My WTF thread?! Help?

[vdubCorrado]

So from the beginning because my last thread title was not relevant...

So one day I was driving around I695 and it was running flawlessly as it always had til this point. I got off of an exit to meet a friend and it was drastically misfiring. I drove it 4 blocks to park it and get it towed back. I replaced the coil pack and it got better but it wasn't right.

So I took the car for a very short ride and the car was doing well under light driving, no misses. Then out of no where it started bogging and cut out. On the side of the road I tried to start it 3 times where it started on the 3rd and I drove it home...

Now after this I only got a code for ESS. I cleared, started up again and and rechecked. I got the ESS sensor code again. Cleared.

Now today I rechecked all of my plugs gap and put them and wires back on.

Then I took a multimeter to the ECU to check pin outs for a bad ground. All of my grounds were good except one ...pin 33 ground for all of the sensors. I wasn't sure if the ECU acts as a relay even though the others have good constant ground. I put it back together and decided to try running it for the hell of it.

The car ran flawlessly! I drove it around the block and no issues what so ever...

I go to take the car to a local get together and it started but had no power, it took a lot to attempt to rev it up. I was trying to see if it was loaded up or something wrong... I noticed at idle when warmed up the fan wasn't running. I got it to rev up and the fan started going, then slowed as it fought to stay running.

So I thought, power issue... Alternator was dying maybe? So I got my Corrado Emergency Response Vehicle A.K.A. Dodge Ram and put the jumper cables on it... No difference.

I can only let the car sit about a week to week and a half before the battery dies from a drain. So I once heard a bad battery can cause issues with the electronics in a rado. Though I heard this years ago. Never had a bad battery in any of my rado's. My other concern is the battery was brand new but ran dead several times which is hard on a battery.

Anyways this is what it is doing now... Not starting

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Igbf8...e_gdata_player


Sent from my iPad

[chc-rado]

Ok, you have OBD1 coil pack setup. Engine speed fault will appear with koeo. Next time this happens, check you have spark and possible check for fuel injector signal. No spark or injector pulse more related to engine crack sensor, also possible check the terminals on ECM harness there on oil in the connector. You may want check fuel pressure too. Don't replace parts yet once you verify your issue. In rare cases I have seen oil pressure being too high causing car not start, do to pressure relief valve stuck closed, oil will be beyond 6 bar. Keeping the valves open from the lifters. But that just rare case. Also disconnect round tub connector and clean the contacts too. Sound like fuel or spark issue.

[vdubCorrado]

pressure relief valve... Bentley says it's in the lower pump cover? my issue is partly that this engine sat for about a year before i put it into this car... if i can sort all of this crap out i'm going to rebuild... if not i'm going to part. would like to have the car though so hopefully it doesn't blow before i figure it out.

[vdubCorrado]

no other ideas?

[g6raddo]

Man it's definitely electrical and most likely a ground somewhere if it was fuel it wouldn't just shut down unless it was power to a fuel rail or pump check all your connections clean out and check for power and ground in everything you have to find it there I'll keep posted

[vdubCorrado]

Yeh, but I don't have ground to Pin 33.

Sensors Ground (Knock, Coolant, Throttle, Exhaust Gas Temp, Intake Air Temp, RPM, Manifold Pressure, Acceleration Sensors)

As per http://www.a2resource.com/electrical...nicvr6aba.html

So does the ECU interrupt and divert ground acting as a relay or should I reground that pin out?

Yesterday the ECU told me my O2 sensor was bad, which is also brand new

[g60racer]

Check the ground on the driver side of the cylinder head that connects by the water flange. It provides ground to several electronic systems. If it's loose, corroded, dirty, etc - it causes all sorts of intermittent gremlins.

Removing, cleaning, and re-securing all grounds is good preventative maintenance. Just the act of loosening and retightening them makes a good connection point.

[vdubCorrado]

I had not thought of that and i had replaced the thermostat and O rings. I would imaging that's where this ground goes to. I'll have to check in the morning

[vdubCorrado]

i hadn't had much time with the sun going down. but i pulled the coil pack for a better look.

there is no ground wire by the water temp sensor housing/thermostat housing. i was thinking of G60 when i said that slipped my mind. is a VR6 supposed to have one?

[chc-rado]

i hadn't had much time with the sun going down. but i pulled the coil pack for a better look.

there is no ground wire by the water temp sensor housing/thermostat housing. i was thinking of G60 when i said that slipped my mind. is a VR6 supposed to have one?

There is ground on the back of cylinder head, near the aux water pump, it should be brown-with green tracer.

[vdubCorrado]

you mean the one that bolts to the head and intake manifold that has 3 grounds on it? i checked the bolt heads to battery and the grounds checked out good but i can try scraping them up with a wire brush... in the morning i am gonna have to do a lot of metering around.

[g6raddo]

Ok I've exp some alterations with this option some of these vr6 motors have the ground and some do not, I'm not sure if it has anything to do with the difference between obd1 and obd2 but on certain motors and I believe the dizzy motors have a ground strap from the coil to the back of the bracket that mounts the aux water pump, however in your case you have a coil pack therefore I'm not sure that this would require one try grounding pin 33! The worst that could happen is a blown fuse and it seems you have exhausted all
Your resources at this point

[FlatlanderSJ]

try and clean the battery terminals and make sure they're getting good contact. If not the terminal will get hot and also cause a battery drain.

[vdubCorrado]

Well I went to reground pin 33 since it is not grounding... That's what I found when I pulled the rubber covering back. A blue wire, white wire and the brown wire it was supposed to be grounded

I went to my extra hacked harness and cut off a bunch of that covering and there are multiple wires spliced together. I'm about to just ground it, I just don't want to melt my whole harness

[g6raddo]

Check for 12 v first if it's hot then yes it will **** some **** up but if not then yes ground it

[vdubCorrado]

I was going to check 12v at the ECU pin out but they're jumpers, they never go back into the ECU plug. I also don't have one of those handy wire punches for those 2... I guess I can check pin 33 for 12v but it ornate supposed to ground. Ahh the fun. Will look at it tonight some more I guess...

Also, I did clean the terminals on both sides. Car side was dirty but was working apparently. Thanks for the suggestion though since I considered a bad battery too...

[vdubCorrado]

what i did today...

grounded pin 33 - caused none of the sensors to work and i clearly lost progress...

pulled the fuel pump wiring at the fuse box and the fuse pump. then tested for 12v and grounds which are good.

the fuel pump primes and pumps while cranking.

i am getting spark

i checked where pin 33 goes to. 4 grounds through the round plug. ground for the knock sensor and ground for the O2 sensor. it appears the ECU acts as a relay for these.

i checked continuity for the above listed wires. all circuits checked out good.

I checked the ignition relay and that ckecked out good. as well as i tested the fuel pump relay also good. car has a new OEM ECU relay...

...so what i feel i am left with is...

-bad ECU
-low fuel pressure
-bad crank position sensor (since i didn't replace with OEM)
-oil pressure relief valve is stuck shut in the oil pump and the lifters are pumping up too much causing valve float (recently had new issues with oil pressure light. no bottom end noise but has lifter noise but would lose the light after the car reached operating temp. seems like possibly a bad oil pump?)