Broke down - Need help troubleshoot - ECM?

[jsta6]

Car broke down.

Cranks, has power, has fuel pressure. Sometimes it starts, sometimes it doesn't. When it does start, it sputters and I can smell what seems to be like a bunch of excess fuel is being added, (limp home mode or ECM is freaked out) then it stalls. I have a turbotweak chip.

I think it is the ECM...how can I be sure...???

Sometimes I forget that I have a USB cable plugged in to the powerlogger board in the ECM, and once in a while one of my children will accidentally kick the cable.

So, the ECM would freak out, and I would just wiggle and jiggle the ECM cables and the powerlogger board, and the problem would go away. This has happened a zillion times, the ECM is pretty resilient.

The powerlogger board and ECM cables are nice and snug. Nothing seems broken. I didn't try to remove the powerlogger board to see if that fixes the problem, but I guess I should try it.

How can I be sure that it is the ECM? Is my only option to swap with a known good ECM?

TIA.

 

[whitehot1]

I would try removing the powerlogger board. I have read it can cause problems.

This has happened a zillion times, the ECM is pretty resilient.

Maybe the 1 extra time added to the zillion is what did it.

Good luck and keep us informed.

 

[jsta6]

Thank you.

I will do that...

 

[whitehot1]

Here is Casper's electronics # 970 776 8740 in case you need to talk about the testing of the ecm.

 

[jsta6]

ty

 

[TurboBob]

check engine light do the on off on thing at power on?

do you have any data (scanmaster or powerlogger)

try unplugging the MAF and see if it runs different/better.

what size injectors?

fuel pressure?

Bob

 

[jsta6]

Thanks Bob.

Sorry, I forgot to put that in there:

check engine light do the on off on thing at power on?
==yes sir. The CEL comes on, goes off for 1/2 second, then back on again. Whenever I have had an ECM problem in the past, the CEL would flash off/on very quickly. It is not doing that this time.

do you have any data (scanmaster or powerlogger)
==I didn't have my laptop, but I will bring it over when I go back in a couple of hours.

try unplugging the MAF and see if it runs different/better.
==OK.

what size injectors?
==60's.

fuel pressure?
==just what was there when I turned the car off. I turned the car off for maybe 5 minutes, the problem started when I tried to start it back up...I don't hear the pump running...but that may not mean anything because it smelled pig rich when I was trying to start it...I may just have not been paying close enough attention to it...I have a hot wire kit and I can force it on as a test, if need be...

 

[TurboDave]

Pull the cam sensor cap. Try rotating the internals by hand. If you can rotate them, you found your problem.

 

[jsta6]

Pull the cam sensor cap. Try rotating the internals by hand. If you can rotate them, you found your problem.

Maybe...I have Caspers cam sensor bypass thingy....

 

[jsta6]

Thanks again, guys.

I couldn't check this out last night...but I will be looking at it later today.

 

[jsta6]

Sorry for the long delay...

...My ECM called, it wants me to stop blaming it for everything...

The problem was the fuse for the fuel pump hot wire kit.

I couldn't find anything wrong, so I just replaced the fuse. It didn't get hot or blow, so I am OK to go.

I did have a problem for several days with tan fuel pump trigger wire. I had to jumper my fuel pump hot wire relay to get going. Perhaps the relay is starting to die...???

 

[turbojd]

If it happens again, leave the fuel pump hot wire disconnected and hook it back up to "stock" l with the factory wires and see how it runs.
I had a few "hot wire relays" go bad. But every time it happened to me the fuel pump just wouldn't prime,

 

[87GNSteve]

Faulty in-tank wiring can cause that fuse to blow as well as be an intermittent problem.

 

[jsta6]

If it happens again, leave the fuel pump hot wire disconnected and hook it back up to "stock" l with the factory wires and see how it runs.
I had a few "hot wire relays" go bad. But every time it happened to me the fuel pump just wouldn't prime,

I got two new 40 amp Hella relays...

I have had problems recently. But the multimeter points to the factory fuel pump relay...I have an old one in my shed I can try.

Thanks.

 

[jsta6]

Faulty in-tank wiring can cause that fuse to blow as well as be an intermittent problem.

Thanks.