Wondering!!
Is there a service engine light on??
How hard is it to start??
If it won’t start hot,that’s good! This makes it easier to find problem!
The engine needs 1)fuel! this will include fuel presure from the pump,and(injector pulse), a ground signal from the computer telling the inj.to open and close…
2)spark,from the coil thru the dist. down the wires thru the plugs.
3)compression/timming, this should be O.K.(when it runs it runs well? rite)
ofcourse it gets alot more technical!,but,this will help you pin-point the (no-start)
When it will not start, Add fuel thru the intake.
Carb cleaner works well,a couple small bumps should be enough…Your just looking for a positive reaction…
when it will not start, check for spark. You can use an inductive timming light hooked to any plugwire while cranking check for blinking light.
You can use a screw driver hooked to end of plug wire and grounded while cranking (need two people) carefull alot of voltage!!
Well that’s just a couple of ramdom thoughts…
…Let us know if ya find any new symptoms!!!
No Engine Check Light
The problem is it mostly only does this at over 7,000’ elevation up on Sonora Pass, where there are not services available.
In Modesto, at sea level, its hard to replicate the problem.
check this out
I had similar trouble. Took months to isolate it. I started keeping a test meter in my car until I caught it. The problem turned out to be the distributor. Modern cars have no points in the distributor. An electronic sensor inside the distributor tells the ignition box when to send the spark impulse. The car would run as long as you were moving air across it. Then you stopped a few minutes and the engine heat would heat the distributor just enough to cause the sensor coils to open. NO SPARK as long as engine was warm. Go have dinner and come out and zoom, you are off.
None of the Ford garages or local mechanics could find the problem. Lots of them tried. Just another example of how modern mechanics rely so much on computer diagnosis. Computer would tell them to replace everything except the radio. At least check the plug going to the distributor, they may have knocked it loose when replacing the cap.
Altitude
Here in the Denver area (5280’) and higher suburbs we experience similar problems in the hot summer weather. Cars will sometimes vapor-lock and stall out, usually during afternoon “rush” hour on the freeways, which slows traffic and creates more vapor-lock. It is not the traditional vapor-lock of the carburated engine variety, but an overpressuring in the gas tank, which these days is sealed to the atmosphere. What we do here is SLOWLY loosen the gas cap and bleed off the pressure. Works like a charm. It may or may not be your trouble given the recent work you have had done. Modern fuel systems are so touchy about the right pressure in the tank that my wife’s '07 Grand Vitara gets that annoying check engine light if she doesn’t tighten the gas cap enough. (“It’s too hard to get off if I tighten it.”)
I agree with this
Its the ignition module which is usually located at or around the distributor. I replaced the one on an Escort I had years ago twice. Exactly the same symptoms except it got worse as time went by and eventually wouldnt start at all until the car reached atmospheric temp. I used to park it with the hood open so it would cool faster.
Opening Hood
I have found it will start quicker if I open the hood to let the motor compartment cool.
Another Good Idea
That is something that would be easy to try
Ignition Module or crank sensor
So what kind of RV do you have?
I posted “holy crap” and it came up “holy ****”
Can you imagine if they were editing P-net like that. All the messages would be in morse code.
For what it is worth, years ago I had a old English Ford that did that and it was vapor lock.
Cheers,
JackL
my 2 cents
Either it’s a bad ignition module aggravated by poorly gapped plugs, or it’s your injectors leaking down into the engine after shut off. (the best way to check this is to attach a fuel pressure gauge and see if there is an excessive pressure drop, there should be almost no drop in pressure even after a few hours.) Considering you just changed the plugs, or somebody just changed them I would seriously consider checking the GAPs on them unless you KNOW they are correct. also by hard to start is the engine physically cranking over correctly, its just not sparking up, or is the engine itself sluggishly turning over?
2 ways to test ignition idea
If you have a test meter and wiring schematic, find the connector to the distributor. Disconnect and measure distributor with ohmmmeter. A good distributor will read about 200 ohms to 1200 ohms depending on manufacturer. 300 is typical. Measure it before you start the car for the day. When it fails, disconnect the plug and measure quickly. If it is over 1500 ohms, it is bad. (unless it measured that much to begin with but NOT typical here). It will most likely read over 12000 ohms if it failed and usually completely off scale.
