engine cranks but no start, CPS?

[ohfosho]

hey guys im working on getting a 93 SHautO (lol), up and running nicely for daily driving pleasure. one of a few problems...i know it needs a 60k service soon. im driving very little right now, just taking it to shops, to get mufflers and some brakelines done. today i drove it for a bit (maybe 10 mins...it got warmed up, its hot outside today), i got some gas (filled her right up with premium) later to start her up and try to go. it cranks, but doesnt fire...then it stops itself for a second...all lights out on dash, and then cranks again. it cycles this way for 3X maybe, and then it'll fire. it threw a engine code, light stayed on for that whole trip, but i couldnt go home to check it right away. i have had the car do this twice now...im sure its only going to get more often as i drive the car more.

im curious to see if some1 that has done their 60k service (replacing the Crank Position Sensor too), has has this problem before the service was done, and now fixxed. any ideas? the waterpump, timing belt and cps sensor are going to be done asap...they were done over 100k km ago now. i need to do the valve cover gaskets, plugs and wires too. there is some oil in the spark plug wells.

 

[Redline]

Any codes? That would give us a better idea. It could be from the oil in the spark plug wells, as that will eventually destroy your plug wires. Also sounds like it could be a CID (camshaft posistion sensor), especially if it only does this when its warm and if you get a dead tach when you do it.

 

[Bizzy]

it cranks, but doesnt fire...then it stops itself for a second...all lights out on dash, and then cranks again. it cycles this way for 3X maybe, and then it'll fire.

First thing is run the codes to see what it has to say.

In the section of your post that I quoted, I want to see if I'm understanding you correctly. When you crank the car, the motor cranks, then hesitates for a moment, and then cranks normally again? Is that correct? If so then I'd think that perhaps your cam sensor is on its way out. Something similar happened to my car right after my 3.2 swap was done, long story short, it was hunting to find what position the cams were in. It would crank normally, then slug a rotation or two then crank normally again and fire up.

Seriously though, the first thing to do before making any diagnosis is to run the codes. Once we know that we can help you out more.

 

[ohfosho]

yes. it actually stops cranking for a breif second...all lights go out on the dash...like it resets everything. then keeping the key forward to try to keep starting, it starts cranking again, and eventually starts.

i couldnt find the codes, and the car is a bit away from me being worked on for a bit. but when i checked, there was quite a few codes, nothing really sticking out saying cam possition sensor out of range/no signal or crank possition.

is there any1 in particular that im looking for? i might remember if some1 knows it and mentions. but i will retest later this week and post results.

 

[projectSHO89]

The momentary loss of dash lights in conjuction with the starter skipping indicates you have a power feed problem.

Most likely causes are battery connections or battery cables.

Steve

 

[rangerj]

I'm with Steve on this one. Before you go chasing "ghosts" start by cleaning the connections for the main power and ground, that is the battery cables at the battery AND at their other ends. The main ground connection on the engine block is often the culprit.

I like to coat the connections with a product called "Copper Shield". It is like anti-sieze compound but made with copper. It greatly enhances conductivity and helps to prevent corrosion. It is available at Eastwood.com or sometimes in auto parts stores.

If the problem continues after you have done the aforementioned then start looking for connection problems or failures elsewhere. You may have a starter problem, say bad brushes, or a starter solenoid problem.