My 87 GT-S is randomly stalling. Sometimes it is just a sputter that you barely notice, but if it drops out long enough it will set trouble code 14 (ignition). The problem is definetly ignition, not fuel, as the tachometer dumps to zero immediately when it happens. It's a 5 speed, so it will come back without much drama on the highway - in traffic it is a little more exciting! Usually it drops out for a second or two and then it will come back by itself(if moving) or will start back up with the key(if at a stop). But other times it will stall and not start again for several minutes. During these times it helps to "shake" the car. I do this by putting in first gear and gently "popping" the clutch while the starter is going. This will generally bring the car back to life. Alternatively, on the highway, simply downshifting will usually shake it enough to bring it back. It is quite problematic to diagnose, as the problem is very intermittent - some days it runs without even a hiccup. One clue is that the tachometer is completely inoperative during the "outages". It will be stuck at zero even as I'm coasting along at 30mph in gear, and the needle will not bounce during cranking. Once the needle bounces, the car fires up. At first I thought it might be a failing pickup coil in the distributor. I swapped the distributor with another used one, and the problem persisted. I then swapped the coil and igniter, but neither helped. I figured *maybe* the replacement distributor was bad as well. I swapped it a second time and the problem went away. I thought I had it fixed. Fast forward 6 months - I swap the transmission (pesky 3rd gear synchro), and the problem is back. I wish I could get more information from the ECU, but there is only 1 ignition code. It can't differentiate a failed igniter from a failed pickup coil even though the ECU sits right in between. Sorry for the long post. Has anybody else experienced anything similar? Any suggestions for chasing down this ignition "phantom"? Thanks
Yeah, i had that problem. Was the spark plugs and ignition leads. But you've probably replaced them already, right?
Well according to the diagram your tach gets its signal from the ignitor. Since your problem went away for a while but came back when you changed trannies I would try putting the old tranny back in :lol: Ok just kidding. I would suspect that it is in your wiring somewhere. I would start the car and let it idle and try wiggling/moving/bending/twisting all the wires in the ignition system to see if you can duplicate the problem.
Just got back from shaking the harness and I couldn't make it stall for me. I agree that its got to be wiring, because swapping the tranny aggravated the problem. I was definitely moving the harness during the swap. Anybody ever changed a harness on a gt-s without pulling the engine?
Lets try going through the trouble shooting chart. Assuming you have checked your spart plugs & wires I would start by verifying that the ignition components are getting power when they need it. I would get a 12v light setup somewhere inside where you can see it while driving and run positive and negative wires out to the engine bay. To start with I would hook up one wire from the light bulb to the 12v supply to the ignitor and I would hook the other wire up to the ground for the ignitor. The light should come on any time the ignition is on. If the light stays on the next time you experience the problem then you know that the igniter is receiving the correct voltage. If the igniter is okay I would test the coil next in the same fasion If the coil is getting its correct voltage then I would remove the light bulb and connect a volt meter to the IGT terminal (white wire) of the igniter and you should get aprox 1 volt with the ignition on. Lets first review the precautions for working with the ignition system - dont leave the ignition system on for more than 10 minutes if the car wont start. - never let the tach signal touch ground. - don't disconnect the battery with the engine running.(I have but the manual says not to) - make sure the igniter is properly grounded. Other tests you can do. Primary and secondary coil resistance Signal Generator(Pickup Coil) Resistance
i'm goin to have to go with the ignitor here. remember it has to be grounded to the firewall. Most importantly metal on metal contact. If it isn't grounded properly you will have issues. I had this problem where my tack would just cut out and car would die. I would be at a stop light or driving on the interstate. You need to check that ignitor or find one at the junk yard.
I've reseated the the igniter to the firewall, and ran 2 wires to the engine bay - hooking the power and ground of the igniter to a test light inside the car. Its been over 300 miles without a hiccup so far. I'm hoping it was just a lousy ground to the igniter. We'll see how it goes. In other news, just replaced the timing belt, oil pump seal, front crank seal, and oil pump o-ring. This thing had a pretty good leak at the oil pump, and I found out the exhaust cam was off a tooth too. The exhaust cam is a little tricky to get right - it won't stay put at TDC - wants to jump back a tooth. Fixing the timing made a noticeable improvement at the low end: it seems to pick up revs quicker, especially from a stop.
Way to go :wtg: I bet it's alot more fun driving with the correct exhaust timing and an igniter that is grounded properly. I would assume there was a bit of rust between the igniter and the firewall that you cleaned up and then reattached the igniter. If you don't allready know about DIELECTRIC GREASE you should check it out. Heres a link to one source http://www.royalenfieldusa.com/permatex-dielectric-grease-p-6676.html I think all of us should have 2 wires run out to the engine from inside the car so that you can hook up a test light or meter to monitor various aspects of engine performance.
