car will not start after warm up

cstemm

Registered User
The car runs well, but yesterday after a drive, I shut the car off, after a few minutes, it would not start back up, and it did not have a spark. then after about ten more min it started right up, so i parked it, and then tried to start it again, and it would not. Any help. it is an 89. thanks chris
 
Have you read for codes yet? Could be the crank sensor went intermittent but then you would have no spark and even though your first post mentions no spark your second one says you have spark so it is hard to say.
 
Not sure about your codes, but my buddy and I fought a similar problem on his '91. Turned out that if certain sensors go bad, it will throw the computer into "failure mode". What this will do is allow the car to be started and taken to a service station. (supposedly) His would start first thing after sitting several hours, but would not stay running long. Once it died, it wouldn't start again for several hours. His problem turned out being one of the temp sensors. I don't have my book handy, otherwise I'd help you out with the codes. If you haven't figured them out by tomorrow.. I'll go look it up for ya.

Jake
 
been there

This happened to me last year. It turned out to be the coolant temperature sensor. When the sensor goes bad, it tells the computer that the car is stone cold. So when it IS cold that's fine and it starts and runs, then when the car warms up, the computer is still dumping in fuel like it was cold and that makes it run rich which makes it run hot and crappy. Then if you shut it down while it's hot and try to start it again, it's flooded out and won't start. You have to wait till the plugs dry off and the engine cools off before it will start. After a new sensor, it was cured.
 
yeah. I got code 21o ECT out of test range. the outside temp was 35 degrees

As soon as I started the car the car and it warmed up the code went away. In your case it is a code 51c ect exceeds test maxium
 
i changed the sensor, still the same problem. i have tried cleaning the contacts, but i have not had a chance to let the car run and then shut off and start again.
 
seems like the cooling fan is always running and the radiator does not get hot untill after the car is shut off.
 
cstemm

Which coolant sensor did you replace, there are two of them? One is for sending a signal to the gauge on the dash located near the thermostat housing. The other one sends signals to your computer.
 
Code 54 is for the Air charge Temp sensor which is located in the return plenum. A code 54 says input is max out of range but I've unplugged this sensor before and the car has run ok. Unplug this one and see if the problem goes away. The check engine light will stay on as long as the sensor is unplugged.
As for the Coolant Temp Sensor, make sure the one you replaced is the one to the left of the thermostat neck. It actually sits in the lower manifold heater hose port. That's the one that sends info to the computer. You can also unplug that one and see if the problem goes away, BUT the fan will stay on all the time. When the computer loses input from coolant temp, it defaults to fans on all the time for safety. If the fans run all the time now, I'd suspect either that sensor is already bad(if you didn't change the right one).
 
I replaced the one on the intake manifold, but i think that i put my thermostat in backward, or maybe I had the wrong one? Which way does the t-stat go in? Hoping to get this thing running well tomorrow. Thanks guys for all the help. the bird would not run with out it!
 
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