QuestionQUESTION: Hi Roland, I am writing to you about my daughters 1992 Lebaron that died on the freeway & won't restart. I was having difficulty getting the trouble codes to appear, and the anti-theft light kept coming on. You had sent me the directions to by-pass(fool) the antitheft device so that I could get the codes. Well, there is bad news & good news. When I went back out this weekend to work on the car, I found that the battery was very weak(from all the troubleshooting & trying to start the car) Anyway, since I had to work on our family Van I decided to try and jump start the lebaron. It didn't work so I just kept the jumper cables on for about 15 mins & charged the lebaron battery. After doing so the car turned over alot better than it has since the problem began. And the anti-theft light doesn't come on now, even after unlocking the door with the key. Unfortunately, I STILL can't get the "check engine" lights to flash at all to give me the trouble codes. And even after swapping out the relays, I still can't get the car to start. I rechecked the "T" plug that goes into the coil, and I don't get 12 volts, or any type of voltage(spike) on either side of the "T" no voltage on the upright or the cross piece while my wife cranked the engine). I did put one lead of the meter(set on ohms) in both the upright of the "T" plug, as well as the cross piece of the "T" and the other meter lead on a good ground & didn't get any resistance(both the upright and the cross piece of the "T" have continuity to ground--with the engine off). Finally since I tried several times and couldn't get the trouble codes, and since the last time that I did get the codes all I got was a '55', I unhooked the battery & then hooked it back up(I hoped to possibly reset things). There was no difference at all after unhooking & then re-connecting the battery. Maybe the trouble is the distributer, or the PCM.. How do I check the pick-up coil in the distributor, and how do I check the PCM? Or is there some other reason I don't have anything coming from the "T" plug into the coil?
ANSWER: Jim,
It is more basic than the distributor or the pcm. Do you hear the fuel pump run for a second when you turn the ignition key to the 'run' position?
If not, then check fuse 40-41 (20 Amp) in the power center under the hood. Then check the rear pin of the ASD relay (2nd from the outside end) to be sure it has 12V on it.
It seems to me you have lost basic power to run anything. Sorry to start at the begining but that is the only hope of sorting this out.
Tell me whether you heard the pump and what you observed about the fuse and the voltage.
Roland
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QUESTION: Hi Roland, thanks again for all of your help. When my daughter 1st had the problem and had the car towed home, I got out the Haynes manual & it said to check for spark & fuel. At that time I put my ear to the gas cap is and heard the fuel pump when my wife 1st turned the key. After that I couldn't get any spark from the coil & that is when I wrote to you the 1st time. After that I put my meter on the coil & got the funky readings. So I took the coil to an autozone store & had an the store clerk check the coil(before buying a new one). The coil checked out as okay. Next I put the meter on the "T" plug that feeds the coil & had my wife start the car. I'm doubting myself now, but I thought for sure that I was getting 12 volts on the "T" plug back then. I then checked the engine codes and got code '55' several times. I swapped out the relays and then replaced the distributor rotor, cap, and spark plug wires. It was after doing this I started getting the anti-theft light blinking when I would try and get the trouble-codes(and I couldn't get the codes). And now, I don't get anything coming from the "T" plug(no 12 volts, but both parts of the "T" plug have continuity to ground). After charging the battery(via jumper cables), and swapping relays again, I don't get the flashing anti-theft alarm light anymore, but I still can't get the trouble-codes to come on. The car turns over, but doesn't catch. I will try again to listen for the fuel pump when the key is turned, but if I'm not getting any voltage going into the coil(from the "T" plug), then maybe the trouble is somewhere else. Once again, thank you so much for all of your help. I know this is frustrating for you, but it's even more frustrating for me. Thank you again for all of your help in the past, and for you are still doing.
AnswerThanks Jim,
I understand, and that is why I feel the need to go back to basics. If you don't have the 'check engine' light at all, and you don't have the spark coil 12V on the 'T' cross-piece, and maybe don't have the fuel pump sound for a second, then all that says the always 'on' curent that should be there from the fuse I listed is not there.
Roland
