Question hi, i just had a couple of brake lines installed at a shop. after all was said and done the guy said he could not get the drivers side front to bleed, causing the brake system to not work properly. according to him he says the proportioning valve needs to be replaced and is quite costly. could this be the proplem. i have new caliper on this side, and i have tried several things to see if this helps. tries a different master cylinder, i just can't get the thing to bleed out. any and all suggestions will help.
thanks, james"
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thanks for getting back so soon, i have done on-off thing and the only code that comes up is the TPS # 24 and i changed that, oh yea the #55 too. thats why i'm so puzzeled.-------------------------
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ok, i have asked many questions about this problem and no solution yet. my car is stalling if sitting and ideling or if driving along. this usually happens within ten minutes after car is started. i have checked catalytic convertor(its ok) have changed the TPS(its ok). i have read that if the halls effect sensor in the distributor is bad that is can cause your car to stall. the car does start after it stalls, but it takes a while. oh the fuel pump seems to be working.
Answer -
Hello James,
The hall effect sensor can indeed cause the problem exactly as you described, but don't jump to a conclusion. Instead, take advantage of the fact that the engine controller monitors many of the sensors and actuators of the system and notes any problems by specific numbered fault codes which you can access.
To ask the engine controller whether it has observed any failures in the control systems that are stored as codes in its memory 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".
The code for a problem with the hall effect sensor is #11.
So see if that comes out or not.
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.
So let me know what codes you get and we'll go from there. The sensor is easy to replace but no point in doing so without there being an 11 fault code in the memory.
Roland
Answer -
Hi James,
If you changed the TPS and subsequently started the car 50-100 times and the code 24 is still there, then it may be that the problem was not the TPS itself but rather the wiring, because the code should self-erase if you fixed the problem in 50-100 key cycles. You can erase the code for sure by disconnecting the battery for a few minutes. Then check to be sure you only have a 12 (power to controller recently disconnected) and a 55. Then drive it and verify that the 24 does not return. If it does, look at the wires to the TPS for sign of insulation melt thru or shorting out.
On the next thing to do, I would suggest that you try to test for the absence or presence of spark at the time of the next stall and no start situation. You really need a helper to operate the key but maybe you can find someone to do that at the time. Just disconnect the center wire from the distributor and position its tip 1/4" from the cylinder head and have the helper crank the engine for a full 5 seconds and observe the duration of the spark and its quality (blue, consistent during the 5 seconds). You might repeat it and back away the tip during the the time while watching to make sure no arcing occurs at the spark coil tower (the other end of the wire) when you get it more than 1/2" from the cylinder head.
If you don't get spark at all then it could be several things and if you only get it for 1-2 seconds then it could be the hall sensor (even without the #11). So if you also carried a voltmeter you can ascertain whether the power to the coil is there during the 5 second crank and interpret the results as follows (I copy here another response I sent to a person with a similar problem who had no spark)
"It is good that you checked for spark and found significantly that you have none. If you have voltmeter, you could check the + terminal of the primary side of the coil (measure between the post and ground) to see whether you have voltage there for a full 5 seconds, 1-2 seconds, or not at all while you try cranking the engine for 5 seconds.
If the meter shows 'not at all' then the autoshutdown relay may have gone bad or the engine controller (but that is pretty costly to replace without futher verification).
If you get 12V but it only lasts for 1-2 seconds, then you will want to do a fault code readout of the controller to see if the distributor's reference signal is not being generated due to a faulty Hall effect sensor therein. The fault codes are stored in the engine controller memory for 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). 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. By the way, 55 will be the last number (two groups of 5 flashes each) and that is the code for "end of readout". The code for the Hall sensor will be the first one to read out as it in the number 11 (one flash-pause-one flash-pause). The autoshutdown relay circuit fault is code 42, but the ASD relay itself could be bad without giving that code.
If you get 12V for the full 5 seconds of cranking then I would suspect the coil has gone bad (or the wiring from the - post of the coil to the controller is bad.)
The most likely cause of a no start is the Hall sensor, but if you have a voltmeter verify that the 12V drops away after 1-2 seconds of cranking, and/or that you get a code 11. The sensor is easy to replace and costs about $40 if you have the 4 cyl. engine."
So check the spark issue and the power to the + post issue if you can do so when it next happens, and get back to me. If the spark is good for the full 5 seconds, then we will have to consider the fuel/air mixture issues that would cause a no start without leaving a code. But lets not get into that tonight.
Roland
AnswerHi James,
That is strange, particularly if the brake warning light is not coming on, because the imbalance between the pressure in the left front and right front calipers ought to set off a warning. If the warning light works (illuminates when you put on the parking brake with the ignition switch on), then if there were something wrong with the pressure between the right and left front calipers, it should also turn on the light. I suppose the double-sided piston assembly that detects the fault imbalance could be frozen,in the proportioning unit. How about try leaving the right side caliper bleed port slightly ajar and then step on the brake and see if the system detects the imbalance you have artifically created. If it does, then the piston for the warning light isn't frozen. Then I would suspect there is a blockage in the line from the proportioning valve to the left caliper. If it doesn't go on, then indeed the proportioningvalve's warning system isn't working and that might also explain why you aren't getting fluid to the left caliper. I suspect you could get another proportioning valve at a wrecking yard but make sure that it has the same color indent tag (black)that is the one on your wagon, which is also used on the Daytona with Disc/Drum setup, and the '89 New Yorker Landau of that time frame. Of course you could get a gauge and a T-section and trace the line for where the pressure is lost, but that seems a bit too much.
Let me know what resolves this.
Roland
