Thread: Car Problems - electric ?? computer ?? vats

The 3.1 will run with a bad crank sensor. That engine has 2 crank sensors and 1 cam sensor. If a sensor was bad, your check engine light would be on. Is it??

Try this: Key OFF, hold gas pedal to floor. Keep pedal floored, do not pump. Turn key ON, then crank for several seconds. If it sounds like it wants to fire, keep cranking. But, do not crank for more than 15 seconds at a time. Doing this puts the computer in what is called Clear Flood Mode.
Basically, it will reset the engine controller to default parameters. If/when the car starts, keep the pedal floored until it stops sputtering and starts to rev up. once you are at 2-2500 rpm (if you have a tach) slowly let off the pedal and allow the car to resume to a normal idle.

Now, if your check engine light is on, you need to pull the fault codes to see what ails the beast.

If you don't have a scan tool, or one of thosae cheesy code readers, you can cycle the key ON-OFF three times, ending with ON. Watch the check engine light. It will flash the codes. Each code will be 2 digits, and code 55 is end of codes. The flashes will represent each digit. So, a code 12 would be "flash" pause "flash" "flash"

If you post any fault codes, I will decipher for you.

god luck

Originally Posted by Motorcity

The 3.1 will run with a bad crank sensor. That engine has 2 crank sensors and 1 cam sensor. If a sensor was bad, your check engine light would be on. Is it??

Try this: Key OFF, hold gas pedal to floor. Keep pedal floored, do not pump. Turn key ON, then crank for several seconds. If it sounds like it wants to fire, keep cranking. But, do not crank for more than 15 seconds at a time. Doing this puts the computer in what is called Clear Flood Mode.
Basically, it will reset the engine controller to default parameters. If/when the car starts, keep the pedal floored until it stops sputtering and starts to rev up. once you are at 2-2500 rpm (if you have a tach) slowly let off the pedal and allow the car to resume to a normal idle.

Now, if your check engine light is on, you need to pull the fault codes to see what ails the beast.

If you don't have a scan tool, or one of thosae cheesy code readers, you can cycle the key ON-OFF three times, ending with ON. Watch the check engine light. It will flash the codes. Each code will be 2 digits, and code 55 is end of codes. The flashes will represent each digit. So, a code 12 would be "flash" pause "flash" "flash"

If you post any fault codes, I will decipher for you.

god luck

the bad thing is I have a scan tool, an AutoXray EZ-Scan
- that used to read the car just fine but after what ever
happened it wont - all it will say is "Vehicle Not Responding"
- but it will read other cars just fine

the check engine light is not on - but "service engine soon"
stays on

But I will try some of that stuff - when I wake up

prolly the computer bro but then again 100 degrees + shudnt effect the computer its made to stand up to even more

Originally Posted by Motorcity

The 3.1 will run with a bad crank sensor. That engine has 2 crank sensors and 1 cam sensor. If a sensor was bad, your check engine light would be on. Is it??

Try this: Key OFF, hold gas pedal to floor. Keep pedal floored, do not pump. Turn key ON, then crank for several seconds. If it sounds like it wants to fire, keep cranking. But, do not crank for more than 15 seconds at a time. Doing this puts the computer in what is called Clear Flood Mode.
Basically, it will reset the engine controller to default parameters. If/when the car starts, keep the pedal floored until it stops sputtering and starts to rev up. once you are at 2-2500 rpm (if you have a tach) slowly let off the pedal and allow the car to resume to a normal idle.

Now, if your check engine light is on, you need to pull the fault codes to see what ails the beast.

If you don't have a scan tool, or one of thosae cheesy code readers, you can cycle the key ON-OFF three times, ending with ON. Watch the check engine light. It will flash the codes. Each code will be 2 digits, and code 55 is end of codes. The flashes will represent each digit. So, a code 12 would be "flash" pause "flash" "flash"

If you post any fault codes, I will decipher for you.

god luck

I was able to use the clear flood thing - to start the car, but it never
stops running a little ruff, it will stay running tho, but the exhaust
smells bad - and when I press down on the gas it bogs down
and then picks up - and I can not re-start unless I do the clear
flood thing again -

I got the auto xray to scan - but not the 1994 car setting that used
to work with my car - but I was able to scan it has a 1995 car
guess the computer is new-er than my car - but still no codes


Thanks - never knew the clear flood thing

Originally Posted by xdjxklusivex

prolly the computer bro but then again 100 degrees + shudnt effect the computer its made to stand up to even more

- It was a joke - my real brain in my head

I got thinking about - how the car acts after the
clear flood mode and its running

So I checked the fuel rail with the motor off its 45 pounds, thats
about right

So then I try the clear flood mode to get it running, its about
35 pounds when running - thats not right

