# help! 90 stanza, no spark? module test?



## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

engine cranks and has good fuel pressure but no spark. at first it would start and run then shut itself down then i could restart it but it would shut down and then it would not start at all. i replaced all the norms, cap,rotor,plugs,wires, and tested the coil still nothing. i then decided to replace the ignition module someone suggested and is mounted to a bracket that the coil is mounted to (bitch to get to!). turned the key and it fired right up, ran for about 10 seconds and shut down and again no spark and will not start again! did something fry the module? is there a way to test the module? the module was $150! (found out later can get online for $70) so i don't want to fry another one to find out something is taking it out. could be somthing else and not the module at all? as you can see i am not a mechanic and my daughter nor i have alot of $$ to spend so i am trying not to take it to a shop. any help or suggestions would be a great help. thank you!


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

well, update is i just tried to start the car for the heck of it and it started! but it again shut down after about 10 seconds and again will not start???at least i know my $150 module is not fried but something is shutting the system down. no check engine light or any thing else. could the ecm be going out or is another sensor shutting down the system?


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Hot wire the fuel pump relay...i.e. take the computer out of the loop, make the fuel pump run all the time and see what happens.
I'll bet the "2 second fuel pump prime" when you turn on the key is what is allowing your engine to run for 10 seconds.
If the ECU doesn't get a distributor signal within 2 seconds, it'll shut down the fuel pump.
If the ECU DOES get a distributor signal, it'll keep the fuel pump running (and/or turn it back on if it had shut it off previously).


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## smj999smj (Jan 1, 2006)

May want to check for oil contamination inside the distributor. Was there oil on the inside bottom of the old distributor cap when it was replaced?


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

jd, i will try your suggestions and see what i get.


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

smj, i did notice a small amount of oil and cleaned it up. the cap oring was in bad shape so i got one from the dealer and replaced it. could the oil mean something else? i did take the cover plate inside the distributer off and no oil was behind it were the sensor thing is under the cover.


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

hey jd, also wanted to mention that when the car shuts down it does not sputter or act like it is running out of fuel. when it shuts down it is more like it cuts the power because it dies like when you turn the key off. just wanted to add that.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

When I 'relieve the pressure from the fuel system' to change things like the fuel filter, etc, I pull the fuel pump fuse and let the engine run 'till it dies. Usually it dies very quickly...like...uhmpp...done, like I shut the key off. Maybe other peoples engines kinda die off, spit, sputter, or whatnot. I don't know.
When the engine fires, are you throttling it to try to keep it running or are you just kinda leaving it alone and letting it idle?
(In other news...I had to throttle the neighbors dog the other day 'cause he crapped on my sidewalk. He quit right away. If I wouldn't have throttled him, he would've kept going 'till he was done! )


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

hey jd, when this first started it would stall right when you touched the gas pedal. then if a did'nt touch the gas when i started it it would run a little longer before it died, i tried holding the rpm's @ 2000 and even when i had it held right at 2000 rpm's it died with my foot holding the gas?? it just drops off like you pulled the power plug. by the way i appreciate you taking the time to try and help me.


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

update. well car still won't start. i even tried replacing the ignition relay since it was $10 but still no spark. is it possible the ecu has gone tu? or can the ignition coil have something wrong with it even thought eh ohm reading was 9.34? (book said 8.2 to 12.4 was normal). thanks forum!


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

How did you "hot wire" the fuel pump relay?


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

sorry jd but i wasn't sure how to do what you were saying " hotwire the fuel pump relay and take the ecu out of the loop"? since i am not a mechanic, could you fill me in on how to do that and that will be the first thing i try tomorrow when i get home from work. i just tried the ignition relay cuz it was cheap and i knew were it was.


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Put power directly to the fuel pump thru the relay, force the fuel pump to operate.
Look on the relay itself. You should see a diagram with 4 contacts, 2 of them for the coil, 2 of them for the actual contacts themselves. Take a jumper wire, hook it from the positive of the battery to one of the contacts leading out to the fuel pump.
I don't know what your specific car's wiring is. If you don't have a Haynes manual or something similar with a wiring diagram in it, now is the time to get one.
If that ain't gonna happen, at least find the fuel pump relay in the relay box somewhere under the hood, then find another relay in the relay box that looks exactly like it and swap the two. I'm thinking use something like the horn relay or heater/blower motor relay. You obviously don't want to use an important relay, something like the ECU relay or something like that to swap with...'cause then the engine won't run if the relay is actually bad. Heck, for that matter, swap the fuel pump relay with the horn relay (if they're the same) and try the horn. Horn used to work and now it doesn't? Bad relay.
And while I'm thinking about...You'd damn well better have checked all the fuses so far...'cause if you haven't...a slap upside the head might be in order!


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

jd, you are a funny dude and i like that! i have checked the fuses and also picked up a chilton's. i will try this this weekend and hope for the best! thanks again.


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

well, anyones stanza that has these symptoms i have one answer... CAM SENSOR! this is the sensor inside the distributor. while trying to figure this out i read alot about the distributor seal failing and oil getting inside of cap which can foul the sensor. i went to junk yard to get distributor but the one i found also had oil leaking from shaft so i decided to just take the sensor to install in mine to see if it would fix the problem. when i pulled my sensor out there was oil behind it i could not see before i took it out, put the used one in (cost me $4!) buttoned it up and wam! runs like a charm. i am ordering a new distributor cuz only a matter of time before it fouls this sensor but i know what the problem is!!


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

And the cam sensor provides a signal to the ECU, which takes that signal in as an "engine running" signal, which in turn keeps the fuel pump relay energized, which obviously keeps the engine running.

Good cheap fix at any rate eh? As far as a new distributor goes, that'll cost big $$$. Might want to look at the breakdown to see if there's an o-ring that can be swapped out on your particular model. If you're handy enough to swap out the cam sensor, I'd be willing to bet you can take on an o-ring or two.


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## cavy68 (Oct 9, 2010)

thanks jd, i will definitly look into the seal/oring because a dist is looking to run about $200-225. online


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## jdg (Aug 27, 2009)

Last year, I had to replace the distributor in my '98 200SX-SE because I messed up the threads that hold the rotor screw. I got lucky, found a guy here on the forums that sent me one for $75 (???don't remember for sure). Beats the hell out of $200.
I'd wonder if just running what you've got and spraying it out with some brake cleaner once in awhile wouldn't take care of it for you. Hell for that matter, a handfull of $4 cam sensors would probably keep you going for XXX thousand miles vs. blowing $200. I kinda gotta wonder how long it would take the oil seepage to screw up the cam sensor anyways. Might take 1,000 miles, might take 100,000 miles...who knows...


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