I had been driving my car fairly regularly (weekly), then let it sit ~week and a half and went to drive it again and it wouldn't start. CEL was flashing along along with a simultaneous clicking under the hood. After a bit it stopped flashing/clicking and started and I ran my errand.

Next day I went to run to a friend's house...same thing. Only this time when I got it started, I only got slightly down the street before the car died...a few minutes later it started again and I drove it back home and into the garage.

Since then I can not get it to start and run for any good length of time. If it does start, it can idle for a few minutes and then die. If it does start it will sometimes let me shut it back off and pull a code (33), sometimes it doesn't. If it is running and I give it a little gas it starts acting weird and sounds like it has a really big cam in it (which it does not).

The only engine mod I can see affecting this is possible the MSD 6A. But there is nothing recently changed.

I have not checked the fuel pressure, but it will start and rev, I would think this means the pressure is ok.

when the CEL is flashing, things making clicking noises are:
One of the relays on the firewall,
The charcoal canister,
one of the boxes in the mess of emission controls on the passenger side of the engine,
and whatever the sensor located under the coil is.

Thanks in advance for any ideas.

 

code 33

 

I did, it was about as helpful as your reply. A note on code 33 is that it may be casued by a rough idle, which I believe to be true in my case. Still I will probably give a new MAP sensor a try if no one else provides any other ideas.

 

CODE 33

 

Does all of that information also apply to a MAP setup? I should be grabbing a new sensor today after work to try that.

 

I'd be checking the resistance of the fuel injector coils. should be around 14-15 ohms, probably more like 12-13. Key is to look for one or more that are lower than the rest. I fixed a guys mint '90 vette with only like 17,000 miles on that acted the same way. Rough idle, if you could get it started, sounded like it had a big cam in it, then it would just shut off like you turned the key off. Also, trying to get data from the scan tool would cause the CEL light to flicker, relays to click, and purge solenoid to click. the low resistance of the injectors was causing the ecm to shut down. Also, the code 33 is probably a false code from it running so bad due to the injectors being shorted. I'd wait til you get it running right before addressing the code, if it even returns.

 

I don't mean to be the a-hole that just skimmed through the thread, but could it be a corroded battery terminal?

 

Killerolds: I actually suspect the same about the code 33 being a result. It was not there until after the car was running badly. I did ohm the injectors after it started this, they were in the 12-13 range if I remember correctly and within .1 of each other.

89Camaro: I doubt it because it turns over so strongly, but its definitely worth a check.

Unfortunately I am leaning towards it being something more expensive like the distributor or the ecm failing at this point.

 

Try the ignition module before the distributor. Way less expensive and it might work. Did on mine. Dont know if it will give you a code 33 but it sounds electrical to me as well

 

The ICM isn't that old (a few years), I replaced it when it was having heat issues. I will keep that thought though before doing the entire distributor.

 

Thanks for all the replies so far guys. Here are a coupe of videos of the problem.

First video, this is what happens when you turn the key on. Generally, if I let it sit 5-10 minutes the light will stop flashing and at that point it will start and I can attempt to pull codes.



Video 2, this is how it acts once it is running and you ask it to do anything but idle. If you do let it idle, it will still just dies after a few minutes. (watch my foot to see when I control the throttle - only the high revs)

 

I'm not ready to call it yet, but I think its my ECM. I have two different memcals (PROMs) and I went to swap them just to check (one is stock and one is tuned). I put the stock one in and turn the key on - regular normal check engine light, so I threw the distributor back together and the plug wires back on. I go to start it and light is flashing again.

So I pull it out and put the tuned one back in - the car fires right up with no problem, revs fine, no weird idle. Shut it off, started right back up again.

So, I am going to mess with it a bit tomorrow, but I am guessing there is a bad connection somewhere on the ECM board (probably to the memcal itself). I'll be sure to post final results.

In the meantime can anyone suggest what to clean the memcal contact pins with? Thanks.

 

Car is back to normal. Its either the memcal connection itself, or something near it is getting loose. Gonna drive the car for a bit with the ECM on the floorboard to see if it happens again.