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car shuts off randomly

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dies randomly lose of spark losing spark no spark
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luv2driftZ28

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Discussion starter · #1 ·
so i have a 91 Cp. it runs great. but lately it has started just dyeing on me. it dose fine just parked idling. but when im driving the engine will randomly just shut off. and then after a couple of minutes i can start it back up. i have narrowed it down to somewhere before the coil. when it shuts down and wont start it's because i am getting no spark from the coil. i replaced the coil but still the same.

what do you think it could be?:WTF:
 
#2 ·
did u try replacing the wires. my old hatch used to do that when id go over 100mph and then push in the clutch. motor would die. i couldnt figure it out so i crashed the car and bought a new one. good luck
 
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Discussion starter · #8 ·
well it wasn't the ICM ether. FUCK!! now i have no idea what to do. i am going to see if a friend of mine has some time to look at it with my. he is VERY good with cars. hopefully we can fix it. if not i am going to have to take it to a mechanic with my tail between my legs. and i don't know of any good mechanics here. nor do i trust mechanics.
 
#9 ·
Might as well replace your distributor cap and rotor.. because it probably needs it...

and check the connections to the Battery...

The last time my '91 Fastback had that problem, the Negative cable battery terminal was cracked and dropping connection at the worst possible time...
 
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Discussion starter · #10 ·
Bow said:
Might as well replace your distributor cap and rotor.. because it probably needs it...

and check the connections to the Battery...

The last time my '91 Fastback had that problem, the Negative cable battery terminal was cracked and dropping connection at the worst possible time...
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thats not the problem because every thing els works. i just loose spark from the coil. i could be driving along just fine and it will just shut of like i puled out the coil wire. and everything els will stay on, head lights, stereo, wipers, everything. the only thing thats affected is the spark from the coil. so something is stopping current going to the coil but i dont know what.
 
Discussion starter · #11 ·
well i double checked my ecu for codes, and i had a new code. i should have done that in the first place. it was a code 11, Cam position sensor. but u cant just buy the sensor you have to buy the hole distributer. so i did. $170, installed it, got it set perfectly, started up the first time, headed off to return the core, and on the way there the car died again. i was so pised i had to restrain my self from punching out the windshield. lol. so i gave up and took it to a shop i've never ben to be fore. seeing how all the shops i've gone to so far suck. hope they do a nice job. ill up date what the problem was when i get it back.
:scratch::gaah::fonix:
 
#12 ·
amazing my car has died out as well. i narrowed it down to my ECU.
but my fuel pump does not turn on unless you ground out the wire from the ecu that kinda help me narrow it down.
after buying a fuel pump and volt testing all type of stuff.
so my next step is to pull my ecu and put it in another 240 to see if it make there car don't start. so hopefully that's it or I'm going to be dealing with something more major. even though that spending about 200 is never good.
 
#13 ·
.SoCal-S13. said:
did u try replacing the wires. my old hatch used to do that when id go over 100mph and then push in the clutch. motor would die. i couldnt figure it out so i crashed the car and bought a new one. good luck
Click to expand...

HAHAHAHAHAHAHAHA dude SoCal man you crack me up
 
#14 ·
So I had this same problem recently and thought I had it narrowed down to the coil. My coil WAS bad (or dying) but just replacing that didn't fix the problem so I took it to a mechanic to do a diagnostic. He told me that in addition to also needing a new ignitor, there is a $10 resistor in the wiring harness that Nissan calls the "Tachometer Resistor". He told me that during his time as a Nissan tech that this was the piece that people neglected to replace when doing the ignitor and coil and that NOT replacing it could somehow shorten the life of the previous two. The resistor is a four pin squarish looking piece that's on the drivers side of the engine bay inline with the harness.

Feel free to disagree, this is just what he told me. He wasn't trying to sell me any of these parts and I trust this particular mechanics opinion. Hope this helps.
 
#15 ·
I also want to clarify that my car had the identical symptoms as yours. Car cranks up and runs just fine, but once it heats up then it shuts off. Doesn't struggle or anything, just dies. Right after it has shuff off, tested and no spark. Gave mine 30 mins to cool and it starts right back up. Mine alsohad an affinity for dying IN intersections:mad2:. Whats happening is that the faulty part operates fine until its heatsoaked, then it malfunctions. This makes it especially hard to trace. If you make sure you've gotten your coil, ignitor, and that tach resistor, then you should be in the clear.
 
Discussion starter · #16 ·
ok. i finally got it fixed a cupel of weeks ago. sorry i forgot to update this. lol. the shop i took it to was realy no help. but, it turned out to be the cam-position sensor in the distributor. the thing had heat damage and was breaking the circuit when it would worm up. the bad part is you cant buy just the sensor. you have to buy the whole distributor. after the shop couldn't help me i notice the car now had to cool for like 4 hours before it would start. when before it would only take a cupel of minutes with the hood up. so i realized the new distributor i got must be faulty. cuz it was even worse than before. i took it apart and discovered a melted spot on the sensor. so apparently when they rebuilt it they reused the old sensor. AWSOME IDEA!!! {{fuckers!!!} any way, so if you have to get a distributor, ether try to buy a new one or take off the cover and look at the sensor to see if it looks new. hope this helps someone els out.
 
#17 ·
luv2driftZ28 said:
ok. i finally got it fixed a cupel of weeks ago. sorry i forgot to update this. lol. the shop i took it to was realy no help. but, it turned out to be the cam-position sensor in the distributor. the thing had heat damage and was breaking the circuit when it would worm up. the bad part is you cant buy just the sensor. you have to buy the whole distributor. after the shop couldn't help me i notice the car now had to cool for like 4 hours before it would start. when before it would only take a cupel of minutes with the hood up. so i realized the new distributor i got must be faulty. cuz it was even worse than before. i took it apart and discovered a melted spot on the sensor. so apparently when they rebuilt it they reused the old sensor. AWSOME IDEA!!! {{fuckers!!!} any way, so if you have to get a distributor, ether try to buy a new one or take off the cover and look at the sensor to see if it looks new. hope this helps someone els out.
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Glad i found this. Mine is doing this also. Only thing is when mine shuts off, If I jump the battery it will come back on. (alt was checked and fine) I thought it was the battery but, the car shouldn't just turn off at a light from a weak battery. Now that I found this I hope this should take care of it. Let me know if it worked out 100% or if you had any other probs.
 
#18 ·
Same problem.

My 91' Coupe has also been randomly shutting off at the worst possible times. Sometimes it will restart after a few seconds other times it can take as long as 45 min before it will restart. I have had this car since 97', quite a long time and haven't replaced the coil or the C.A.S. but i have replaced EVERYTHING else on the car.

I haven't been able to test for spark when the car dies, I've been alone in the car each time. I'm just glad I'm not the only one with this ghost in the machine issue.

Will repost with fix.

-marc
 
#19 ·
luv2driftZ28 said:
well it wasn't the ICM ether. FUCK!! now i have no idea what to do. i am going to see if a friend of mine has some time to look at it with my. he is VERY good with cars. hopefully we can fix it. if not i am going to have to take it to a mechanic with my tail between my legs. and i don't know of any good mechanics here. nor do i trust mechanics.
Click to expand...
Its the ptu probably. U check it?
 
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MarcS13
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