luvmy88

Car is 1988 vert with 96K miles.
I can believe I did this... BUT... I was taking the codes using a wire in the ALDL connection and the......Started the car... with the wire still in.
Is the ECM toast?

gdgeorge

I don't think so... You have to have the ignition on to pull the codes. Does it still start?

Best,
Jerry

billschroeder5842

You are ok

luvmy88

It does start but is running terrible. So if it starts the ECM is not ruined?
The bad running condition is... I THINK??? from a bad Idle Air Control. I'm hearing a clicking sound coming from it.

aklim

Yep. The ECM is toast. You need a virgin sacrifice to restore it.

Exactly how are you describing "terrible"? Is it an unstable idle or misfiring or what? Was this condition before you toasted the ECM?

vader86

No it should be fine.

luvmy88

The car starts, then stumbles and quits... does not want to idle. I can keep it going with the peddle, but as soon as I stop nursing it, it quits.

Are you serious about the ECM... others are saying it's OK. But, I read earlier today that starting the car with the ALDL jumped would ruin it???

aklim

Yep. Send me the virgin and I'll sacrifice her. Better yet, I'd like a couple of ***** to set my nights on fire.

I doubt it would ruin it IN ALL SERIOUSNESS. You only did jumper A AND B, right? So when did this condition start? What were you doing with the ALDL? Do you have a scanner to see if the IAC is responding?

aklim

Are you SURE you didn't somehow break the timing advance wire or somehow moved things? I'd check timing and fuel pressure to begin with.

luvmy88

I have been getting a code 44 so I replaced the O2 sensor. But, I've also had this issue with SES light, Electric fan coming on when car is cold and car stumble. So I also replace the coolant temp sensor. Last night after replacing the O2 sensor, I tried to start it and it sounded like it never went into fast idle, slow idle, stumbled and quit.

I've noticed when jumping the ALDL the electric fan runs all the time, which I guess is normal, But I would occasionally hear a clicking sound. Last night it seemed to be worse... clicking a lot and spuratic, and the fan was going on and off. I think I tracked the clicking to the Idle Air Control valve.

I'm not sure where the timing advance wire is, but I would rule it out. There are several wires that come together at a ground near the O2 sensor.

aklim

IAC is a stepper motor so it might be trying to do something and it is somehow stuck and making clicking noises. Hard to say since I am not there but have to wonder. If you short out the ALDL, the motor extends to max. Do that and then SHUT THE CAR DOWN. TAKE THE KEY OUT. See if you can take the IAC out and see what it looks like. See if the pintle has broken off or whatever. It shouldn't click. Assuming you and I are talking about the same thing and same sound.

That is at the back of the distributor near the driver side so it is a possibility

luvmy88

Thanks for your help. Attached is a pic of TBI with arrow pointing to the area where the clicking is coming from. I could feel it pulsing as it made the sound.
I hope it attached, I'm pretty new to this forum.

FASTAZU

Try Pull the Negative battery cable so everything resets.

luvmy88

Thanks, but I did try that and did not fix.

JrRifleCoach

Whenever I reset the ECM. 1. Pull the battery cable. Neg-Pos cable doesn't matter. 2. Turn the ignition sw ON and move to start position. Hold for 5 seconds, turn off. 3. Reconnect battery cable. Move sw to ON and wait a few seconds b3fore attempting to start.

luvmy88

I unhooked Neg terminal on bat for about 15 minutes and reconnected. It seem to work... BUT it seems EVERY TIME I start the car it does something different. I have not tried turning and holding the ignition on though. I will give that a try.

luvmy88

Latest update...

Unhooked Neg bat terminal for about 15 minutes then reconnected and started.

Car started right up and idle fine, EXCEPT it was idled at 1100 rpm (like fast idle), but never slowed down. After idling for 2 to 3 minutes it hesitated, for maybe a second. It wasn't like it sputtered or chugged... like it just paused??? Then resumed idle for about another minute or two, did it again, but this time quit.

I waited a few minutes and restarted it. Same 1100 RPM idle and after another minute (approx) the electric fan in front of the radiator kicked on. I watched as the temp gauge rose quite quickly to 230 degrees.
BUT... the car had only been running for a couple minutes, maybe 6 to 8 minutes total and engine was barely warm, the radiator hoses were still cold. My unheated garage temp was only about 40 degrees. The headers where the only thing hot???

Note... I did all of this prior to seeing the suggestion to unhook terminal and then turn on and hold ignition to reset the ECM.

gdgeorge

I would pull the codes again. Then clear them and run the car like you have been, and pull them again. The cold radiator hoses sound like a thermostat issue. The hard starting / fast idle could be the Engine Coolant Temp Sensor. (This was the case on my '93 / LT1.) If you're getting multiple codes, you'll want to work through using the troubleshooting tables in the FSM so that you're not chasing things that are being affected by other things.

luvmy88

Thermostat is brand new, along with waterpump and coolant temp sensor. I don't think the hoses should be warm, the car was only running for a few minutes and it was only 40 degrees. But I was suprized to see the digital dash display a VERY RAPIDLY climbing temperature... went from 200 to 230 in the mater of 30 seconds. The coolant was definitely not 230 degrees. Even the EGR pipe, that is suppose to get so hot they wrap it in a heat shield, was only warm.

I did not check for codes because the SES did not come on.

aklim

That can be the issue. Check with the scanner to see what the ECM sees and hit the scanner with the infrared thermometer. If they don't agree, change the sensor