hey

i have a 96 eclipse rs 5sp that hasnt been cooperating as of late... recently it has been hesitating (massively) while driving for around 30 minutes at highway speed. i figured i had a spark problem of some kind, so i replaced my plugs, wires, and coil.

the problem seemed to go away for a while, but came back a few days later. Once the car stalls, i have to park for a few minutes, and then it starts right back up...

the other day when i went to pull my car out of the garage to get a friends s10 in there for an oil change and basic tune-up, the car started, sputtered a bit, and then shut off.

It did this 3 more times in a row. I was frustrated, so I unplugged both terminals on the battery to be sure the ecu would be reset, and called it a day after working on the s10.

Came back the next day. Put the cables back on the battery. Tried starting 5 more times, the first two a few seconds apart, the last three a minute apart each... still starts, sputters, shuts off. Checked the plugs... not fouled at all... checked the oil... no water in it... had a friend check the wires while cranking the motor... definitely getting sufficient spark.

Today I went out to the garage, she fired right up. Best idle i ever saw out of her too... a near perfect 900 rpm... drove her around the block... not a problem at all... parked in the garage, left it idle in neutral, then revved it up to 7000. No problems here... acting like a brand new 420a...

i shut it off, started right back up three times in a row... no hesitation, perfect idle, etc...

i came back to it five minutes later... stutter and stall again... came back 1 hour later... same thing... stalls right out...

the last time i tried, it started to stall again, and i just kept pumping the gas pedal, and it finally started idling fine again... revved up to the red again fine too...

Nothing changed this entire time with the exception of me unplugging the battery... no ecu error codes or anything...

So I'm hoping this is a fuel problem? I bought a new filter, which I will be installing later tonight... Any ideas anyone?

What spark plugs/wires did you buy?

Are all your hoses connected? Did you look for problems near the throttle body?

I had a similar problem and found that my hose from the intake manifold to the VC came off somehow.

the only hoses i saw from the valve cover were the one going to the pcv and the one that goes to the air intake. am i overlooking any? ive been over the thing a million times and noticed nothing out of place, made no changes, nothing... and what gets me is that it's not throwing any codes out at all... my CEL used to look for reasons to go on. if there was a code for "hey, you need new wiper blades" the thing wouldve used it. but now when i need it... :-/

i went out this morning and it wont start at all again... :-/ i dont want to give in and take it to a local garage, but im running out of time here...

thanks for the help.

Originally posted by conflictxinside
the only hoses i saw from the valve cover were the one going to the pcv and the one that goes to the air intake.

I wonder if your IAC is shot. Disconnect it and see how the car runs. I've never done this, but I would suspect that, a faulty IAC that's sticking or something like that could contribute. It does control idle, after all. If you pull it and got consisten results, you might be able to consider it a suspect.

Also, check the wire harness along the side of the head for any damage. Very common to see people posting about similar issues due to the CMP shorting out. Pay special attention along the EGR pipe. Hot metal plus plastic insulation equals not good.

Finally, double check all your vacuum lines coming off the intake manifold. Make sure they're all in tact.

Originally posted by DR1665
Very common to see people posting about similar issues due to the CMP shorting out. Pay special attention along the EGR pipe. Hot metal plus plastic insulation equals not good. Finally, double check all your vacuum lines coming off the intake manifold. Make sure they're all in tact.

i also changed my fuel filter today and it ran like new for almost an hour at idle, even when i revved it up again. came back three hours later again, sure enough, stalls right out. only now im getting the basic CEL flashing code 11, which points to crank angle sensor or ecu problem i believe...

and i cant find a new ecu anywhere...

come to think of it, my cam sensor is leaking oil from it, as the gasket is toasted... maybe this has something to do with it too?

yes does the cam sensor leaking oil have to do with it stalling out, as mine leaks as well.

Originally posted by DR1665

Originally posted by conflictxinside the only hoses i saw from the valve cover were the one going to the pcv and the one that goes to the air intake.

I wonder if your IAC is shot. Disconnect it and see how the car runs. I've never done this, but I would suspect that, a faulty IAC that's sticking or something like that could contribute. It does control idle, after all. If you pull it and got consisten results, you might be able to consider it a suspect. Also, check the wire harness along the side of the head for any damage. Very common to see people posting about similar issues due to the CMP shorting out. Pay special attention along the EGR pipe. Hot metal plus plastic insulation equals not good. Finally, double check all your vacuum lines coming off the intake manifold. Make sure they're all in tact.

I've been experiencing a similar issue with my 1995 Talon ESI, but intermittently. If I start it up from a cold start, it will almost stall then rev up and idle normally. The only time this happens is from a cold start and it won't do it for the rest of the day, even at the end of the day when I go home from work. On other days, it will start up normally with no hesitation or stalling.
Today, I drove the car to work and it started up fine.
I think it may be the IAC which is causing this, but (sorry for the newbieness) I'm not sure where it is located.
If anybody could help me pinpoint the IAC location, I'd appreciate it.
Thanks!

Originally posted by jt14894

Originally posted by DR1665

Originally posted by conflictxinside the only hoses i saw from the valve cover were the one going to the pcv and the one that goes to the air intake.

I wonder if your IAC is shot. Disconnect it and see how the car runs. I've never done this, but I would suspect that, a faulty IAC that's sticking or something like that could contribute. It does control idle, after all. If you pull it and got consisten results, you might be able to consider it a suspect. Also, check the wire harness along the side of the head for any damage. Very common to see people posting about similar issues due to the CMP shorting out. Pay special attention along the EGR pipe. Hot metal plus plastic insulation equals not good. Finally, double check all your vacuum lines coming off the intake manifold. Make sure they're all in tact.

