car quits and only restarts when cold

A

asphudelson

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I have a 1990 SC with 110,000 miles on it and have started having a problem intermittently. Once in awhile, when warmed up, it will not restart if it is shut off. Also, it has quit while driving it a few times and won't restart until cold. I have taken the ignition module off and had it tested, even replaced it. Same problem. Is there an ignition module relay or ECM relay that might be a problem? I was thinking that it might be a fuel pump going bad too, but when it runs, it runs great...and that is most of the time...I can drive it for a couple hours without stop and no problem...then, without warning, it will either quit or won't restart when shut down..
 
It might be a bad cell or two in your battery. Happened to me last year. Battery tested fine. Also, check your connections at the starter. They are tin and sometimes get a bad contact when hot (heat expansion).
 
car quits and restarts when cold...

the starter works fine...always turns over. There are no lights or codes, either. Would a cam sensor be so intermittent like that? Sounds like that could be it though.
 
it very well could be the starter still. MY starter would work perfect when it was cold but after the car had been running a while it would heat soak the starter and it would not start until the starter had cooled down, I had to be towed home from the track once and as soon as I got home it fired right up.
 
V6Sprout said:
it very well could be the starter still. MY starter would work perfect when it was cold but after the car had been running a while it would heat soak the starter and it would not start until the starter had cooled down, I had to be towed home from the track once and as soon as I got home it fired right up.
Maybe a clarification should be noted here. I think the turning of the starter isn't the problem here. My gut tells me the starter turns fine but the motor won't run when it's hot. Is this correct? If it is then I'd start with the DIS module as your first course of action. Remove it and either recoat the mounting surfaces with heat sync compound or replace the module, or both.
 
but he says when the car is shut off it won't start again, he doesn't say it dies when it warms up, so it does run when its warmed up it just won't run again once stopped, could be something else other then starter of course.

Does the starter turn and the car just not start or does the starter not even turn? That shoudlclarify it a little more.
 
V6Sprout said:
but he says when the car is shut off it won't start again, he doesn't say it dies when it warms up, so it does run when its warmed up it just won't run again once stopped, could be something else other then starter of course.

Does the starter turn and the car just not start or does the starter not even turn? That shoudlclarify it a little more.
I think when he said, "then, without warning, it will either quit or won't restart when shut down.." says it has nothing to do with the starter..
 
asphudelson said:
without warning, it will either quit or won't restart when shut down..

Doesn't sound like a starter problem to me. I'm thining heatsink, although he said he had the DIS off and tested and put it back on.

Could be a bad crank sensor or cam sensor, but without any codes, it's a guessing game.
 
I've mentioned it few times on other threads, but I'll repeat))) I spent around 700 $ chaising the same problem years ago. Finally, I gave up and went to Ford, thinking that their mechanics should know my car better...wrong! I paid 112 dollars for diagnose which came clean - no codes. They advice me to change crank sensor, which I did and it didn't help. Then I start playing with DIS module, changed it, heat shield it with heat sink compound...nothing seemed to work...Then I bought a used cam sensor and desided to change it on my car to see if that was a problem. It solved my headaches. Not beliving the results I put the original back on and the problem came back...
I am not saying that you guys wrong and I am right. Just trying to help. Also, cam sensor is the cheapest and eisiest things to change on a SC! Why not to start with cam sensor!;)
 
Payton said:
I've mentioned it few times on other threads, but I'll repeat))) I spent around 700 $ chaising the same problem years ago. Finally, I gave up and went to Ford, thinking that their mechanics should know my car better...wrong! I paid 112 dollars for diagnose which came clean - no codes. They advice me to change crank sensor, which I did and it didn't help. Then I start playing with DIS module, changed it, heat shield it with heat sink compound...nothing seemed to work...Then I bought a used cam sensor and desided to change it on my car to see if that was a problem. It solved my headaches. Not beliving the results I put the original back on and the problem came back...
I am not saying that you guys wrong and I am right. Just trying to help. Also, cam sensor is the cheapest and eisiest things to change on a SC! Why not to start with cam sensor!;)
Here's another reason to keep a lot of spare parts haning around the garage. Since I now will have two of these, I think I'll be spending more time on ebay making sure I got more backup sensors.
 
rickbtbird said:
Here's another reason to keep a lot of spare parts haning around the garage. Since I now will have two of these, I think I'll be spending more time on ebay making sure I got more backup sensors.
Ha-ha, same here. I might have another SC in parts in my storage))))
 
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