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95 Chrysler Cirrus Lxi V6 Auto.
My cirrus had been working fine until yesterday. I was going to run an errand and the car didn't start the first time, it turned but wouldn't catch. second time it started up. later that evening I go to start it again, and it didn't. It turns so the starter and battery are fine but it doesn't catch. I'm thinking feul related problem, maybe my feul pump. Where is the feul pump located? in the gas tank?
Also I don't think it's relevent to my problem with the starting but my check eng. light comes on after like 10-15 minutes of drivng and goes away as soon as i turn off the car. Upon startup it doesn't come back unitl 10-15 minutes of driving.
Answer -
Hello Jose,
The check engine light may give us a clue that there is something that the engine computer has detected that is not right and so a fault code has been stored in memory. You can ask the computer to tell you what the fault code is. All you need is your ignition key. Turn the ignition switch as follows: on-off-on-off-on and then leave if "on". Perform this switching within an elapsed time of less than 5 seconds. Then watch the check engine light to begin flahing, pause, flashing, pause, etc. Count the number of flashes before each pause and make a writtem or mental note of these numbers. Then repeat the process to verify that you have the numbers of flashes exactly correct. The last two sets of flashes will be 5 each, which is the code for "end of fault code readout". Then write me back with the numerical results and we'll see if the fault(s) could cause a "no start" situation.
Yes the fuel pump is in the gas tank. You can hear it run briefly when you turn the ignition switch to "on", then it shuts down if you don't start the engine quickly after turning the ignition on. But let us see what the codes are before jumping to any conclusions.
Roland
I tried the engine diagnostic and i came up with a series of flashes that went as follows: 1 pause 2 pause 3 pause 2 pause 1 pause 1 pause 3 pause 3 pause 5 pause 5 pause
Answer -
Hello Jose,
There appears to be something wrong that is stored in the memory but I believe you may not have a correct count, yet. The code numbers are made by pairing up the flashes, two at a time. So the codes as you saw them are: 12,32,11,33,and 55. The concern I have with the list is that they are not in numberical order (e.g. 11,12,32,33 is the way I would have expected the numbers to be). Would you try it one more time to make sure you didn't make a mistake?
Because I could be wrong about this numberical order issue, let me tell you what the code mean so that if they still come out as you saw them you can go ahead and try to repair them (of course if you get a different readout let me know and I will give you the meanings of the revised list of codes).
11-no reference signal received from the distributor
12-battery disconnected sometime in the recent past
32-exhaust gas recirculation solenoid circuit has a short or open condition, or the the solenoid did not respond (This code would only be generated by a car sold originally in California; is this a California car?)
33-an open or shorted condition in the A/C clutch circuit (is your A/C not working?)
The only code that would cause the engine to not start is the 11 code. However, you didn't mention which size V-6 engine you have and if it were the 3.3 or 3.8 this code would not apply because those don't have distributors. The 3.0 V-6 does have a distributor and so the code applies if that is your engine. It says that the photo-optic sensor unit in the distributor is not producing a signal or that the wires are not making connection to the engine controller. If the wires appear o.k. and the disconnect plug (at the underside of the distributor, held in place by a screw) has clean contacts within and is tightly connected then I would believe that you need to replace the sensor unit in the distributor. It is located under a protective plate that you can remove after you remove the rotor (there is a screw that holds the rotor on the shaft). You also have to remove the screw in the center of the shaft to remove the discs and then remove the sensor by taking out its two screws. (if this part isn't clear let me know and I can describe it more to you).
So please re-read the codes, if they are the same and you have the 3.0 V-6 then you know what to do. If you get different codes when you re-read then write me back. I would be interested to know how this works out so that I gain experience as well.
Roland
hey Roland, thanks for replying so quickly
We retried the code and got the same one 1232113355 and the engine is a 2.5L V-6 and yes it's a california car.
