QuestionI 95 chrysler LHS V6 3.5L it won't start I went out around 2 in the afternoon to move my car, It started, then I went out at 5 and it wonld't start I am getting codes 12 and 55 back. My battery is disconected because everytime i charge it back up all the lights outside of my car flash. Also my inside speakers keep going out and everytime i go to change the fuse it pops.
AnswerHi Jennifer,
I assume that you have gas, but you might think about whether the gauge could be faulty and whether it has been quite while since you put gas in.
The codes are not helpful, one means the battery has been disconnected recently, the other means end of readout.
I would take a look at the ignition system first by checking for spark with a spare spark plug which if you don't have you could buy one for your engine at a parts store. Just remove one of the spark plug connector caps by pulling on the cap itself, not its wire. Then insert the spare plug in the cap and while holding the cap only, touch so there is electrical contact between the threads of the plug and the cylinder head or valve cover while a helper tries to start the engine. Then while the engine is being cranked see if a spark jumps across the electrode gap of the plug. If not then some more testing will be necessary that I can tell you about.
Let's assume that the ignition system is o.k. and think about mixture. One possibility is that the temp sensor is not accurate but not so bad as to cause a code, and similarly with the manifold absolute pressure sensor, but you would need a voltmeter to access whether whether either of those could be true. So let us sit on those until we 'exhaust' the other possibility and you let me know if you have access to a volt-ohm meter.
I have another idea, one of my favorites when bad idle rears its ugly head. I would take a look at the exhaust gas recirculation valve which is located behind the engine near the air intake throttle valve. It is mounted in a pipe that runs between passenger side exhaust manifold and the air intake manifold. The valve is mounted horizontally and has a valve stem between its round vacuum actuator top and the body of the valve attached to the pipe, inside the flange that connects the two parts. The stem has a slot into which you can insert the tip of a flat-bladed screwdriver so as to lever the stem back and forth against spring action which should move freely and close tightly. If the stem seems to be sticky so that stem doesn't close all the way by spring action, then you can try spraying some penetrating solvent like WD-40 on the valve stem to freeup its motion.
If the valve is sticking slightly ajar it will make for a difficult to start situation such as you describe because the mixture is too dilute. It is one of the most common causes of this symptom. So see if you can find the valve and check/lubricate the stem. To check it in motion you can rev the engine from idle to 2500 rpm and back to idle and watch to see if the valve stem moves freely in both directions to the extreme open and closed positions. It may be that the interior of the valve is cruddy so that might require that it be unbolted from the pipe where it it attached and cleaned. But chances are good it will only be a sticky stem. Feel free to write back with the results and other questions you might have.
Good luck on the troubleshooting
Roland
