QuestionI tried changing the o2 sensor & it did not fix prob. But i didnt think a bad map sensor would cause this prob..I tried to check the crank & camshaft sensors,but i could not find then.Plus no auto parts stores carry either of them..What do you suggest i do now?
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It dies while accelerating,either starting off or while driving on the freeway. & there is no interlock on my ignition switch,cause when i try to start car without turning switch off, it is activating the starter & turning the motor, but it wont start untill i turn the switch off then start it.
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I have a 1995,with a 3.0 engine.. I checked & did not get a error code. But i did get the 55 code, which indicates that the check has ended. I was thinking about changing the o2 sensor. But since i didnt get a code indicating it was bad,i did not replace it
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While driving,my van dies.If driving a good speed,i can turn the switch off then bck on(while rolling in drive)& the engine will start bck.But if im going slow & it dies,it will start right away,ONLY if i turn the switch off then start it.otherwise it will just turn over,but not start.I chgd fuil pump & filter,ignition coil,plugs & wires & brian box.No check engine light on..Please help
Answer -
Hi Byrd,
What year model and which engine do you have?
The reason it will start when you are going fast is that the engine is turned by the torque converter (which behaves like a starter motor would) while if you are going slowly there is too much slippage in the torque converter so the engine doesn't turn rapidly enought to re-start without the help of the starter motor. While you may not have a check engine light, which only stays on when there is a fault that would cause excessive exhaust emissions, that doesn't mean there is not some recognition by the brain box that there is some component that has gone bad and therefor the box has put a code in its memory that describes what it thinks is malfunctionnning. If your van is older than a '97 then you can probably get the codes yourself without a code reader, just by using your 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 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 and year model 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. If this approach doesn't produce fault codes at all, not even a 55, because it is newer than a '96, then you will have to go to a good tune-up shop where they have a more sophisticated code reader in order see if there are any codes. You should be able to get a readout for under $40. Get the code numbers, what they say they mean, and how much they want to charge for the repair. Then write back.
Roland
Answer -
O.K.,
Tell me some more about the dieing. Are you accelerating, cruising, or slowing down when it dies, or does that matter?
And it sounds like you can always get it to restart, never refusing as long as you use the starter motor after turning the ignition off all the way? Isn't there usually an interlock that prevents the starter position from being accessed from the run position without turning the switch off all the way?, i.e you get one crack at the starter motor from the off position and that is all? (So I guess I don't quite understand unless there is not an interlock on your ignition switch).
In theory, there is nothing different in using the starter motor without turning the switch to off as compared to having turned it off, but that still doesn't help us with the dying question.
I'm leaning toward a flakey ignition switch which spontanelously cuts off one of the circuits necessary to run the engine, but restores itself when you cycle the switch to off.
Let me know some of the answers to these questions and anything else that I may not appreciate.
Roland
Answer -
Hi Byrd,
I don't see any obvious reason why the engine dies and why returning to off should cause the engine to be restartable but I guess there are three possibilities:
a sensor (like the 02 or the MAP) that controls mixture
or the ignition switch or a flakey relay.
On the ignition switch, you could try monitoring each of the three circuits that are connected by that switch by means of a voltmeter to check a fuse that is given power by each of those circuits. I have the '93 van shop manual and the '96-99 Haynes van manual so I can't be sure which wiring diagram applies to your '95. Does it have the power distribution center or does it have fusible links under the hood?
On the sensors, you pretty much have to have a diagnostic readout box to see what values they show at them moment you try to start the engine with or without having turned off the ignition switch.
Another possibility is the autoshutdown relay being flakey, so you might check whether you get spark when you are trying to restart it without turning the switch to off.
Those are my ideas at this moment. Let me know what you learn.
Roland
AnswerHi Byrd,
Another thought:When the engine dies, don't touch the ignition key. Instead, as it is dying try tapping on the steering column on the other side, opposite to the key to see if the switch might be the source of the loss of function. I would also carry along a voltmeter or neon glow light to verify that you still have voltage on all the fuses under the dash, again doing this check when the engine had died and without touching the ignition key. I would want to be sure that the problem is not in that ignition switch.
Roland
On the 3.0L V-6 the spark sensors are in the distributor. But if you aren't getting an 11 or a 54 code then there is probably nothing wrong with them. Again, why don't you check to see if you are getting a spark immediately when it has died but when you haven't turned off the ignition switch? If you get spark then the sensors in the distributor are shown to be o.k. If you don't, then you need to check the output of the autoshutdown relay at the spark coil to see if it is providing 12v to the coil when you crank it over (the cross bar of the "T" 2-pin connector to the coil is supposed to show a 12V input to the coil from the ASD for a full 5 seconds of cranking). That is my suggestion for now. If you are getting spark (without turning the ignition switch to off first) then I would check for voltage to the fuel pump following the same set of circumstances.
