87 No Start solved.
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 36
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From: Saginaw Michigan
87 No Start solved.
I am posting this in hopes that it will help others. I have an 87Corvette. I was getting code 34 so I picked up a burn off relay. I only got one because that is all Autozone had at the time. I replaced the relay that is closest to the outside of the car. Still got SES light.
I noticed that while driving the engine would drop down in rpm mementarily every once in a while. Then I went to 711 and when I came out it wouldn't start. It turned over but no start. After about 10 minutes it started.
When I got home I checked spark ,fuel pressure, ohmed injectos and anything else I could think of. Checked codes and got 34 and 36. I remembered that I had read on this forum that if you unplug the MAF sensor and the car runs better then you have a bad MAF sensor. I did this and the car started. Plugged it in again and the car wouldn't start. I went in and ordered a MAF sensor.
Just by chance I thought I would replace the other relay (farthest from the side of the car) with the old relay that I took out since they are the same part. The car started and ran perfect. No SES light since.
Needless to say I canceled the order for the MAF sensor.
I noticed that while driving the engine would drop down in rpm mementarily every once in a while. Then I went to 711 and when I came out it wouldn't start. It turned over but no start. After about 10 minutes it started.
When I got home I checked spark ,fuel pressure, ohmed injectos and anything else I could think of. Checked codes and got 34 and 36. I remembered that I had read on this forum that if you unplug the MAF sensor and the car runs better then you have a bad MAF sensor. I did this and the car started. Plugged it in again and the car wouldn't start. I went in and ordered a MAF sensor.
Just by chance I thought I would replace the other relay (farthest from the side of the car) with the old relay that I took out since they are the same part. The car started and ran perfect. No SES light since.
Needless to say I canceled the order for the MAF sensor.
Le Mans Master
Joined: Jan 2003
Posts: 5,858
Likes: 7
From: Santa Maria CA
This is interesting. Just today and the last few days, I've been getting intermittent code 34 but the car would still run fine.
Today the car would crank but not start in front of a Carquest but no engine light. I got a few "almost" catches. I sat there for about 5 minutes peridocially cranking this thing to no avail. Looked under the hood and saw nothing out of the ordinary and thought "f**k".
So I walked across the street to kill some time thinking I just lost the pickup coil. Cold not be VATS since it cranks. I came back about 10 minutes later. Started right up and did a few healthy revs before heading out. On the way home light came on, and pulled code 34. Drove the car the rest of the day, did not do it again.
Both MAF relays are supposed to be the same unit. So why would Autozone just have one?
Did you swap the old relay back to do a true back to back crank test?
Today the car would crank but not start in front of a Carquest but no engine light. I got a few "almost" catches. I sat there for about 5 minutes peridocially cranking this thing to no avail. Looked under the hood and saw nothing out of the ordinary and thought "f**k".
So I walked across the street to kill some time thinking I just lost the pickup coil. Cold not be VATS since it cranks. I came back about 10 minutes later. Started right up and did a few healthy revs before heading out. On the way home light came on, and pulled code 34. Drove the car the rest of the day, did not do it again.
Both MAF relays are supposed to be the same unit. So why would Autozone just have one?
Did you swap the old relay back to do a true back to back crank test?
Last edited by 86PACER; Sep 1, 2008 at 04:43 AM.
Pro
Joined: May 2006
Posts: 637
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This is interesting. Just today and the last few days, I've been getting intermittent code 34 but the car would still run fine.
Today the car would crank but not start in front of a Carquest but no engine light. I got a few "almost" catches. I sat there for about 5 minutes peridocially cranking this thing to no avail. Looked under the hood and saw nothing out of the ordinary and thought "f**k".
So I walked across the street to kill some time thinking I just lost the pickup coil. Cold not be VATS since it cranks. I came back about 10 minutes later. Started right up and did a few healthy revs before heading out. On the way home light came on, and pulled code 34. Drove the car the rest of the day, did not do it again.
Both MAF relays are supposed to be the same unit. So why would Autozone just have one?
Did you swap the old relay back to do a true back to back crank test?
Today the car would crank but not start in front of a Carquest but no engine light. I got a few "almost" catches. I sat there for about 5 minutes peridocially cranking this thing to no avail. Looked under the hood and saw nothing out of the ordinary and thought "f**k".
So I walked across the street to kill some time thinking I just lost the pickup coil. Cold not be VATS since it cranks. I came back about 10 minutes later. Started right up and did a few healthy revs before heading out. On the way home light came on, and pulled code 34. Drove the car the rest of the day, did not do it again.
Both MAF relays are supposed to be the same unit. So why would Autozone just have one?
Did you swap the old relay back to do a true back to back crank test?
Your SES light not coming on later indicates it´s intermittent and most of the time it´s electrical connections (relays that don´t sit tight or the small parts in the relay that start to bug each other).
I have a ´91 but you guy´s that have the MAF´s should probably have an extra relay with you when your out.
Don´t know how it is in the States, but where I come from (Netherlands) you must always carry a spare headlight bulb in case one breaks.
Maybe not a bad idea to have some spare parts with you on a long trip.
I know where this is going, why not have a trailer with spare parts with you on vacation...
Oh my god, that´s why we have the storage space behind the seats
Thread Starter
Intermediate
Joined: Apr 2005
Posts: 36
Likes: 0
From: Saginaw Michigan
This is interesting. Just today and the last few days, I've been getting intermittent code 34 but the car would still run fine.
Today the car would crank but not start in front of a Carquest but no engine light. I got a few "almost" catches. I sat there for about 5 minutes peridocially cranking this thing to no avail. Looked under the hood and saw nothing out of the ordinary and thought "f**k".
So I walked across the street to kill some time thinking I just lost the pickup coil. Cold not be VATS since it cranks. I came back about 10 minutes later. Started right up and did a few healthy revs before heading out. On the way home light came on, and pulled code 34. Drove the car the rest of the day, did not do it again.
Both MAF relays are supposed to be the same unit. So why would Autozone just have one?
Did you swap the old relay back to do a true back to back crank test?
Today the car would crank but not start in front of a Carquest but no engine light. I got a few "almost" catches. I sat there for about 5 minutes peridocially cranking this thing to no avail. Looked under the hood and saw nothing out of the ordinary and thought "f**k".
So I walked across the street to kill some time thinking I just lost the pickup coil. Cold not be VATS since it cranks. I came back about 10 minutes later. Started right up and did a few healthy revs before heading out. On the way home light came on, and pulled code 34. Drove the car the rest of the day, did not do it again.
Both MAF relays are supposed to be the same unit. So why would Autozone just have one?
Did you swap the old relay back to do a true back to back crank test?
Yes I did put the old relay back in and the car would not start.
What is most interesting to me is that with the bad relay installed and with the MAF sensor plugged in it would not start but when I unplugged the MAF sensor it started right up and ran fine. I did not drive the car in this condition though so I don't know how it would have driven.
One point I wanted to get across is that if you are stuck someplace with these symptoms it is easy and maybe benificial to pull the plug on the MAF sensor.
