High Speed Stalling

[Guest Twisted Wrench]

Hello, I am new to this forum as well as new to Reattas. I recently bought a 1990 Reatta and have been having an issue with the engine stalling since i got it. I am a diesel mechanic by profession and pride myself in being able to fix anything but this one is aggravating. It only happens when the engine is hot and I am driving at higher speeds (45-70). Runs great and then all of a sudden engine will buck and jerk for several seconds and then die. I will coast over to the side of the road and try to restart. After 15-20 seconds it will start fine and run great for hours. The bizarre part is that this happens at almost the exact same spots to and from work. If I let the car sit and idle for a few minutes or shut it off and start off again it will do this about 2 minutes after hitting highway speeds. Once I restart it I can drive for an hour without a problem. But if I stop and let it idle for awhile, it will happen all over again when I take off.

I do have the E065 and E064 EGR flow codes but I didn't think an EGR problem could be contributing to this sudden engine stall. Also have the E041 cam sensor circuit fault. I soldered new terminals on the cam sensor pigtail as the old ones were a little spread and checked continuity to the Ignition control. However I have been reading conflicting views about the cam sensor being able to kill the engine. The service manual seems to say the fueling will just be batched if signal is lost, not engine die. Is this the case or can a cam signal drop out kill the engine? I was leaning towards a crank signal issue but have not gotten that fault code. Will it log the code if Crank signal is lost for a brief moment? I did notice a couple of times that the tach jumped erratically when the engine died pointing to a signal problem. I assume the crank sensor feeds the tach output from the ECM? Any help would be greatly appreciated!

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

Welcome to the forum. Your problem is most likely a bad crank position sensor or icm (ignition control module).

You can upgrade the ICM and coils to the newer version where the coils are separate. Also known as the Pagget upgrade. I personally would order a new CPS and then grab the ICM and coils from a yard.

As far as a code for the CPS signal you will not get one, I am 99% sure it does not exist on the OBD1. I have had two of these go bad on me and have never had a code same goes for the ICM.

[D-a-n-i-e-l]

One other thing. Get the engine to operating temp and let it sit to see if it can get it to die. If it is either of these items it is brought on by heat and time.

[Guest Twisted Wrench]

Thank you for the Info. I will be ordering the CPS tomorrow. I will also be hunting the local yards for an ICM. I will update as soon as the parts are swapped out. Unfortunately the car can sit and idle hot indefinitely. The only time it acts up is at speeds above 45 mph making it very difficult to pinpoint. Thanks for the help.

[Barney Eaton]

Any chance it is fuel starvation? Low fuel pressure, dirty filter?

[harry yarnell]

A code 41 won't make the engine die. 99% of the time, this is a missing magnet on the cam sprocket.

[2seater]

I agree with Daniel that the CPS is the likely culprit. I had almost the exact same experience with mine about two years ago. I always thought a failed CPS wouldn't heal itself for days or weeks at a time, but I was wrong. If it just stops like the key was turned off, I would bet on the CPS. Usually a fuel issue will give a tiny bit of warning, such as a miss, loss of power or something else before dying. Neither the CPS or fuel pressure issues will set a code. Good idea to check the ICM for softening of the potting material and also check the connector on the end of the ICM. Can't hurt to disconnect, clean and make certain the connecor is firmly seated. Don't just rely on the bolt in the enter to pull it in.

[Guest Mc_Reatta]

Welcome to the Asylum Twisted Wrench! :eek:

While your scrounging the yard, consider picking up a MAF or two.

That is another source of engine issues that is susceptible to breaking down when it gets hot and won't set a code. Like the ICM and CPS, not easy to troubleshoot without specialized equipment.

The ICM and CPS are the more likely culprits though. We just discussed a new diagnostic technique that might prove useful to you if you have a voltmeter handy when you stall out:

http://forums.aaca.org/f116/thoughts-easy-way-test-crank-sensor-359720.html

[Guest Twisted Wrench]

So I have found the problem. Replaced the CPS with no change. Then found I had two spread terminals in the ICM connector that were losing contact when hot. Cam/Crank supply pin N and EST signal pin A. I replaced all the terminals and have not had an issue since. Unfortunately, I found several of the updated ICM/coil packs in a local yard but none of them work in my car. The last one was from a 1996 camaro that I personal started and ran before trying it so I know it was a good unit. I noticed that all of the cars I pull them from have wires in all terminals of the connector while my car and the pinout show nothing in terminal K. Does this need to be hooked to something with the Delco ICM or should it work as a plug and play? I have not been able to find any donors older than 1995 to check. The last time I tried a Delco unit the engine fired once and then no spark after that. Previous units gave nothing right from crank. Switch back to Magnovox and runs great.