QuestionOur LHS cranks over several times before it starts then will shut off with no stumbling of the motor. Fuel pump, fuel relay, coil, and cam sensor have been replaced. Not sure if if it's electrical or fuel problem. When the car was drivable, when turning a corner the car would stall and usually started right away. As it got worse it would shut down without warning at a higher speed of 35 mph or more. Any ideas! Thank you so much for any help.
AnswerHi Cheryl,
This is a very similar situation to a question I received this morning about a '91 3.0L LeBaron. So let me give you the tests that will help sort this out:
To test for spark at the time you are trying to start it as well as when it is running and about to shut down, remove a cap from one of the spark plugs by holding on to the connector cap and pulling on it (don't pull on the wire). Then use a screwdriver (a philips head is better than a flat blade tip) with a plastic handle to probe inside the cap so that the tip touches the internal wire deep inside which normally touches the tip of the spark plug. Then hold the screwdriver by its plastic handle in one hand and the cap in the other hand so that you maitain the connection between the internal wire and the tip of the screwdriver. Move the assembly to be within 1/4 inch of a main metal part of the engine such as the cylinder head. Have a helper then try to start the car while you hold that position of 1/4" distance and observe whether during the cranking a spark jumps between the shaft of the screwdriver and the engine metal surface. If you can continue the test for spark after it has caught and is running try to determine if the spark dies at the time the engine is in the process of quitting. Let me know that test result.
Reading out the engine controller memory for fault codes is another step to do now. Try using the ignition key: turn it "on-off-on-off-on" and leave it "on" (doing this quickly, no longer than 5 seconds). By "on" I mean just the normal position when the engine is running, not the cranking position. The 'check engine'light will remain on when you leave the key in the "on" position with the engine still not running. But then watch the 'check engine' light to begin flashing, then pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and keep track of the numbers. Repeat the readout and verify the counts are correct. Then group them in pairs in the order that they came out, thus forming two digit numbers. You may notice that the pause is shorter between the digits of a given number, and longer between the numbers themselves. Then send me a 'follow-up' question telling me the results of your readout. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout".
I have the troubleshooting manual for the V-6 engines and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show. There is also an essay on fault codes at the site:
http://www.allpar.com/fix/codes.html
which gives the meaning of the code numbers. But then you need to get specific info for what exactly might be the diagnostic tests or parts to replace to complete the repair. Let me know the codes and I can give you some direction. If there are no fault codes then the problem could be a spark issue which the spark test will tell you.
Roland
