Question we have a 1989 new yorker which ran fine up until it was towed recently, when i went and picked it up at the tow yard it started right up drove the 15 miles home. next day went to start it all it did was crank like it was not getting fuel. ( let it sit did not have time to mess with it.) two days later by chance jumped in started right up. drove it about 20 miles parked it know it wont do anything but crank it is getting good spark had tune up less than 4 months ago new wires plugs cap rotor everything. if we spray either it takes right off. any thing else we can do besides a stick of tnt. (my husbands idea) thank you for any help possible.
tina hedrick kennard indiana
AnswerHi Tina and Rich,
The fact that it will start with the aid of starter fluid shows that you have spark and fuel but you don't have the correct mixture to get it to start and idle when cold. There are a number of possibilities for an incorrect mixture but we may be able to find the reason by using the built in self diagnostic capability of the engine controller which stores observations about malfunctions it can detect as two digit fault codes in its memory.
The most useful thing to do would be to try to get the fault codes that may stored in the engine controller memory to readout. 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 lit 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 several engines and we can look up the possibilities of what is wrong based upon what fault codes you show. When you write back tell me what engine (4 or 6 cylinder?) in the New Yorker you are driving.
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. And that is where I can give you some direction.
An applicable fault code may save a lot of unnecessary labor and part costs so lets do that readout and go from there.
Roland
