97 GST Stalled

[djailer]

97 GST 144K miles, timing belt replaced less than 10K ago.

One minute I was accelerating onto the freeway and ...then I wasn't. I coasted in gear for a bit, then slowed to the side. It turned over fine, all the electronics seem to be working - lights, radio, dummy lights. When it turns over the oil light goes out like always but it just won't kick in. The T belt is fine and there is plenty of gas in the tank. Oil level is fine.

I got this far in the troubleshooting:

Check fuses
Check spark at the plug - NO. I tried using an old inductive timing light and didn't see any sign of spark there either (I checked the light on a running Ram and it worked). I also tried just grounding it but the connector is so far up the boot it wouldn't touch. Stuck an old long square driver extension in there and still did not get a spark. I even held my fingers over it - once I was pretty sure it was not sparking!!!

So....coil maybe? Is there some simpler electronic explanation? My manual shows a secondary coil test on a diagram which only has three terminals. I have no idea what they are referring to since I have four wires??? I don't even have a tester so that might as well be instructions to cut sushi.

Anyway...any help would be cool.


Thanks

Doug

 

[TurboTsiThatFly]

if your not getting any spark. then check your coil packs. but too me it sounds like your crank position sensor is either broken or it has failed. any check engine lights?

 

[djailer]

No check engine lights...

 

[TurboTsiThatFly]

have you checked the crank position sensor? it is the sensor that tells your computer that the crank is turning. so that the computer knows to send spark to the coil packs and so on an so fourth. i would about bet that your crank position sensor is broken.

 

[djailer]

Can you test it, or should I just replace it anyway?

Any idea if the 97 GST has a flash or beep code I could check out? No engine lights so I assume no codes, but maybe it is just not throwing a light for this. Ideally I would be able to hook up an OBD but...rats...don't have one of those either. Can't get it to Autozone to use theirs cause it won't start

-------------------
Ummmm...never mind. Important note to self: When you check for spark and stuff, make sure you check all the connections. The large connector on the left just next to the fuel rail was loose. When I took the head off last year I remember snapping off the locking tab on that. I either forgot or didn't bother replacing it. It had some kind of funky tab I couldn't get to. Anyway that apparently worked it's way loose. Now I just need to get a zip tie on there and I should be good to go. That is good because I had the CAS off and was working on the ignition packs. The front two screws came off OK but the back on on each coil was not going to happen for me. You need some kind of 90 degree screwdriver and probably a lot of cussing. Those coils are tucked way back under the intake manifold. I don't want to think about getting into the crank sensor!

Anyway, thanks for the post and I hope someone else finds this reminder useful!

Doug