Intermittent starting problem - POSESSED!

[SonicRiot]

The scenario:

-starter is good
-battery is good
-remote solenoid: check!
-plenty of fuel and pressure in rail
-injectors clean

The car never stalls out or loses power when I am driving, but it intermittently will not start. It just cranks and cranks, but wont fire up. Doesn't matter if it is hot or cold, day or night, gas or no gas, it is COMPLETELY random!!!

It SEEMS to happen more often if the intake manifold has heated up from sitting after it has been driven, but that is not always the case. If it happens, sometime I have to leave the car for a half hour, sometimes 5 minutes will go by and it fires up like nothing happened.

Only TWICE over the course of the past two months has the car stumbled to a stall after starting the car.

The problem is getting worse and everytime I go to show the problem to the guys at my garage, it always fires up properly! They think I'm nuts! I think it's posessed!

So what's the deal? Any ideas?

TIA.

 

[SHOmetheway]

Chris, have you pulled any EEC codes from it?

 

[AutoSHO]

I'll bet you've got a code 19 - CID failure. Sounds like a cam sensor that isn't long for this world.

 

[Dr. Tweak]

Or crank position sensor...

Pull the codes (instructions on the SHOPP site) and let us know what you find...

 

[93EmeraldMTX]

mine has kind of the same deal. like if you just turn the key to start it like normal when its been sitting it just cranks. what i do is stop cranking, prime the fuel pump once and then crank it and it starts. dunno why, no codes or anything, and it only happens once in a great while after its sat for 30 mins to an hour.

 

[SonicRiot]

That sounds like a bad pump... mine is most definately ignition related.

I hooked a timing light up... losing spark. I ran codes two weeks ago when the problem started getting worse. No codes.

I'll try running them again. Maybe it will be different this time becuase it seems to happen every day now.

Anyone think it could be a bad DIS module that is overheating?

 

[morpho18]

I was having the exact problem, but it ended up getting worse and worse. It finally ended up being a bad battery. I've got a new battery, and the SHO fires up fine everytime.

 

[KirkSHOcrzy]

Sonic imho it sounds alot like your cam sensor is going bad. It controls the spark to your dis module. If it going bad it will randomly send spark to the plugs but not in the correct order. I recently had both my cam and crank sensors go bad. I had the hard starts and interminnet problem but nothing major. Then Dead. If you do have someone do the work be careful to have someone very qualified work on it. If the cam sensor doesn't solve the problem then it is probably the crank sensor. The cam sensor is easy to change yourself. However the crank sensor does require some extensive work but it is not to hard. I wish i would have done the work myself and saved the 2100 i spent.

 

[SonicRiot]

Thanks for the help, Kirk. Car fires up fine when it hasn't been run in a few hours. Gives me trouble mostly when I start it after running it.

Going to run some codes now...

 

[SonicRiot]

I pulled the codes. The only one referring to my starting problem is

#14 - Ignition pickup was erratic.

What now? I can't duplicate the problem... it has fired up perfectly every time today. No matter the time, condition, temp, etc.!!

I do have a coolant leak. pretty substantial, but I can't find the source... there is residue everywhere. I have tried to find this ghost leak before, but I can't seem to place my finger on it. It appears as though it is coming from somewhere below the throttle body... one of the hoses or connectors or something. I am going to have to remove the intake to find this leak. Tried the dye and pressurizing it... can't find the leak. I'm starting to wonder if my headgasket is allowing water to pass out of the water jackets in the block.

A lot of the connectors on the rear side (driver's side) of the block are wet with coolant... perhaps a culprit?


Anybody willing to place bets on the DIS module or should I steer towards the CPS or CKS? Is there a way to test the DIS module? The parts stores in the area do not bench test them.


Thanks for any help. For a cool hot rod tip as a return favor, check out the piston questions under my name in performance.

 

[SonicRiot]

**BUMP**


HELP! :cry: I don't want to get stranded again!!

 

[SonicRiot]

Still getting only 2 stored codes:

14 - Ignition pickup was erratic

66 - MAF (old code)


For two days now, the car has not had ANY problem starting. But then again, I am not in NEED of the car, so of course, it's going to play with my head. I just hate driving my sister's Coliision Customs Nissan Altima!!! It's not even a stick!

I want my poor SHO. Can anyone help?

 

[betterman]

Have you tried pushing the accelerator wide open throttle while cranking. It could be that your fuel check valve is bad or that you are getting a flooded engine. Next time your car doesn't want to start I would try going WOT and see if it fires up.

 

[SonicRiot]

It is a fuel injected engine, so that trick won't work...

And it has been established that I have an ignition problem. I hooked up the timing light and saw a loss in ignition power.

But thanks for the suggestion.

 

[HopefulSHO]

Cam sensor and/or wiring.

 

[93EmeraldMTX]

It is a fuel injected engine, so that trick won't work...

And it has been established that I have an ignition problem. I hooked up the timing light and saw a loss in ignition power.

But thanks for the suggestion.

actually it would. on EEC IV vehicles, if you hold the pedal to the floor it stops injecting fuel until it starts/you let off the throttle.

 

[SonicRiot]

Huh. Had no idea. Sorry I jumped the gun. No hard feelings.


But it's still a spark problem. And I am beginning to think of the CPS, but the tach does not jump when cranking...

My rear main also appears to be leaking. Lots of seepage between the MTX and rear of block. Could this be affecting the CKS? This seems to be where the most coolant is also leaking.

Thanks for the help so far.

 

[SHOmetheway]

Based on my SHO's recent prob., the code 14 points toward the Crankshaft Position Sensor. It's been described as a "wear" item that apparently won't last forever. My code 14 is gone after replacing the CkPS, but the code 19 lives on (even after Camshaft Pos. Sensor replacement - but like Rockledge said, it could be that faulty wiring is allowing a "good" sensor to appear bad because it's effectively not connected).

Has your SHO had the front 60k done in a reasonable amount of time/miles? You might consider replacing that CkPS and the other assorted goodies (see SHO Phoenix Project above) just to get that end of your engine up to ***** while you're at that CkPS.

As for the leak at the engine rear, that shouldn't affect the CkPS as it's on the front, do you know if it's leaking coolant at front too? When you say "lots of seepage...", can you define "lots" in some sort of unit volume / time ? -though any amt. is not so good...

 

[SonicRiot]

Nothing is leaking at the front of the block(passenger side of block)...

I lose about a quart of oil every 1000 miles. I frequently clean the oil pan off and the seepage appears every time I look under the car after it has been run.

I hosed down my engine bay on the drivers side (rear of block and MTX) to flush all the coolant away to help me find my leak. It's definately on the drivers side (rear of block) somewhere... Pulling off the intake once the rain passes. Of course, the car has given me NO problems for the last 4 days. I HATE intermitten problems!

 

[qiksho]

Nothing is leaking at the front of the block(passenger side of block)...

I lose about a quart of oil every 1000 miles. I frequently clean the oil pan off and the seepage appears every time I look under the car after it has been run.

I hosed down my engine bay on the drivers side (rear of block and MTX) to flush all the coolant away to help me find my leak. It's definately on the drivers side (rear of block) somewhere... Pulling off the intake once the rain passes. Of course, the car has given me NO problems for the last 4 days. I HATE intermitten problems!

Sounds alot like a cam positin sensor failure...this is on the back bank on the passenger side. IF you are loseing alot of oil around that area I would replace the cam seal and clean the sensor. I am not totally positive this give spark...but I think so. Definately need to clean up the oil leak. This is a problematic area on SHO's if you don't get enough rtv on the rear valve cover gasket in the two areas around the cam housing by the sensor.