91 talon tsi randomly shuts off

[Buniqueny]

i have a first gen eagle talon tsi. after i start it sumtimes it will light up check engine on the dash and shut off. any ideas what this could be?? Its also a automatic

 

[zcoh2gdsm]

when you turn the power on your should see the CEL light up. when you turn ignition on, CEL should be there for like 2 seconds then shut off, so what your saying sounds normal

 

[Blue Talon Boy]

i have a first gen eagle talon tsi. after i start it sumtimes it will light up check engine on the dash and shut off. any ideas what this could be?? Its also a automatic

The CEL will illuminate on start-up as a lamp check. There are other issues. I'm not near my repair manual, however I know you can jump two pins in the ALDL connector and the CEL will flash the codes stored in its memory. Start there.

Sent from my ADR6300 using Tapatalk

 

[obsidian]

We need way more info on this. Whats it doing before shutting off. How's it running. Any recent changes to the car?

 

[And_44]

Im willing to bet that your battery isn't tied down. Check that it is and if it isn't tie it down, can get a tie down kit at O'Reilly's for 4.99+tax. Also check your battery cables at terminals to make sure they are good and tight. And also check your fuses on your battery cables. Ive seen a blown MPI fuse work while blown and slightest sharp movement reset or kill power to ECU and fuel pump. All cheap fixes and easy things to check.

 

[Blue Talon Boy]

Im willing to bet that your battery isn't tied down. Check that it is and if it isn't tie it down, can get a tie down kit at O'Reilly's for 4.99+tax. Also check your battery cables at terminals to make sure they are good and tight. And also check your fuses on your battery cables. Ive seen a blown MPI fuse work while blown and slightest sharp movement reset or kill power to ECU and fuel pump. All cheap fixes and easy things to check.

My battery is bungee'd in and I never had this problem.

Op: fuses/cables are a good starting point. Look for loose as well as bad. You would be surprised the crazy stuff that can happen with a loose fuse...

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[Buniqueny]

ok im gonna check my fuses and wires. the only new thing i have done to the car is replace the tcu cause it died. The car also makes a weird clicking sound when it shuts off.

 

[Buniqueny]

could this be my starter?

 

[Djsniperwolf]

No, not the starter... It will not cause the car to shut off unless it is grounding out.. Then you may have a problem.. Does it shut off more often after it is at operating temperature?

 

[Buniqueny]

yes my cars running at normal temp. it turns over but will click and the cel will come on.

 

[Djsniperwolf]

So it is not a consistant tick? The tick happens then the car throws a CEL? Do you have a logger by chance... I am going off of a whim here.. I do not know what car you have but I need some more info here to try and help you out.

EDIT:

Ok, checked out your build. 1G's are known for lifter tick, now throwing a check CEL is something else entirely.. A logger would be your best tool right now.. Does the CEL light stay on or is it intermittent?

 

[Buniqueny]

its intermittent. i just turned it on now and now its running again. just a belt squeaking a little.

 

[Djsniperwolf]

its intermittent. i just turned it on now and now its running again. just a belt squeaking a little.

Ok, check your injectors.. If it is intermittent and it starts ticking and causes a CEL. You may possibly have a clogged/leaking injector.. Now this is a guess.. If it starts doing it again and it does it in neutral at idle.. Pop the hood and listen to where it is coming from. It will most likely be:

1. Idle control Motor
2. Injectors
3. Possibly the Coil pack if it is malfunctioning. (Grounding out or arc'ing, check for holes or chips on the ignition coil, it will cause the system to arc)
4. Loose Spark plug boot

Let me know what you find!

 

[steve]

When were the capacitors in the ECU changed?

 

[Buniqueny]

tcu not the ecu was just changed out.

 

[Djsniperwolf]

When were the capacitors in the ECU changed?

That would trump my recommendations. And is much easier to check in ny opinion. Ecu causes all sorts of fun problems from ticking to misfires.

 

[steve]

tcu not the ecu was just changed out.

I understand, which is why I asked about the ECU. Engine dieing with the CEL on is one symptom of capacitor leakage damage. Both the ECU and the TCU suffer from capacitors leaking. If your ECU is original there is a high possibility of it being bad. Even if it's been replaced it still could have issues.

Given how often it's a problem I always recommend checking before swapping parts or spending a lot of time looking in other directions.

 

[DSM1G90]

What mine did when it was dying ... major clicking and CEL then dead .... got the ECU replaced and runs great now ...

 

[Djsniperwolf]

What mine did when it was dying ... major clicking and CEL then dead .... got the ECU replaced and runs great now ...

Agreed.. Check caps for leaks and the enclosure of the ecu for burn marks.. Pretty tell tale off the bat.

+1 on ecu.. If you have a buddy with one.. It is a cheap and easy test.

 

[Peacethief]

Hey Buniqueny...I was just wondering where you located a replacement TCU. Mine just died and i have been looking for a new one for a month. I'm in a real spot and my Talon belonged to my Uncle Zora, the father of the Corvette. So i really want to keep it and get it working. Also any suggestions from anyone else would be appreciated. Thanks

 

[DSMlover2011]

I understand, which is why I asked about the ECU. Engine dieing with the CEL on is one symptom of capacitor leakage damage. Both the ECU and the TCU suffer from capacitors leaking. If your ECU is original there is a high possibility of it being bad. Even if it's been replaced it still could have issues.

Given how often it's a problem I always recommend checking before swapping parts or spending a lot of time looking in other directions.

I agree. Listen to this guy. He's helped a lot of people on here including me when I was searching the forum for a solution to a problem on my friend's car.

 

[Talondvr]

Hey Buniqueny...I was just wondering where you located a replacement TCU. Mine just died and i have been looking for a new one for a month. I'm in a real spot and my Talon belonged to my Uncle Zora, the father of the Corvette. So i really want to keep it and get it working. Also any suggestions from anyone else would be appreciated. Thanks

Driving a talon @ 80+ years old. Sorry no additional advise but I thought that piece of info is kinda cool!