Intermittent Clicking Causing Stalling and Bucking

[greytalon26]

I just starting having what seems to be a sensor problem yesterday.
The symptoms when the problem occurs are:
-Clicking. Sometimes only once here or there and sometimes rapidly.
-At an intersection sometimes the clicking will cause the engine to die and once the engine dies it will sometimes keep the engine from starting. I've never been left stranded however, it just took 3 tries to start in the worst case.
-A complete loss of spark/maybe fuel while the clicking is happening. The engine turns only because the car is in motion in gear.
-The engine has not yet completely died at speed, only when stopped.

It does not seem to be temperature related because I had the problem after a hot start last night (the car had been driven for two 20 min. trips prior) and just a half hour ago after the car had been sitting for roughly 18 hours and was completely cold.

I don't believe it is a bad connection in the ignition cylinder because the problem occurs at random, and not just when the car hits a bump.

The problem happens in any gear and whether or not the car is at speed or idling.

My problem sounds similar to Majite's problem in this thread:
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/newbie-forum/132268-clicking-bucking-stalling.html

However, I am more convinced it has something to do with a sensor gone bad rather than an ecu because the problem is not affected by temperature. I could be wrong however, and was wondering if anyone had any suggestions.

Thank you for your time.

 

[greytalon26]

One piece of information I forgot to add is that the TPS was replaced 21,000 miles ago at 39,249 in July of 2004. I'm not sure if that could have failed again or not.

 

[pj91gsx]

does it throw a check engine light? the clicking is probably coming from you ecu. Where do you hear the clicking coming from? i would say to check the connection of the plugs to the ecu and also make sure there isnt any moisture in the transistor and the coil pack. Also put spark plugs at the end of you plug wires and have a friend crank the car to see that all of the plugs fire.

 

[tbonitz301]

^^^+1. Sounds like your ecu is kicking the bucket.Swap it with a friends if you can, and see if that helpsI'm guessing the clicking is coming from behind the radio. Check this out Motoguy's Garage | Symptoms

 

[greytalon26]

It flashes the check engine light every time it clicks, and when it clicks rapidly the check engine light stays on for 5-10 secs then goes out.

 

[tbonitz301]

Definetely sounds like a bad ecu. Did you checkout that link i posted?

 

[greytalon26]

Yeah, that link summarizes the symptoms I've been having. Thanks.

 

[luv2rallye]

Most likely ECU but don't rule out a bad MPI relay or connection (ECU controls MPI relay which probably is the clicking so it can be either).

 

[BoostedTalonTS]

Most likely ECU but don't rule out a bad MPI relay or connection (ECU controls MPI relay which probably is the clicking so it can be either).

^ Yup! -One or the other is a safe bet... I'm thinking leaking caps on the ECU's board.

 

[pj91gsx]

check and see if you can read any check engine codes on it.
http://www.dsmtuners.com/forums/art...out-scantool-cel-testing-1g-turbo-models.html

 

[greytalon26]

Upon removing my ecu and opening it up it is pretty evident that one of the capacitors leaked. The one that leaked reads on the side " G 2 A -55-105oC 9035." I'm a little confused because I thought the capacitors that had problems were the 85oC ones. Either way it seems my ecu is fried and I'll be needing another. Thanks for all the help diagnosing. Once i got out the tools it only took me about 10 minutes to figure out what the problem was based on all of your input.

 

[pj91gsx]

dont forget to disconnect the battery before you plug or unplug the ecu. I think I may have a messed up ecu as well. I tried to read the cel codes but I cant get it to work. after I run and then cut off the motor I hear "click" click click click. constantly for about 5 minutes. I have another ecu that I can throw on this car, the ecu has the dsmlink and is set for 510 cc injectors so Ill have to change that.

 

[BoostedTalonTS]

dont forget to disconnect the battery before you plug or unplug the ecu. I think I may have a messed up ecu as well. I tried to read the cel codes but I cant get it to work. after I run and then cut off the motor I hear "click" click click click. constantly for about 5 minutes. I have another ecu that I can throw on this car, the ecu has the dsmlink and is set for 510 cc injectors so Ill have to change that.

Simple Fix:
Pull the 40 Amp fuse under the hood (1G) before removing and/or reinstalling the ECU... That way you won't have to bother pulling either of the battery connections.

OP:
Don't write off your ECU just yet... I've seen capacitor replacement kits available on eGay for ~$10 (shipped)... -IMO, it's worth the repair attempt. -Just solder in new caps... Chances are that the rest of the ECU is still working fine. The two darker blue colored caps are usually the ones that leak and eventually fail, as I'm sure you noticed.
Good Luck!

 

[greytalon26]

There was stuff that leaked from the capacitor all over the board in that area, and I'm not too good at fixing electronics. I replaced the ecu with a refurbished ecu and it fixed all of my problems. If I had more time or more confidence in my electrical abilities I would've tried fixing my old one, but I needed my car to get to work as soon as possible.

 

[pj91gsx]

my ecu or injectors throw the cel. I took the cover off the ecu and it looked fine. now I dont know what to look for on the ecu. any suggestions?