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Emergency, car won't stay running

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Hubbard 0

10+ Year Contributor
430
1
Sep 24, 2008
Monterey, California
This problem really has me baffled. I just drove 1000 miles this weekend, car performed perfectly. Then yesterday, I go to leave work and it cranks, starts, and runs for just a couple seconds and dies. The engine is completely cold, car sat for 11 hours while I worked.

I probably cranked it 15 times. Everything checked out fine in the engine bay. I then decide to unplug the ecu and reset it. I do this, plug it back in and the car starts just fine. Then this morning, it starts 100% fine and runs good all the way to work.

Go to leave after 11 hours and it's doing the same thing. Unplugged the ecu, sat a minute, plugged back in and it started and ran great.

That brings me to now. Went to go to a friends, 2 hours maybe after getting home and it's doing the same thing.

Is my ecu going bad? I don't even have any guesses.
 
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Any check engine lights before you reset it?
 
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sounds like a bad ecu, but what makes me wonder is that if were bad, how would it run after disconnecting it.
 
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im not a ecu guru, but it sounds like your ecu is generating some kind of error and by u disconnecting it you are erasing that error, then its starts and it generates it again, but then again your ecu looks like it just might be leaking???

or simply its time for it to go to a better place....

i have an extra one sitting right here next to me just asking me if its ok for me to let him go, so someone can put it to use..... if you want it pm me. non-eprom
 
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SOADweskey said:
Any check engine lights before you reset it?
Click to expand...

I got a CEL from it thursday night when it happened really bad the first time. I planned to take it to autozone friday right after work to look at it but since I had to reset the ecu I lost the code.

If I got another ecu, it has to be a 98/99 ecu. That's how I'm tuned and I have no way of controlling my injectors without one.
 
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Well I put the car back together again. I was doing a boost leak test and hooking the coolant lines back up to the oil filter housing. I had the ecu unplugged for about a day when it was sitting in the garage. I plugged everything back in after the car was together and it started up just fine. It idled for the last 20-30 minutes without any hiccups.

I then turned it off and went to start it right after and it was back to doing the exact same thing. RPMs jump up to about 1500 and then as it starts to drop down to idle speed at around 1000 rpm it just dies. I have a check engine light again and I'm going to try and read the code with evoscan but it hasn't been working for me lately, another issue entirely. Does anyone have any input?
 
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You need to figure out what that code is. I'm sure its going to lead you in the right direction. But just from the sounds of it, it could be something in the ecu.
 
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Worst case, I'll go rent a code reader at autozone tomorrow.

I got lucky and my dad is on a business trip to San Fransisco this week so I have his truck to drive till I get this sorted.

I think the car is doing this cause I put it up for sale. It knows...
 
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Hubbard 0 said:
Worst case, I'll go rent a code reader at autozone tomorrow.

I got lucky and my dad is on a business trip to San Fransisco this week so I have his truck to drive till I get this sorted.

I think the car is doing this cause I put it up for sale. It knows...
Click to expand...

haha I know the feeling, I put mine on craigslist and the next day my tranny literally exploded
 
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Well more development. I came home from work and started it. Cranked up just fine with no issues. 24 hours ago it would not stay running. I then shut it off, and started it back up with no problems. I did this twice.

I then allowed it to fully warm up. Turned it off and it was back to the same old story. Runs for a second then dies. I rented an OBD2 scanner, but it won't connect to my car. I obviously have some wiring issues somewhere because of that, yet I can flash my ecu with no problems. Another total mystery.

I took a video with my phone, hopefully it at least gives a better idea. First time I started it with no gas, the second time I gave it a bunch of gas to keep it going and it seemed slightly more resistant to dying. I'm looking into finding another 98/99 ecu now.

VID00004-20100712-1809.mp4 video by rhubbard4140 - Photobucket
 
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No one has any ideas?

I just got and tried a new ecu and it is doing the exact same thing. This means it's a mechanical issue. I don't know what would cause this. I even tried the stock ecu that isn't tuned for my 850 injectors. It started, but ran bad (obviously) and once I turned the car off it wouldn't stay running again. I've played with every single electrical connector in the engine bay with no results.

I could really use some help here. Has to be running tonight.

Just swapped in new injectors. Car kind of sounded different, but it still dies the exact same way.
 
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Not that I'm getting any help on here, but I hotwired the fuel pump straight to the battery to make sure I get fuel. That was not the problem.

Then tested each spark plug and it was getting spark during cranking, while running, and as it died.

I'm thinking it's the coil now.

I tested the resistance on the coil plug. I'm supposed to have a value of 0.70-0.86 and if I'm doing it right, I'm getting 0.047.

i tested it like this.

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Thanks everyone for your help. It was the CAS. I can't believe it was such a simple fix.

Autozone had one in stock, and $60 later car is 100%. I can now trade it tomorrow and be done with it.
 
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Cam or crank sensor? I forget which is what.

I have the same issue right now.
 
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You can't read the post directly above yours that says exactly what the problem was and how I fixed it?
 
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Cas. Got it. Cam angle sensor or crank angle sensor. Thats the question if you read the post above yours...............
 
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