Down on power, hesitating, here we go again...

ram360

Founding Member
Oct 19, 2002
2,162
1
57
Pennsylvania
So the car was driving awesome today. Left to go home, and and half want into the trip I notice the car is down on power, hesitating, poor throttle repsonse, cutting out etc....I had to keep in the gas pretty good to keep it running long enough to get home (ran marginally better in a little higher rpm)....it got worse as a drove further and really didn't think I was going to make it home. Still have a 1/4 tank of gas according to the gauge( fuel light isn't on) The CEL flashed on for a few seconds and then went off periodically on the ride home. Seems like an electrical issue, my fp was at 40psi the entire trip, car ran normal temp. Last time it did something like this my alt wire loosened up and killed my battery on the ride home ( basically did the same thing) but this time everything was charging good so anyone have an idea?

cap, rotor, plugs are new...maybe igniton module? have msd coil and 6al box as well. IDK
 
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This is on the 94-95? If so, you should not have a low fuel light (funny - we have 'em on aero foxes but not on SN's as I recall).

Check the code. I'd pull the cap and look in the bowl for signs that the PIP is going out (ferrous shavings, dizzy shaft play, etc). The coil is possible but I'd expect it to be worse as it heats up and as RPM's increase. If you have a spare, toss it on for testing.

Good luck bud.
 
I have some thing to do today so might not get a chance to troubleshoot until the wknd but I did start it and the idle is now very very low. Not sure if that might rule anything out and narrow down what I need to test. PS. How do I pull the codes w/ a test light? thanks guys
 
messing w/ the codes all I did was ground the self test in connector and watch the CE light...

Seem like it's giving me code 511 and then it repeats code 511 again then goes to a series of other codes. Does that seem right? Why would it repeaet the 511 code twice in a row? 5 flashes 1/2 second apart 2 second pause then 1 flash, 2 second pause, then 1 flash, then a four second pause then it repeats.....

511: Read Only Memory test failed - replace PCM

so my pcm is bad? I don't see how it all of a sudden goes bad on a drive home? I have an sct 5 way chip in the car too. Not sure if that screws w/ something? Car still starts but idle is now very very low....Bought a new PIP but didn't install it as I'm not even sure what action I should take at this moment
 
One more thought: Any chance you have an exhaust restriction?

The chip can cause the 511. Since the CEL flashes on and off, there should be another code - it should be a KOER code.
 
One more thought: Any chance you have an exhaust restriction?

The chip can cause the 511. Since the CEL flashes on and off, there should be another code - it should be a KOER code.

The exhaust should be good....short tube headers, bassani x pipe, pypes catback. I took a vid of the CE Light sequence I'm having a hard time following it after awhile. This was KOEO

what I made out of it was as follows (in this order)

511
511

- - - - 1 - - - - I assume the 4 second pause 1 blink then 4 second pause is the separator pulse code and means it's entering the continuous memory mode?

172
176
181
189
212

172
176
181
189
212

I attached a vid of the sequence...I assume the codes end up repeating?

Code 212 the possible problem?
Ignition module circuit failure / SPOUT circuit grounded
Seems the other codes wouldn't be the problem.....

<embed src="http://videos.streetfire.net/vidiac.swf?video=1a85d5a0-d530-4aef-b4d2-9b24012a0c1a" width="428" height="352" allowFullScreen="true" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer"></embed><br/><a href="http://videos.streetfire.net/video/engine-codes_187422.htm?ref=d11720c8-953a-47b0-b012-01b2c85d3fa4">engine codes</a>
 
Again, as noted in post 2, pull the dizzy cap and inspect the PIP components. You can often see mechanical or heat-related signs of failure.

The PIP is much more likely than the TFI to be at fault, but it takes some PIP output and TFI input testing (while it is acting up) to narrow it down further.
 
when my dizzy craped out i didn't get any codes. but i have seen the others and my maf needed cleaned. while your cleaning the maf unplug your batt so the puter will start over with fresh info when you restart.

I will give it a cleaning as anything is possible, didn't want to pull the battery yet but I will once I do some more testing..still need to pull the KOER codes tomorrow...



Again, as noted in post 2, pull the dizzy cap and inspect the PIP components. You can often see mechanical or heat-related signs of failure.

