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Followup To
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Followup To
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Car runs for a short while, then the engine dies and won't restart immediately. After about an hour or so, it will restart and die relatively soon after. what can cause this?
Answer -
HI,Beth
Ive seen 2 things that can cause this,if the engine cranks but no start due to no spark from the ignition,then it can be either the ignition module is failing,or a failing crankshaft position sensor,usually the ign module fails when the engine is hot,the crank sensor fails at anytime cold or hot,and may fail alltogether.
ED
Hi Ed:
Thank you for getting back to me so soon! I came across info at Automotive Forum, and a guy mentioned his '96 LeSabre stalling problem was caused by an 8 way connector under the carpet on the passenger side "rail" had become corroded from moisture--he also said it controls the fuel pump, power windows, and power seats. A strange thing about my car stalling is that it has happened twice now as I push the window control switch on the driver side. Could this guys problem have any bearing on mine? Would this stalling as the window is "activated" be consistent w/ the ign module or crank sensor problems? Once again, thank you for your time--it's a wonderful thing that you do!--Beth
Answer -
Hi,Beth
I wouldnt rule that out,is your car prone to water intrusion,such as leaks from seals,if the carpet is getting wet then yes i would look into that posibility,the problem is is that the only thing i see on the right hand side is the relay center which is located under the right hand of the dash,though there is a connector located under the left side of the dash at the side panel,this has the ckts for the power windows and seats,the fuel pump is a single wire that runs the length of the body to an underhood connector that is located one on the right hand side and one on the left hand side,these have the ckts for the engine controls.worth checking into if in fact you do have water intrusion into the car.
ED
Hi Ed:
Sorry to be a pain, it's me again. We found the wires on the passenger side he was apparently referring to and they look fine. We found the metal connector for the positive battery cable was rusted through in one place and corroded, and a new one was soldered on. The car did not die using the up/down window buttons in the driveway after that, but it did die on the road and wouldn't restart and had to be pushed back home. Spark plugs and wires have also been replaced since the problem began (one plug was seriously fouled.) This car had had a stalling problem before that had turned out to be caused by whoever had installed a new battery before we bought it. They had left the plastic on the terminals and it had melted, and started to cause corrosion/lack of connection. ( I mention that in case it might have some bearing.) Would ignition module or crankshaft position sensor have any correlation w/ operating the power windows? We are going to do a test w/ a spark plug wire and spare spark plug that I read elsewhere on the net, testing for spark/no spark/ color of spark, on Friday; hopefully this will give us all more insight? Any and all advice welcome! (Myself, my fiance, my brother, my nephew, and even my sister have all been doing "research" on this, on the net, in the Haynes manual, and under the hood, as well as consulting your expertise. We really can't afford $1500 guessing games with a repair facility like some of these horror stories in the Auto. Forum I've been reading. We'll be lucky if we can afford to fix what it turns out to be, if we could just pinpoint it. ) Once again, thank you so much for your time, patience and advice.
--Beth
AnswerBeth,
Hmm im still leaning towards the ign module,also have someone do an injector ohm test,use a DVOM {multimeter}and check the resistance in each of the injectors,they are easy to get to on your engine,remove the connector at the injector and use each of the test probes at the terminals,set the DVOM to ohm's scale,anything under 12.5 ohm's or above 17.0 ohm's is a failed injector,ive had injectors short when they got hot,this in turn shuts off the ECM then you get a no start,also when it gets a no start,remove one connector at the injectors,removing them one at a time and see if the engine starts.
ED
