I have a problem

moore89

Registered User
Ok, my car has had a problem for the past month or so. It will startup and drive for a short distance then eather die while driving or not start up for a while after shutdown. When it dies while driving there is no hesitation or stumbling just straight flatline on the tach and the buzzer. When it wont startup after dying or shutting off it will crank and crank but won't start for a period of between 30 min to 2 hrs. I have recinetly put in new plugs and installed a new ignition control module but it has not changed at all. The car when running also has a low idle and sometimes won't idle and stalls. The car is a 1990 35th auto. with around 80k on the clock and 1 week old headgaskets.
 
My first inclination is the crank position sensor failing. Associated with this is a harmonic balancer failing or broken. Check while engine running to see if the hb is running true without any wobble. Check that the center bolt holding the hb on the crankshaft shout is there and not broken. A failing ignition switch can cause engine shutdown also. There are several other possibilities so it would be a time and money saver to check for codes before throwing parts at it. Good luck, John
 
I have access to a few snap-on and tech scan tools no codes becides an IAC have been thrown and that code is now gone. A few have told me it is likely to be tha fuel pump, could that be it? I bought a new fuel pump anyway because I think the stocker is still in there and it might be a good idea to replace anway. And thnkyou for the hb idea I'll check that today.
 
I looked at the harmonic balancer and It looks like it's still on there good and tight. All the pullise look like they have a little shake to them but I believe that is an illusion from the rough idle. I felt for bolts and felt one large one in the center and four smaller ones surrounding it.
 
Crankshaft position sensor. It won't give you a code when it fails. It causes hard start when warm and causes intermittent stalling.
 
Is there anyway to test the sensor? I just took a look at it from underneath the car and it doesn't seem to have much to it. I also called around to some local shops and those little things are expensive and it'll take a week to get one.
 
I lust got the protective cover for the CPS completely off and found that I can shift the harmonic balancer forward and back very slightly with a screwdriver. (just to be sure the HB is the piece with the rim and teeth that the CPS sits behind).
 
$500? holy crap. Is that to have it done or to do it myself? Because If I can save come money I'll do it myself.
 
moore89 said:
$500? holy crap. Is that to have it done or to do it myself? Because If I can save come money I'll do it myself.
Unfortunately, the HB itself is the pricey thing. You can get a new Ford balancer which can be used 1 time, or you can get the nicer BHJ for more but it can be reused. It woudl be best to do a forum search on "BHJ balancer" and read up on the topic.
 
How can I check and make sure the balancer is actually bad? If I pull off the pulley wil I be Able to get a good look at it?
 
I dont know if this is a possibility, but it may be. I had an '88 Rx-7 Turbo II a while back that I thought would be a fun car to take to the track and dog the heck out of it (being a true domestic fan, thought it would be fun to see how much it could take before it broke, and it wouldnt matter) but anyway the car had a problem, if you cut it off after it was hot, it wouldnt start up for like an hour, it would just crank and crank. I heard that those cars had a problem with leaky injectors and that was the problem it was flooding. Might but something to check into on your car.
 
moore89 said:
How can I check and make sure the balancer is actually bad? If I pull off the pulley wil I be Able to get a good look at it?
Check to see if the HB main bolt is missing. Its in the center of the HB, not the pulley bolts. I'm fairly sure yours is gone if you can move it.
 
The bolt is still there, When I say I can move it I can move the ring around the balancer a slight amount with the tip of a screwdriver only like wiggling it a little.
 
I believe the BHJ is cheaper than the ford balancer. How do you know its bad? If you take it off, replace it.

I don't have any play in mine, I noticed a friends SC had some slight play in his balancer but so far the car is fine. This was noticed about a year and a half ago.

Its not hard to change the balancer, its about a 25 minute job. Very easy to do. Its easier to change the crank sensor with the balancer off, but you need to adjust the gap with the balancer on. I was able to change the sensor with the balancer on the car, I had to get a special set of wrenches. They are 5.5mm angled wrenches, Sears was the only place that had them. Made by craftsman, they are called ignition wrench set.

When you change the sensor, you have to turn the balancer (2 ft. breaker bar, 6" ext, 22mm socket) to get the sensor to come out from the ring. Then you need to adjust the gap between the ring and the sensor, so you have to spin the balancer slowly and check for clearance before you tighten the sensor down for the final adjustment.

Its still not hard to do if you get the plastic covers off. I left them off my car.
 
Ignition wrenches by craftsman, cool I work at the Sears Auto center and can get good deals on house brand tools. I'm not sure if the balancer is actually bad when I looked at it it was like 3 am. I hope it's not bad and I can just replace the CPS but if it is bad then Oh well, I'll just get a BJS balancer.
 
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