....

I'm sure they'll be back....

I'll charge the battery overnight, warm up the garage in the morning, reconnect, check the voltage as Off Road SHO suggested, and see if she'll start and run long enough to get some codes.

Thanks for the help, guys. Hopefully I can get some good data to work with tomorrow.

 

[Sarge1400]

Ok, I did the above. Battery voltage was 12.65 at the post, 12.65 on the positive terminal, did not check it at the starter.

Initially it started as normal, about 60 seconds into the idle reset procedure it abruptly died, and I couldn't get it restarted again. Cranks great, just won't light off. Smells heavily of gas.

Tried to pull codes, but got same thing as before: fuel pump kicks on and off, with CEL flashing in time with the relay cycling.

I'm really at a loss here.

 

[Sarge1400]

Did some more poking around. I hooked my timing light to each plug wire coming from the coil pack, and found that when cranking, I've only got spark on two cylinders - one on the front bank (middle cylinder), and one on the rear bank (didn't trace it).

 

[zblackbeast]

Sounds like a bad coil then.. Or ignition module.. If I still lived in Nebraska Id come lend a hand! There are several people in Omaha and Lincoln who know enough about these turds to help you.

Im willing to bet if you traced it, it would be cylinder one.

GL. I've got spares, but they're here in Connecticut with me, but im sure Tony or Sam has a spare they'd be willing to let go.

 

[rubydist]

WOULD YOU PLEASE READ THE CODES AND TELL US WHAT THEY ARE?

then we could actually help you.......

 

[Sarge1400]

WOULD YOU PLEASE READ THE CODES AND TELL US WHAT THEY ARE?

then we could actually help you.......

I WOULD FREAKING LOVE TO READ THE CODES!! But as per my post above "Tried to pull codes, but got same thing as before: fuel pump kicks on and off, with CEL flashing in time with the relay cycling." IE: IT WON'T OUTPUT THE CODES!

So what the **** am I supposed to do??

 

[rubydist]

check the grounds and fix the one(s) that are not making connection.

if that doesn't fix it, replace pcm.