The check engine light came on and I notice it seemed as slow as a rice all of a sudden. Well I was tired made it home and checked it out the next day. Tried to start the car and it wouldnt hold a idle . So I tried it again gave it a few revs and it held the idle and it sounded like have the engine was firing. So I checked all the spark plug wires (put it back on a bracket that it fell off of) then checked out the engine code. It read code 42. I looked that up and it says it is the ESC (electric spark controll if I remeber correct) Then I cleared the engine codes out by pulling that fuse for a minute or so then put it back in. Tried to start it and got the same thing. At this point I called my dad for a hand. He says start it up so I can see what It sounds like and ran just fine. WTF? I didnt do anything though? What might this be, a bad ESC, relay, sensor, or short in the ECM?

 

have the control module and pickup coil checked it might be one of those.

 

I had something similar to this happen. My car went into lip home mode and luckily I was right next to my ex-g/f's house. Her dad knows the L98 engine very well. He is putting it in a Feiro. Anyway the problem would throw a code, I can recall what it was but it turned out to just be the cap and rotor. Simple fix but it sounds the exact same as what you have going on.

 

I figure I might have a short somewhere. Thats why I'm going to put that spare relay in my storage co. in the hatch just incase it trips out again.

 

I had this happen once on the 350 in my old Cutlass. I don't remember if the car ran rough or not, but I know it did not want to start. The car was a '77, so it didn't have a computer, so there were no codes to retrieve. I pulled the distributor and changed the pickup coil--solve the problem. I'm not sure if this is really what your problem is or not, but next time it does it, go under the hook and hit the distributor a couple of times while somebody else cranks it. I know this sounds crude, but it worked for me. There was a short in the pickup coil (not the coil on top) and hitting it must have completed the circuit. Oh yeah, and if you do it, don't shock yourself!

Eric

 

Well the odd thing about my problem is that is solved itself It runs just fine, pulled a fishtail just last night.

 

Yeah, that's what my car did too; it either ran great, or not at all. I'm guessing you're probably right that something is shorted out somewhere, because if there is something grounded, or a bad solder connection somewhere, or a kinked wire, these things can all be jostled enough to close the circuit and work again. I hope that your problem was just a fluke, but I wouldn't be surprised if it acts up again.

 

Yeah, the fun computers bring to our life.