I've been experiencing a similar issue with my 1995 Talon ESI, but intermittently. If I start it up from a cold start, it will almost stall then rev up and idle normally. The only time this happens is from a cold start and it won't do it for the rest of the day, even at the end of the day when I go home from work. On other days, it will start up normally with no hesitation or stalling. Today, I drove the car to work and it started up fine. I think it may be the IAC which is causing this, but (sorry for the newbieness) I'm not sure where it is located. If anybody could help me pinpoint the IAC location, I'd appreciate it. Thanks!

The IAC is on the throttle body it’s towards the firewall. It’s a cylinder shaped black thing (technical term) lol. I would try cleaning it b4 getting a new IAC. All you need is some carb cleaner. Pull the IAC out of the throttle body and spry it down real good and wipe it off plug it back in and try it you’ll have to take the throttle body off to do this. I hope this helps.

So after the new fuel filter was installed, the car ran beautifully again, so I thought I had solved my problem. Later that night, as previously stated, the car wouldnt start again, giving the flashing CEL code of 11 (crankle angle sensor or ecu problem).

This morning, the car started perfectly... so i took it for a drive to run a few local errands... no problems. Took it for an hour drive with no problems whatsoever. On the way home from this drive, the car started to do something I'm going to refer to as a hiccup. The rpms dropped down to almost zero and then came back up to where the rpms had been before, while cruising in 4th. It eventually did it so much that the engine stalled... and wouldnt start again... i sat there for a few minutes, and then it started right back up and drove home again like nothing had happened...

I'm going to order a new CAS tomorrow and put it in the next day... (seeing as how the ECU uses what the CAS reports to decide how to control the timing, fuel, and rpms, you know, nothing majorly important ;-) ) if i still have the problems... new ecu... i'll let everyone know how this goes... someone has to have this same problem at some point?

ok, so after the fuel filter and pcv replacement, i no longer have problems starting the car. Starts and idles beautifully. However, after driving for around an hour or so, the problems start and the motor stalls...

And I'm getting frustrated. I can't find a new ECU for this thing anywhere... anyone know where i can get one? ebay doesnt have one to match, nor do the local junkyards...

I know many guys get a new ECU from the dealer, but if you want check out car-part.com It's a national search of junkyards, and some of them ship. (this does, of course, involve some risk). It does sound like the cam or crank sensor(s). You might also when you're replacing them check for the continuity of the wire from the sensor to the ecu (wiggle the wire while you test the continuity to make sure the wire is intact). If you live near any other 2gnt's, you could drop another ECU in to see if it works for an extended period of time so you don't drop a lot of money into something that wasn't the original problem. Try the sensors first.

The other possiblity is with fuel. You said you had a new filter in there, maybe there's crap in the tank (easy to check) or a fuel pump going bad. Although, it's so intermittent, I would check the sensors first.


Good luck, and let us know what you find.

Brian

Back when I bought my car brand new (Dec of 98), I had this problem after only two weeks. The dealer had it for almost a month. They replaced the fuel relay...nothing, the ECU...nothing, cam position sensor...nothing, ended up being the crank angle sensor. While up on the lift while the car was running, they wiggled the sensor and the car would die. They replace the sensor and the problem never came back again. Hope this helps.

Originally posted by conflictxinside
ok, so after the fuel filter and pcv replacement, i no longer have problems starting the car. Starts and idles beautifully. However, after driving for around an hour or so, the problems start and the motor stalls... And I'm getting frustrated. I can't find a new ECU for this thing anywhere... anyone know where i can get one? ebay doesnt have one to match, nor do the local junkyards...

Any luck with your hesitation issue? I am having the same problem but can't find the cause. I tried the crank sensor, but that was not it.

Sigh, I have the same problem, I even rebuilded the engine. And worst thin i still love the car....

Btw : this hell started when my battery shorted with my engine hood , and the ground wire between the body and the intake got on fire.

My PCM died that day :(, but i got a new one inside

Originally posted by C L U T C H
Sigh, I have the same problem, I even rebuilded the engine. And worst thin i still love the car.... Btw : this hell started when my battery shorted with my engine hood , and the ground wire between the body and the intake got on fire. My PCM died that day :(, but i got a new one inside

OK, stupid question, when you say PCM are you referring to what I would call the ECU? Where did you get a new one and how much did you spend on it. I am so tired of fighting this issue.

Hey man... check your MAP sensor. What you are describing sounds EXACTLY like my first issue with the 420A. Took me forever to trace in down, but it was a faulty MAP sensor. It wouldn't stall all the time, just randomly. The RPMs would drop to zero for a second, then right back up to where it was. Check it out.

when you say the car wont star up will it start if you give it gas? cause I had a similar problem and a new computer fixed all.

Originally posted by dougie2
Hey man... check your MAP sensor. What you are describing sounds EXACTLY like my first issue with the 420A. Took me forever to trace in down, but it was a faulty MAP sensor. It wouldn't stall all the time, just randomly. The RPMs would drop to zero for a second, then right back up to where it was. Check it out.

Doug, you are the man! The MAP sensor did the trick. My car is running as good as it aver has now that is has been replaced. When I pulled it out, it was full of grime. So I pulled off my intake and cleaned out the whole deal. I put on an EGR block-off plate to keep more gunk from getting into the intake.

Awesome. Good to see this antique thread finally came up with some results for someone. :thumbsup