Hello and thanks for any help!

I was given a 90 240 wagon by my sister & her hubby so I could start saving gas money. Almost 1 grand and only 50 miles later I am dying! The following is my tale of woe. If you have any ides (besides for C4) I would love to hear em. I was told to ignore the engine on light because its has been on since the day they bought it.

The symptons in no real order. Sometimes starts right up. Drives ok after warming up for 5 minutes. Sometimes wont start for days on end. Then will fire right up again. Right now with the cold when it does start it will stall out in 10 or so seconds. Restart and run for 20 seconds. Repeat to 30 seconds then 40, 40 again then I can start giving gas to try and keep it going till it finally warms up. Then engine light is on all the time - mostly (see other mentions)

If I drive it somewhere and turn it off there is a very good chance it wont restart. However I have driven it around enough to make sure it is warm come home and it starts up right away again. Has even started back up a dozen times in a row - only to be followed by not starting again for some period of time.

So far most of the work that has been done on it by the pros has been to stop major oil and tranny leaks. At both shops it always started right up for them. 1 place cleaned corrosion off the fuses.

Ran fine for 1 day after picking it up. Starting and restarting with ease. The engine light being on the whole time.

I was so happy when I found this site and read about taking the codes from the ECU(?).

So out to the garage (where it has sat since Monday not starting) I go with a bit of purpose in my step. Up goes the hood. Off comes the cover. Into hole 2 goes the probe. Press button for 1 second. Here comes the code. 1 flash a few seconds later 1 flash followed a few seconds by a last flash. This was the point my jaw hit the fender on its way to the floor.

Then I think well actually this isnt so bad - this has eliminated a nice handfull of possibilities. Onto hole # 6. I can feel it. I am really onto to somthing now - yea!

Codes are as follows. 1 flash wait 1 flash wait 1 flash. Ummmm NO that cant be right! wait for a minute for all the rest of the codes to appear. Nope, nada, zip. Press button again. 1-1-1. Time to kick a tire so I kick all 4.

Get into it, turn the key no starting happens. Growl & repeat. Swear and repeat. In my best growling yell I swear and repeat. Disconect the MAS wiring - still wont start. Reconect. Decide to punch the roof (just between the dome light and the windshield) repeat a few more times since I realize that my knuckles are going to hurt anyway. Give the evil eye to the key as I turn it.

It starts then dies. Starts and runs for a few seconds longer then dies. Repeat untill warm. Thats when I looked down and saw that the check engine light is off for the first time ever. So I cleaned my glasses and looked again. Sure enough no light. Start laughing. Not really a nice and healthy laugh but one more heard in hospitals where people are kept in nice white jackets that prevent their arms from moving.

Hey lets go check the codes and see. Nothing. Everything fine - yea right.

Try and restart. Take a guess here. It wont. Try codes and everything is fine. I think I know when I am being lied to.

Looking up I pause to wonder if there is a record for the number of words in 1 post....

This wagon has thrown the gauntlet down, slapped me in the face with a pair of gloves, double dog dared me, put a carot on a stick in front of me. Are you up to the challenge?

Again thanks
Les

 

You sure are a funny writer Les, you brought a smile to my face this early cold rainy morning...

I hate it you're having problems with the old wagon, my take on it is fuel, or lack thereof. No codes, starts sometimes, sometimes it doesn't, fuel is what I'm wagering my money on. When the car doesn't start can you hear the pump running? Mine wouldn't start after I put fuel into it the other day, so I listened for my pumps, nothing!! I fiddled around with the fuse for the fuel pumps in the fuse holder near the drivers kickpanel and lo and behold she started right back up and the pumps started running. If you're positive the pumps are running I would have a fuel pressure check done on it. Perhaps you have a blockage at your fuel filter, oron the sock that is located in the tank on the pickup tube. I would start with the easy stuff first though and thats to make sure your pumps are running with the key on. Let us know if they are and be sure to clean the fuse ends, or better yet change the fuse for the pumps then write back as to what you find.

Good luck and hang in there, I think this will be resolved quite easily Les.

Dale

 

The fuel pump fuse you're looking for should be the sixth one down from the top in the fuse panel on the drivers side kickpanel.

 

Also see if your car has a speed sensor located at the back on the engine.
It is a wire that runs from the firewall to the top of the transmission.
If you have one describe the condition of the outside sheilding.

 

Thanks for the replys.

I went out to turn the key and listen for the fuel pump to not kick on.

1 small problem - I left the key turned on last night... In a bit when there is some charge in the battery I will check for that.

I looked for the speed sensor and dont think I saw one. I saw a small bunch of wires (about 1/4" in dia) on the right side of the firewall but it disapeared while following the firewall back underneath.

Hopefully soon the battery will be charged enough to listen for the fuel pumps.

Till then at least Inside the NFL is on GO COLTS!

 

That is a picture of what the speed sensor looks like and is located.
The bottom of the picture is the Head.

 

Hello again.

I finally had a chance to go back out to the garage and take a look at this again.

I have to admit I was thinking of taking a Jamican Vodoo Witch Doctor with me. He was going to be waving a dead chicken around the car to excise the demons. When I found out that I could not eat the chicken afterwards but was going to have to bury it I decided not too. I am not one to waste any kind of food! (Although the thought of eating a now possessed evil chicken does not sound too good)

I checked all fuses and they are good. I cleaned the contacts of the fuses and the fuse holders. (Which makes me ask - is there some kind of conversion for these type of fuses? Like to spade fuses)

When I turned the key on I did not really hear anything. (In my Exploder I can hear the pump very easily so I assume I could hear the one in the old wagon. When I turned the key she started up. Stalled out and that is when I could just barely hear a bit of a buzzing for a half second. I repeated this a handfull of times and it was the same each time.

I bought a new fuel filter to install. The old one is very old looking. The floor was just too dang cold to get down there to change it out tonight.

 

I had the same problem when my high pressure fuel pump went south. After the car sat for 2 days, it primed and turned on for 1 second then it died out. Got it changed and the problem went away.

 

The intank pump might be bad.
Is there less than 1/4 tank of gas?
Also try pulling the Vaccum hose off the fuel pressure regulator and see if it starts.

 

Tech I forgot to add that there is a speed sensor and the cable looks fine. Just a bit of dirt on it but overall in good shape.

 

I bought a new fuel filter to put on and then decided I may as well replace the in tank filter & pump while I was at it. This is a pic of what I found. To me the unwound wires just dont look right. The blue wire was connected but pulled right off with no effort. The "cap" also doesnt look too good to me. Should I replace the wiring or can I just rewind it, do some soldering and be ok with it?

[IMG]local://upfiles/8500/A8760F88DB4B46FCB51EA2BF7C76A56F.jpg[/IMG]

[IMG]local://upfiles/8500/2B4BD9E0CAD54E9CADD67D976DE634CC.jpg[/IMG]

 

How much gas is in there?

 

Not quite 3/4's of a tank. Only a few weeks old right now.

 

The blue wire I believe is for the guage.
It has been a while since I changed one but if I remember correctly the wires are supposed to be coiled up in the black plug and the black plug should screw to the top of the pump with nuts to hold it.

 

It sure doesnt look right the was it is. I am sure I did some of that while pulling it out. The plug was not attached and got caught on the side of the hole. I am thinking I will try and find a new/used one to replace this plug. Somehow I dont think trying to wind the wires around a pen and stuff em back in will quite get the job done.

 

I don't think so either try to find a good one out of the junk yard and install your new pump.