The PIP is much more likely than the TFI to be at fault, but it takes some PIP output and TFI input testing (while it is acting up) to narrow it down further.


ah, I forgot to mention that hissin. I did pull the dizzy cap and no moisture, contacts on cap and rotor look good. I mean there are metal shavings in the cap I'd assume from the rotor and cap all 3 of my 5.0's look like that and I had new cap/rotors on all and they ran. no play in the dizzy shaft either. I have another new cap/rotor in the garage as well. The pip looks good from what I can see...My tfi is a newer dynamod as well. I take it I should replace the pickup in the dizzy then?
 
The PIP is possible but I'm not sold on it yet. That said, it will probably go south on you at some point, and it's relatively cheap (even if it's not the issue right now).

If you could get it to act up on demand, we could run some diagnostics.
 
It's acting up all the time right now, idle is very very low like 400 rpm. I put it in gear and hit the gas it stumbles then finally goes. Driving it surges badly, hesitates, etc...I'm all ears if you have any diagnostics I should run. thanks!
 
Also I just had a new torque converter put in the car 3 weeks ago. Fluid level is good, bright red, and smells fine. Car was running fine wondering if it's something going bad w/ the converter and not an engine problem at all? Car goes into gear w/o stalling and moves if I put it in gear and leave off the brake. When I press the gas it hesitates then moves (but I think the hesitation in gear from the take off is because of the idle being so low once it hits around 850 rpm or so it seems pretty normal.

What would cause my idle to drop from 850-900 range to somewhere around 400 durring a ride home??.....The flashing CE light still leads me to believe it's something electrical and not a trans issue though (which it should be since I just got it out of the trans shop).

EDIT: I just ran out and messed w/ the coil wire looked at the coil and started the car again. It ran and idled normal for around a minute and the idle dropped back down again. It idles normal when I pick up on the coil wire slightly and when I push down on it the idle drop. I THINK that might might be the culperate. My wires weren't that old either maybe 10,000 miles. Tomorrow I'll do an oil change, wires, plugs, cap / rotor (even though it seems to be just the bad coil wire at this point) since I'm in there anyways and try to take it for a drive to see if it's fixed. I also swapped coils just to test and they both acted the same.
 
So today

New Cap
New Rotor
New Plug Wires

Car runs a little better I park the car idles normally now around 850-900. Drove it 50 miles the CE light flashed on and off. Seem like it stayed on longer this time around and it was actually on when I pulled in the driveway so maybe I"ll be able to pull a new code tomorrow. On my test drive:

It seems the car has an issue somewhere in the 1500 - 2200 rpm range and it mostly appears when I have a load on the motor (ie when I'm going up a hill, leave from a dead stop quickly) I can hear a rapid miss (I watched the tach and the rpm needle was steady, but I could clearly hear a rapid miss and sometimes a faint backfire)

It's not a constant problem, doesn't do it all the time. CE light is only on for periods of time then goes out. Runs like an amimal in the upper rpms.


Will try to clean the MAF but how do I safely do it? Do they sell a MAF cleaner in a can at autozone I can spray on it?



I'm really lost.....Car ran great the vast majority of the trip.
 
Paul, I had waited to post (after your post 16 update) to see what code you had stored. Any luck retrieving that?

It might end up being something obscure like an EGR valve that is acting up or receiving vac when it should not.

In your scenario, does lightly hitting the brake pedal (as soon as the brake lights come on, the converter unlocks) change the issue?
 
Paul, I had waited to post (after your post 16 update) to see what code you had stored. Any luck retrieving that?

It might end up being something obscure like an EGR valve that is acting up or receiving vac when it should not.

In your scenario, does lightly hitting the brake pedal (as soon as the brake lights come on, the converter unlocks) change the issue?

I did pull the codes again after my drive. I got all the same codes but also got 116 and 636 as well, but the car was stone cold after sitting all night and I just went in a pulled them w/o starting it so prob just b/c of everything being cold.

It's been brought to my attention that a bad TCC causing my converter not to fully disengage w/ me a stop w/ my foot on the brake could be weird rpm drop when I put it in D or R. But even if that's the case that weird miss under load and the flashing CE light although it all happened at the same time maybe isn't related at all.