The funny thing is the car started up yesterday without any problems, like twice. The third time the "air bags" light didn't go away after startup. None of the climate control functions worked nor the radio or the windows that was pretty strange. As soon as i turned it off then the "air bags" light went away and everything worked again. Crazy car, also this one time like a week ago the "oil" light came on so i checked it and the oil level was full with clean oil? I'm puzzled
Answer -
Hi Jose,
On the sequence of the fault code readout, I recognize that by '95 things were moving toward the OBD-II code system and that may explain why they are out of order. The 55 last is proper because that is the code for "end of readout".
The gremlins are probably causing these strange behaviors!
In my experience that most common reason for them is when the body computer gets wet around its plugs and sockets. That computer centralizes a lot of the body circuits. It is located above the passenger side kick panel (which is just to the right of the passnger's right shin). It is mounted up on the cowl above the panel, and it is located such that if the windshield leaked at its lower right corner it may drip down on the top of the computer and temporarily short come circuits together at the plugs. I can't of course be sure that is why these strange things have happened but it is a possible explanation. The oil light doesn't tell you about oil level, unless it was specifically labelled "oil level", rather it usually says "oil pressure" which could be low due to a defective oil pump. But if it only goes on when the engine is at idle when warmed up, that is pretty typical and needn't concern you. Only when the oil pressure comes on when the engine is above idle speed would I stop immediately.
Well now that the car started, it seems like you have an intermittant no start. That is a bit harder to correct because you have to check into it when it is 'in the act' of not starting. Now that I know which engine you have my question is, Does it have a conventional distributor? The '98 manual that I have suggests that it doesn't, so let me know. I'm expecting to get a manual for the '96 Cirrus in a few days so I'll understand this better at that time. The 11 code for the 2.5 ('98 manual) means that the crank position sensor is not being received reliably at the engine controller (That sensor perform the same function as the photooptic sensors in the distributor of the 3.0 V-6, by the way) So if you have another no start, I would suggest that you check the wiring to that sensor which appears to be right adjacent to the 'distributor' shown in the '98 manual.
I guess the bottom line is that I am a bit outside my area of expertise which I specified as 87-95 but without realizing that the 2.0,2.4, amd 2.5 V-6 came out around '95.
So glean from all the above whatever you can make sense of knowing of my limitations.
Roland
Hey roland thanks a lot for your help sorry i haven't had a chance to write back you've been very helpful and i really appreciate your help with my problems
did u find out if the 2.5 has a conventional distributor. and i forgot to mention my a/c works fine. so i don't know about the a/c code. But yeah its still doing it, sometimes it starts without a problem other times it doesn't start. I'm starting to lean towards that crank postioning sensor what do you think. If thats what it is should i replace the sensor or just clean the contacts first. what should i use to clean them.
Also do you know when's the recommended time for replacing the timing belt on the 2.5 V6?
Thanks again Roland you've been very helpful and I want to learn as much as possible about cars so thank you for your time.
Jose
AnswerHello Jose,
Yes it does have a distributor and within that there is a hall effect sensor serving as the camshaft sensor. There is also a separate crankshaft sensor. Unfortunately, there is no way of knowing from an 11 code which of these has a bad sensor or a wiring issue. I would see which one is the less expensive or has a reputation for premature failure and replace that one. I haven't any experience with the crank sensors, but I do know that the hall sensors in distributors do fail, mainly because they are subjected to more heat, perhaps.
In either case, check both sensor's electrical plugs. Any kind of cleaner spray would work (brake parts spray cleaner, electronic contact spray can cleaner, etc.)
The recommended timing belt change over is at 105,000 miles according to the '96 Cirrus/Stratus manual I just received!
I would tend to look at that belt at that mileage and access its condition before doing it just because of the odometer. I have 90,000 on my '89 2.5L 4 cyl engine and the belt looks fine. Just need to keep inspecting it is my theory. But I tend to push things a little too far!
Roland
