During our moved from Denver to Indiana, car hauler loaded my car and delivered it. I started it and drove it down the car hauler ramps. Shut it off and inspected car for any damage hauler might have caused. Car was actually loaded into a standard moving van from the car hauler. I drove it onto the hauler in Colorado and off the hauler in Indiana.

Car started in Indiana and I basically just coasted down the ramp and shut it off. Later when I went to pull it into my new garage, it started, but ran poorly. Got it in the garage-no codes. Next day car will not start. Acts like it is out of gas, but tank is full. Car tries to idle at about 350 rpm and will only catch briefly if I stay completely off the gas. Rapid pumping of the pedal after cranking will allow it to run, but cough and pop. This is a head/cam car with 425 RWHP tuned in Denver air at 5200 Ft. Figured it was just too lean in good air and that car was in a VE area that was too far off to allow it to run and get into closed loop where it might have "learned" to run. Sent ECM off to tuner who felt likewise. Richened up the program with LS1 edit and returned. Still no start and no codes. What could cause this but not set a code?

I suspect ECM itself went bad.....MAF is shot....or fuel pump which I can hear start is bad....Maybe car hauler straps ripped a wire off???
No SES is freaking me out though. If I pull wires off MAF, car will start and idle, but like crap and reduced power light comes on. It will idle tho- plug MAF back in while idling and idle does not change much.

Here's the kicker... Every once in a while after setting the car will start and idle fine, but it has zero power. If you let out the clutch it will die immediately and then not start again. I need help!

Sorry for the long post, but I'm sick and don't want to have to tow the car to a dealer as I will lose my tuning. I'm in Valparaiso, In. Any help very appreciated.

Bill
Valparaiso, In 1 hr east of CHGO.

 

Hi,


First thing you need to see is your problem a fire or fuel problem.

To test for spark just pull off a wire and crank, do this to a couple of wires as you know each has their own spark source and 1 good spark does not = 8 good sparks. If that is bad then start back tracing. 1 bad spark = maybe coil, all bad spark = other problems.

Fuel easy thing to do is spray some carb cleaner in the throttle body and crank. If it fires up and you can rev it, until it runs out again, then you know it is fuel. f that is it then start by checking the fuse and then relay. If that checks out then go back to the fuel pump and check the wire harness and fuel lines. If they are good then you will probable need a new fuel pump.

Write back and tell me what more you find. I am thinking it is fuel based, but hard to say right now.

 

I think your car is rebelling at you for leaving a great city and state like Denver for Indiana.......really I had a bad plug that did something very similar so I agree with the check the wires/coils/plugs etc. Good luck.

 

HAH! You sound like my wife {;-O

Hard to believe one bad plug or wire would keep it from starting. I'll try anything! Go BEARS

 

Checked Fuel pressure....55PSI with key to "on" drops to 20 immediately after car catches and car dies. Jacked up rear of car and crawled around looking for problem. Tried car again and now car has 55 PSI FP steady. Lower car to ground and as I lower it the Fuel pressure again drops to 20 and car dies. Obviousely I checked gas level at 1/2 tank so is one tank empty and that is the tank with the good pump and the full tank has a bad pump? I dunno how it went bad on a car hauler. Wonder how hard they are to change?

Bill

 

I'd say you dumped a bunch of gas into the cylinder and didn't run it long enough to get it clean..... ie, the plugs are wet/fouled.

You shouldn't crank a car and shut it off when it is stone cold like that without letting it run for several minutes.

You may be able to just wait awhile or you may need to pull the plugs..

I may be wrong, but it's worth a check. This happened to me before on another car.

 

I could agree if not for the falling fuel pressure whenever the car rear end is up in the air. 20 PSI when the car is level is theissue I think. What tells the computer which fuel tank to draw from? Since the car has two tanks are there two pumps and when is one running vs. the other?


Bill

 

As far as I know it is just 1 fuel pump. Sounds like the connecter that connects both tanks is either not working or clogged. Fill the tank up and see if it runs. if it does then the connector to the tanks may be bad. I know on some old trucks that had dual tanks if the switch did nto work then you can only run on 1 tank. but that was just a flip on the dash and a connector under the truck inbetween the tanks.


Also it could be the fuel pump has come loose and if sucking air when level. Only when you sumerge the pump will it work. Hard to really say but at least you know it is a fuel problem and where to start.

 

Problem solved. I went poking around looking to see if there were wires going to the FP that may be getting pulled when the car body is up. Let the car run up on the jacks and started tugging on all wire looms in the tank area. Heard the car stutter and the glimpse of a spark caught my eye. There are a pair of twisted Red and black wires with a single ground wire in a loom leading toward the tank. The nut on the ground wire was backed off at least 3/16" and I could see small sparks as the ground made and failed. The nut was not finger loose so it has been likely left loose by someone before. On I tightenedit, problem solved. Car hauls aZZ in the better air (cough) of Chicago vs. mile high City!

Thanks to all that responded.

Bill