Easy method. Get it hot for at least 20 miles of driving. Park it until it fails or idle until it fails, whichever induces the symptom. Carefully and slowly, squirt the distributor BASE (not cap) with cool water. Do not spray water all over creation. You want to cool the base of the distributor without dousing all the electronics etc. Cool it for 1 minute, try to start. Repeat the cool/start process until it fires up. Don’t spray the connector. Don’t spray the plug wires. Control is the key here.
Cranking Strong
Its turning over strong, just not catching.
I took my truck to a local Midas and discovered the manager had exactly the same truck I do. He had done a dula exhaust for his, and I had him do one for mine. He was a good muffler and brake guy, and I needed both.
But I am beginning to doubt a lot of the other work that he did. Frankly, I think he messed something up.
Not a Proper RV
I have a '92 Chevy Tiara Conversion van. I pulled out the rear bench and replaced with a custom queen/king sized mattress on a bed platform I built.
I then went on to spend like $10,000 getting it into top mechanical shape over a couple years. This summer its made 3 trips over Sonora Pass, so far.
Kathy used to be a bus driver, and just loves driving it. It can’t carry kayaks and we have started a ridiculous habit of taking two trucks because we both insist on driving over the Pass.
Its worth the coast of gas to go barreling down the east side with Dick Dale blasting out the stero.
Dont use water
to cool it, use a can of pressurized air (ie: that electronics/keyboard cleaner.
Hmm
I am betting its the injectors leaking, if it was the ignition once he got it running it would still have problems.
another sign.
if it is the problem i have described you will get this type of symptom:
the vehicle will run with normal performance and then just fail… instantly… maybe when idling, maybe after stopping and letting it sit, maybe while driving down the road… it will not sputter to a stop, it will not usually run rough… the electric circuit opens and you are dead… right now… it will also just start instantly when it cools properly and there will be NO noticable performance change from normal operation…
if you have rough running… inconsistent firing, poor acceleration, that is more indicative of fuel delivery problem… USUALLY… there are some rare exceptions…
My 92 Jetta did that - bad starter
New starter - put in during November. My driving pattern in winter = every time I would start my car it had been sitting long enough to become cold.
However in May I began my summer life which included things like refueling on a trip or shopping. The car wouldn’t restart, I’d panic, I’d have it hauled in to the Columbus dealership and they would half &** fix something and charge me $$$$. I even told them that the dealership in Monroe Mi had told me that “there are bad starters on dealers shelves all over the country” but the local dealer failed to replace the starter. It had worked all winter, their reasoning not mine.
Finally it came to a show down between the dealer shop and myself. They finally realized it was a bad starter but it was too late I was leaving on vacation. So they literally gave me a brand new car to drive for a week filed with gas and told me to bring it back on E. They fixed my car - new starter.
I suspect something electronic is not liking being hot and preventing your car from restarting.
Vapor Lock can be a problem too. That’s another story.
Vapor Lock - VW Rabbits 77 & 1980
I had this problem - both cars same symptoms. Hot summer day, high humidity, hot car on highway, getting low on gas, had enough to wait another exit though. Suddenly the car would act like it ran out of gas and die. I had the 1980 VW a long time and I learned to keep it over half full on hot summer days.
This is the hard to believe part of my story - proof that engineers don’t always have answers.
On the I96 header toward Holland from Grand Rapids I was passed by an expensive looking Rabbit with a foreign plate. Then a few miles later I saw that car off to the side of the road and a middle aged business man type waving for help. I stopped, If he would have listened to me I could have assured him that he wasn’t out of gas. He said he was but it read that he had a quarter of tank. He was positive he was out of gas and insisted I drive him to a gas station.
On the way back he had calmed down, I then told him my stories. He said “I’m from Wolfsburg, I’m a high paid VW Engineer!” I said, “well I’ve put over one hundred thousdand on two Rabbits and I’m betting your car will start when we get back to it even if you don’t put that gas in your tank.”
He was a high paid engineer who was clueless.
Make phone calls, ask around, someone will have had the same experiences and have an answer for you that might solve your problem.
hey
is it fixed yet?