Red_EcliPzE_GsX
20+ Year Contributor
- 124
- 45
- Nov 25, 2002
-
Irving,
Texas
Guys, I am so lost and frustrated at the issue I’ve been having with the car for a good while now.
90 gsx 5 speed non eprom ecu. It will just completely die on a cold start when it seems to be chilly/cold outside.
I’m not talking sputter and die I mean it straight cuts off like if I turned the ignition off. I don’t know what the hell it could be.
Symptoms:
-first noticed when weather was colder, and only on cold starts
-soon as it got to normal operating temp it would stop doing it
-on normal warm days it would not die at all on cold starts.
-when it dies I lose my check engine light, but if I turn the ignition off/on again it comes back.
-even trying to keep it at a steady higher rev, it will just straight cut off on me as well.
-buddy told me to try unplugging the coolant sensor switch on a cold start to see if it would turn on, to confirm if my coolant sensor switch was bad? I unplugged it, and the car did not want to start at all, it would just sputter really bad. Plugged the sensor back in and then it would turn right on for me, but then of course cut off and die like it does.
As time has gone on though, it seems to have gotten worse.
-it now will do it even when it first gets to operating temp and I attempt to drive off for the first time, literally just dies while I’m in gear going
-just now even after it seemed to finally be acting right long after being at operating temp, just pulling into my complex it just died.
Things I’ve checked:
-my PTU has been replaced with a 91+ when I first noticed I was getting no check engine light with key in on position. I just spliced the wires to work.
-sent ecu off to ecmlink, they said it tested fine but the caps looked like they had been replaced before but could have done a better job, so they replaced caps, tested fine afterwards and even put it in a test car and ecu still fine.
-I’ve done basic things like check plugs, I regapped plugs and have some new ngk wires on the way tomorrow. However I don’t think that is going to help.
here is a video so you can see for yourself. This is about the 15th time of me turning it on again you can see on the temp gauge that it’s still on the colder side(I had just tried turning it on again after it sitting for a few hours from the last time I drove it)
you can hear how it just cuts off completely, wait til end of video and you can see how it’ll even happen if I try to hold a steady rev, and then you can see the check engine light lose its shit.
As I watch the video I notice it seems to die immediately as I hear this click sound?? Not sure where it’s coming from. I know it sounds like I hear it in the car but not sure from where.
I don’t know what else to do!!
90 gsx 5 speed non eprom ecu. It will just completely die on a cold start when it seems to be chilly/cold outside.
I’m not talking sputter and die I mean it straight cuts off like if I turned the ignition off. I don’t know what the hell it could be.
Symptoms:
-first noticed when weather was colder, and only on cold starts
-soon as it got to normal operating temp it would stop doing it
-on normal warm days it would not die at all on cold starts.
-when it dies I lose my check engine light, but if I turn the ignition off/on again it comes back.
-even trying to keep it at a steady higher rev, it will just straight cut off on me as well.
-buddy told me to try unplugging the coolant sensor switch on a cold start to see if it would turn on, to confirm if my coolant sensor switch was bad? I unplugged it, and the car did not want to start at all, it would just sputter really bad. Plugged the sensor back in and then it would turn right on for me, but then of course cut off and die like it does.
As time has gone on though, it seems to have gotten worse.
-it now will do it even when it first gets to operating temp and I attempt to drive off for the first time, literally just dies while I’m in gear going
-just now even after it seemed to finally be acting right long after being at operating temp, just pulling into my complex it just died.
Things I’ve checked:
-my PTU has been replaced with a 91+ when I first noticed I was getting no check engine light with key in on position. I just spliced the wires to work.
-sent ecu off to ecmlink, they said it tested fine but the caps looked like they had been replaced before but could have done a better job, so they replaced caps, tested fine afterwards and even put it in a test car and ecu still fine.
-I’ve done basic things like check plugs, I regapped plugs and have some new ngk wires on the way tomorrow. However I don’t think that is going to help.
here is a video so you can see for yourself. This is about the 15th time of me turning it on again you can see on the temp gauge that it’s still on the colder side(I had just tried turning it on again after it sitting for a few hours from the last time I drove it)
you can hear how it just cuts off completely, wait til end of video and you can see how it’ll even happen if I try to hold a steady rev, and then you can see the check engine light lose its shit.
As I watch the video I notice it seems to die immediately as I hear this click sound?? Not sure where it’s coming from. I know it sounds like I hear it in the car but not sure from where.
I don’t know what else to do!!
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Last edited:
). So perhaps it was related to the relay itself warming up because of enough current flowing through it? It's mounted in the cabin, so engine temp would have little to no effect there. A relay typically is electro-mechanical, with moving contacts, as you pointed out. I suppose that could explain it, especially since it basically was being held together with tape. This is one reason that repair shops frequently play the diagnosis-by-replacing parts technique; just keep swapping stuff until it's fixed. I owned a 99 RAV4 that two dealerships failed to fix after several days and over 1K in parts, only to have a third shop figure out that the wire to the crank sensor was fraying internally, and for under $150 they fixed it. The level of complexity vs. advantages of more sophisticated systems (EFI, ABS, Torque Vectoring?!!) is one of the reasons I chose a DSM to be my long-awaited sports car project. It strikes a good balance between have modern features without touch screens and lane departure B.S. The shop manual takes two volumes, where the latest cars now can't even print paper volumes of the manual, as they would take up a file cabinet. You practically need an I.T. department to even open the hood. Terms like "wrenching" and even "Mechanic" are becoming outdated, as we move toward shops full of "Technicians"!
