WTF!!! Car won't run!

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Jul 31, 2003 | 06:55 PM

JJ 86

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Safety Car

Joined: Feb 2003

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From: Springfield MO

WTF!!! Car won't run!

While driving home from work i got caught in a bad rain storm. My vette started to run like $%$#% and i got a check engine light. It would barley hold an idle and when i turned it off and tried to restart it wouldn't run on its own (playing with the throttle it will run but when letting off it will die immediatley). I pulled the code and it was a code 31 which GM tells me is an egr code. This doesn't make any sense. The car will still run without the EGR because i've had it disconneted before and the car ran great. My first guess would be the IAC sensor or maybe the throttle position sensor. How would i go about checking these sensors and could that be the problem or could it be something else. SORRY for the long thread.

P.S. Early 86 w/ cast heads.

Any help would be extremely helpfull. THANKS!

[Modified by JJ 86, 11:56 PM 7/31/2003]

Jul 31, 2003 | 08:29 PM

Kens86

Instructor

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From: Orange Park Fl

Re: WTF!!! Car won't run! (JJ 86)

Any chance that you took water in at the air filter and are smothering the engine?

Aug 1, 2003 | 12:43 AM

Mike's 86

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From: Chicago Suburb Illinois

Re: WTF!!! Car won't run! (JJ 86)

I would check fuel presure also , possible the pump went out.........

Aug 1, 2003 | 01:24 AM

K87ZZ4

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From: Edmonds WA

Re: WTF!!! Car won't run! (JJ 86)

I don't know of a way to test the IAC valve to make sure it's working properly. It could be the IAC, considering it won't run on it's own at idle. If not that, it sounds suspiciously like the ECM.

Aug 1, 2003 | 04:49 AM

Ray Quayle

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Re: WTF!!! Car won't run! (JJ 86)

Is this code 31 a misprint? You got this from GM? Where? I'd be looking at a MAF code like a 33 or 34 caused by water ingest. Have you tried unplugging the MAF? IAC and TPS are likely possibilities too, but the code has me scratching my head. I've never heard of a 31.

Aug 1, 2003 | 11:44 AM

JJ 86

Thread Starter

Safety Car

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From: Springfield MO

Re: WTF!!! Car won't run! (Mike's 86)

Here's the strange part. I went out after letting it sit for a couple of hours then it fired right up an ran on its own power. I don't believe that water got into the engine because i pulled over as began to rain extremely hard. I first thought it would be the fuel pump but then when it started i decided to replace the fuel filter. Since then it starts up and runs fine :confused:

Aug 1, 2003 | 11:58 AM

vetracer

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From: Phoenix AZ

Re: WTF!!! Car won't run! (JJ 86)

Do you have any type of cold air induction on the car? The pickup is in front of the radiator and they can easily pick up rain water.

The other thing that is worth a look given the symptoms you are describing is the condition of the wires coming out of your MAF power and burnoff relays located behind the battery. I had similar intermittent problems with my '86 because battery acid had corroded the wiring and the insulation was gone near the connectors for these relays. This caused an intermittent MAF power relay short. I dumped thousands of dollars worth of parts into the car trying to fix it, and it wasn't until it got bad enough to set a code 34 that I finally looked at these relays and saw the obvious source of the problem. :banghead: