I'll try to be as specific as possible. My old faithful let me down on the side of hwy the other night... I was traveling at Hwy speeds, not shifting or accelerating when I had a sudden loss of power. Lights, Markers, Radio, Blower, were still operational. I tried to "pop" the clutch with no success to start again. The car still cranks but I have no fire. I checked the fuel pump and there is no power to the pump or to the fuze. There are 2 other fuzes that are labeled as "Engine Timing" that have no power either.

Would this be an electrical issue like a broken wire? No Ground? Relay? Or could this be a Crank Position sensor that went bad? I did also notice that there were a few times where I thought the clutch was slipping and the car chugged a couple times. Could this have been the sensor going bad and fading in and out until it finally failed all together?

Any help, experience, tips would be much appreciated. Thanks and Happy Trails.

 

The Check Engine light should have come on. Get the OBD error codes from the ECU and I bet it will shed some light on what sensor has failed.

 

No check engine light on currently when I turn the key to the "on" position. I'll be getting a scanner this weekend to check it out.

In reading some of the other threads on non-starting issues it seems like it could be a lot of things but I never see anyone reply with the final solution.

 

I would bet it's probably a crank or cam sensor. The ECU isn't getting a signal from one or both and will cut off the fuel pump. But also check the engine wiring harness grounding points. Loosen them and re-tighten any you may find. Start with the simple stuff before trying to find broken wires (which are not very likely anyway).

 

Update: Changed the Crank Sensor. Still no power to the fuel pump... Cam sensor is next. There is another sensor on the bottom of the bell just down from the crank sensor that looks just like the crank sensor but it has a black harness instead of a grey connector. Any idea what that might be and could it cause this issue? It actually has the exact same number stamped on it as the CPS.

 

Before you turn the ignition to the start position, can you hear the fuel pump kick on for a second? It should come on to prime the fuel system for about second but will not come back on until the ECU sees the engine turning as mentioned above. I'm not sure what that other sensor down from the crank sensor is but it could be another reference sensor that the ECU uses for engine management.

Update. Looking at the parts list, they are the same sensor but one is used for the Crank Reference, the other for Engine Speed. But check to see if that fuel pump comes on first. If it does, you'll know it's not the problem.

 

Fuel pump does not prime. There was no power to the pump when I tested the harness. There are 4 fuses including the fuel pump fuse that do not have power to them either. The fuses are 28-fuel pump, 29-engine timing, 34-engine timing, and 36-fog lights...

Not sure what me next step is but I'l continue tinkering with the 12V tester to see if I can locate the issue.

 

Did you have the key turned on when checking those fuses. There is an ECU relay that controls the activation of those circuits so you might see if you can locate it.

 

I do have the key on. I started pulling relays and trying to check those. I believe it is a relay #208 but there are several of those. I'm starting to think I may need to find a Bentley manual for a wiring diagram. I hate just throwing parts at a project, is there a good way to test or bypass relays easily to check them?
I would have thought that the fuses would have come before the relay but I would have to look at a diagram to be sure.

 

Yeah. I'd definitely try to find a Bentley Manual for the car. There are trouble shooting procedures in them also. There are several currently on eBay for your car. They will run between $50 and $100 depending on the seller. But they are well worth the price. I highly recommend the non-electronic versions, if you know what I mean.