Yet ANOTHER problem

[1fast97gsx]

Ignition module problem!?!?

So today I'm driving and I go to Auto Zone. I go inside to buy some cleaner and come back out and start the car. I just let it idle for 20 seconds or so and I am changing cds ... all the sudden my revs drop to 0 rpm ... however the car is still running!!! The air / fuel guage just pegs lean and stays there. I tap the gas a little and notice it feels and sounds like its only running on like 2 cylinders. I get out and pop the hood to reset the ecu, and notice a lot of whitish smoke from under the hood. I let the car sit for a while and restart it and drive it home. ( probably on 2 cylinders the whole way ) I once again pull the plugs ... check compression, try a different set of wires .. check all the injectors. All of these things were fine. Then I pull off the ignition module and put on another 1 I had sitting around. I continue to look around and try and track down where the smoke is coming from. It was a blown off vaccum line behind the intake manifold. I zip tied all my lines now to make sure they stay connected. Anyways ... I start it up with the other ignition module and it starts up and everything is fine again. No more smoke and a clean idle. air/ fuel is once again normal. I drive the car around the block and it's all good. What would kill an ignition module or cause it to go bad just during idle? Car has not even been boosted today!!!

 

[1fast97gsx]

Oh yea .. the whole way home the rpms read 0 even though I'm sure they were at 2k + most of the way. I narrowed it down to the coilpacks or the module because I know the tach has to get it's signal from somewhere ... but still that was VERY strange. Damn dsms!! :thumbdown

 

[Lord Khan]

DSM's man, gotta love/hate em sometimes.

My cars issues are:


- clunky sound when I quickly turn the wheel slightly left and right. Took it to the dealer and they said there was no play in my steering. They said if it gets worse it make be rack and pinion.

- Fuel smell from my car since I got it last year from Carmax (79,000miles when I bought it, but didn't get extended warranty cause I knew I was going to heavily mod it)

- Needs timing belt done, with new water pump (catch up maintenance for used car)

- Shocks and struts are bad (catch up maintenance for used car)

- I think the idle speed motor is bad cause my idle dies down to the low 700rpms after driving the car hard causing my oil light to flicker unless I keep hitting the gas, and I have checked everything that could mess up idle (my mechanic suggested)

- T25's dying. Big T28 in the mail though from Forced Performance.

- Starter is slowly dying

- Loud ass lifters!


Most of my issues are catch up maintenance, but a couple are just annoying DSM problems. Nothing that can't be fixed though. I think the only thing that makes me nervous is that possible rack and pinion issue. That could be costly.

 

[1fast97gsx]

a friend of mine says that ignition modules die from heat a lot of time. All the added heat under my hood from the big turbo, more boost, and external wastegate might just be a little too much he said and that's why it went. I can't buy new ignition modules every few weeks though!!?!? What are your thoughts on this??

 

[Lord Khan]

I'm no mechanic, but people here mod their dsm's to just like you and don't have issues like that. But anything is possible. I doubt if thats the cause, you may just have to keep researching the issue.