So I am going to replace the fuel pressure regulator -
and filter - for the heck of it, my book tells me it
should be 40 pounds or more when running

I replaced the fuel filter - it was dirty but not to bad,
still no go, replaced the fuel pressure regulator
seamed to help - motor runs more stable in clear
flood mode but wont start on its own, I found that the pipe
going from the air intake to the EGR was pluged up -
took 2 hours to clean - could not get a strait shot
into that pipe/off shoot of the air intake - that helped a
little more - I keep checking with the scan tool - no codes
and my temp sensor - now said -38*f - and I get a code
temp sensor to low - so I check it - wires have been put
on with tape and twisted - so I remove that crap
and use crimp connectors, I try to start the normal way
and it starts - but its ruff, so I check VAC lines - and
replace the one from the fuel pressure regulator to the
map sensor, still no go - and I still have -38*f and
a code "temp sensor to low" going to replace that

going to check the 2 crank sensors and cam sensor

but I never get any bad codes for them

well it starts on its own - I guess thats good

Originally Posted by will1384

I replaced the fuel filter - it was dirty but not to bad,
still no go, replaced the fuel pressure regulator
seamed to help - motor runs more stable in clear
flood mode but wont start on its own, I found that the pipe
going from the air intake to the EGR was pluged up -
took 2 hours to clean - could not get a strait shot
into that pipe/off shoot of the air intake - that helped a
little more - I keep checking with the scan tool - no codes
and my temp sensor - now said -38*f - and I get a code
temp sensor to low - so I check it - wires have been put
on with tape and twisted - so I remove that crap
and use crimp connectors, I try to start the normal way
and it starts - but its ruff, so I check VAC lines - and
replace the one from the fuel pressure regulator to the
map sensor, still no go - and I still have -38*f and
a code "temp sensor to low" going to replace that

going to check the 2 crank sensors and cam sensor

but I never get any bad codes for them

well it starts on its own - I guess thats good

Temp sensor too low may not mean a bad CTS. You may have a bad thermostat causing the code for the coolant temp sensor.
The low fuel pressure may be a concern, but I doubt it it this point. 35 #s is enough to keep the car running smoothly at idle, and should run ok up to about 2500 rpm.
Have you checked the vacuum line to your map sensor? Also, getting back to the begining of this thread, did you ever find out if you popped any fuses or relays?

Another thing is check your plug wires. The wires on the coil pack side, one of them may not be seated.
On the engine side, those long boots tear after a while, and you may have a spark leak. I had 1 bad wire on my wife's, and at idle the engine was smooth for the most part, but as I rev'd it up, it was bogging down and stumbling. I got lucky on which wire was bad. I could hear a "crack" sound when I rev'd up (outside by hand moving throttle) and I looked and could see the spark jump outside the boot and ground out at the head.

Repalced wires, car ran smooth as silk.

Originally Posted by Motorcity

Temp sensor too low may not mean a bad CTS. You may have a bad thermostat causing the code for the coolant temp sensor.
The low fuel pressure may be a concern, but I doubt it it this point. 35 #s is enough to keep the car running smoothly at idle, and should run ok up to about 2500 rpm.
Have you checked the vacuum line to your map sensor? Also, getting back to the begining of this thread, did you ever find out if you popped any fuses or relays?

Another thing is check your plug wires. The wires on the coil pack side, one of them may not be seated.
On the engine side, those long boots tear after a while, and you may have a spark leak. I had 1 bad wire on my wife's, and at idle the engine was smooth for the most part, but as I rev'd it up, it was bogging down and stumbling. I got lucky on which wire was bad. I could hear a "crack" sound when I rev'd up (outside by hand moving throttle) and I looked and could see the spark jump outside the boot and ground out at the head.

Repalced wires, car ran smooth as silk.

yea I am shure the temp sensor is bad - going to get one today
and the plug wires are good - but who knows how old, there getting
replaced - the vac line to map sensor is good - and the scan tool
reads it fine, I still dont know what kiled that light fuse or why
that kiled my car , but yes I have checked all 4 fuse
boxes, even removed fueses/relays and made shure the contacts
were clean

right now I am just throwing parts at it - The good news is,
that if I keep doing this, some day I will have a new car

the temp sensor helped a lot yesterday, but it stll idles
rough, replaced the cam sensor that on top of the motor
under the power steering pump , no change, replaced
the spark plug wires, old ones were good, but real old,
no change

next will be the crank sensors


right now it will start just fine, and idle good for a few seconds
and then start getting a hair rough, if I rev it up, it does good
but when I let off the gas, it all most seams like its going to die
and then it recovers, and goes back to a idle thats a hair rough