(no subject)
After 2 months of sitting dead in my driveway, and almost two weeks of prodding and probing, my car is finally working again. Take that complicated computerized cars! In the end, besides my time, I spent only about...$50 to get it working again, and that was an investment in tools that I will have use for later. I may still have to pay a mechanic to permanently fix the problem, depending on which of the only 2 possible causes are left.
See, late last fall, twice my car didn't start the first time. I 'd turn the ignition off, wait a few moments, and then it started. Then, around thanksgiving, it just never started. At first glance, someone might say it was the fuel pump/level sensor. The fuel pump would not turn on, and the fuel gauge would not register any fuel (there is more than half a tank). So last weekend I was going to suck it up and try replacing that. But, I decided to bounce the idea off a couple mechanics I knew. They said it might be an electrical problem, and provided me with some golden resources to understand the wiring. I've spent my time since them pulling out panels, computer modules, wires, all in an attempt to figure out WHY this that and the other thing didn't do what they were supposed to do. I checked and found a few bad grounds, fixed those, still no dice.
Last night, I found out that despite the engine ground being good, there was a slight resistance between the engine control module case (ECM) and the engine. Which is odd, since it is bolted onto the engine block. So I took the ECM off last night and kept it inside. This morning, I tried to find where the resistance was coming from, but it would mean taking apart things like the intake manifold to get to it. So instead, I just ran a wire from the ECM bolt to the ground. And boo-yah, it started up.
So, the two possible explanations are either a bad ground (a little resistance will kill you when dealing with computer stuff) or there is something in the ECM that stops functioning when it is too cold. If it is the ground, I can wait till the weather gets warmer and I need to do some other work on my car to fix it. If it is the ECM, then the car has to go to a shop because it needs to be replaced and reprogrammed. But, since I know what the problem is, all I have to do is tell them to replace that, no hours and hours of trial and error to find the problem.
As I always believe, if I know how something is supposed to work, I can figure out why it isn't. A nice and oft underappriciated gift.
See, late last fall, twice my car didn't start the first time. I 'd turn the ignition off, wait a few moments, and then it started. Then, around thanksgiving, it just never started. At first glance, someone might say it was the fuel pump/level sensor. The fuel pump would not turn on, and the fuel gauge would not register any fuel (there is more than half a tank). So last weekend I was going to suck it up and try replacing that. But, I decided to bounce the idea off a couple mechanics I knew. They said it might be an electrical problem, and provided me with some golden resources to understand the wiring. I've spent my time since them pulling out panels, computer modules, wires, all in an attempt to figure out WHY this that and the other thing didn't do what they were supposed to do. I checked and found a few bad grounds, fixed those, still no dice.
Last night, I found out that despite the engine ground being good, there was a slight resistance between the engine control module case (ECM) and the engine. Which is odd, since it is bolted onto the engine block. So I took the ECM off last night and kept it inside. This morning, I tried to find where the resistance was coming from, but it would mean taking apart things like the intake manifold to get to it. So instead, I just ran a wire from the ECM bolt to the ground. And boo-yah, it started up.
So, the two possible explanations are either a bad ground (a little resistance will kill you when dealing with computer stuff) or there is something in the ECM that stops functioning when it is too cold. If it is the ground, I can wait till the weather gets warmer and I need to do some other work on my car to fix it. If it is the ECM, then the car has to go to a shop because it needs to be replaced and reprogrammed. But, since I know what the problem is, all I have to do is tell them to replace that, no hours and hours of trial and error to find the problem.
As I always believe, if I know how something is supposed to work, I can figure out why it isn't. A nice and oft underappriciated gift.