RyanPerrella

Driving the car today it died on Sunset Blvd. The car has never died before but upon trying to restart it it would crank but not fire.

Eventually i got it to start after about 90 seconds where it ran until i got stuck behind someone going slow where the revs dropped and it died again. I got it to start and when i got to a light or behind traffic i would put it in neutral and rev it to keep it from dying. Then after it died again i noticed a pretty loud electronic noise, a clatter or, clicking or rapid clicking noise coming from what i would call the CE panel. But i cant think of anything that would cause the noise.

Also i did notice before the car died that the gauges would flash off then on. Like i noticed the tach drop to 0 then pick back up immediately, as if it lost power which it did. I believe these are related as this was never an issue. Also I noticed that this clicking noise i mention happens when the key is in the ignition and turned to position 1. The tach needle goes to 2K and stays there, mind you the engine is not running. So there is some weird thing happening with the electronics which i believe is keeping the car from running properly.

I am thinking of some type of relay and if not perhaps some ignition switch issue. But i dont know why that would make the tach jump when the key is in the ignition.

HAS ANYONE HAD AS SIMILAR PROBLEM?

PLEASE HELP, the car is on the street .5 mile from my house but i need to move it either under its own power or by towing it by 8am tomorrow morning, so if you have an idea, please post it. I dont have access to any tools or relays or spares here, so i am not sure exactly what i can do here, but towing isnt a problem.

Let me know what you guys think

Its an 88 auto

Cheers

heinrich

what is a CE panel? Sounds like a clicking relay if CE panel is the fuse panel, and hten we're likely talking 4-cyl running with a clicking relay related to LH? Car fire would be a concern.

sendarius

CE = Central Electric = Fuse panel

Relay, relay, relay would be my first three guesses.

IcemanG17

clicking....since its an 88 without the cat temp senders.....it has to be a relay ticking.....which one...gotta open the panel and see whats the loudest...I'd bring some spare common relays too (I kept a bunch in sharky)

RED SHARK 1990

Hello Ryan the only time i had with that was the oxygen sensor and the hall sender.That combo gave my car months of figuring it out...

Mrmerlin

check the battery connections, and the hot post connections.
If no joy then try wiggling the key you may have a bad ignition switch. If no joy then try swapping out the relays, also check the fuses

no doubt

I would think that you've got more than one fault in play. Needing to give her some gas to keep the rpms up high or otherwise the engine quits...is symptomatic of a failing MAF.

So a first step to moving your car tonight would be to run to the parts store to purchase a can of MAF cleaner and a can of starter fluid. Open your air filter box, pull the filter out, unbolt the two retainers, and remove said airbox.

Use a flatblade screwdriver to then loosen the metal hose clamp that holds your MAF in place. With the clamp loosened and the electrical connector plug disconnected from your MAF, you can pull the MAF out of the car to spray the entire can inside the MAF from both sides. Shake vigorously to remove the excess fluid, then re-install the MAF, tighten the metal hose clamp, plug back in the MAF's electrical connector, reinstall the airbox, retainers, filters, and close.

Now use your other can...the can of starter fluid. Spray 3 seconds worth of starter fluid into the air intake tubes above your radiator. Close the hood, start your shark and get her home.




Once home, pull back the passenger side carpet, unbolt the CE cover, and look for sparks while idling in your driveway. Likewise, feel and listen for clicks and excessive heat in any given relay.


But get her home, first!

RyanPerrella

ive pulled the carpeting and can see the fuse panel (CE Panel)

I dont have an electrical diagram for the 88 (its not listed on the backside of the wood cover) so i am not sure which relays to pull. I have some relays in the 85, i am going to hope they are the same type so i can swap them back and forth.

At first when i heard the clicking i thought injector death dance and thought LH, but obviously that noise comes from the injectors and this is obviously coming from the lower dash. It also could possibly be coming from under the dash in the center but i cant imagine what could make noise there when the obvious culprit to me would be the relays in the Panel.

Which relays should i look at? Can we throw out number suggestions here ?

I dont think 2 problems just suddenly appeared at the same time, so lets focus on the one here. I do not believe it to be maf.

When the car would die, the electronic dash cut out in spurts then came back on before the engine died. I think there is something relating to the electronic running of the car but i dont think its the MAF.

As for the mentioned 4 cylinder mode, the car never felt like it was down on 50% power. It felt like something was happening that caused the electronic running components of the car to cease to work for a short time until it quit entirely where it wouldnt start.

The car is sitting with the battery disconnected, i did not want to have it short out, but the clicking noise is such that i am afraid to try and start it for fear of a short and a fire.

I always hear Relay Relay Relay. Thats what this sounds like, I know many old Porsches have these relatively simple problems, but curiously this will be the first time i personally have ever had a relay issue.

So would love to know if maybe i can pull relays and see if the clicking goes away. Would that be a good indicator of WHICH relay is at fault? Assuming that i pull one and the clicking stops (The car will still not start) but would that lead me to the exact relay thats causing the problem?

Mrmerlin

see post 6

get a fuse relay chart here www.928gt.com find page 2 then go to tips/links

86'928S MeteorGrey

My first guess would also be the ignition switch. Have you replaced it since you have owned the car? I'd swap the "53" marked relay for the fuel pump and try "jiggling" the ignition/key to see if you can get the clattering to go away. Is the instrument panel acting normally or is it having problems?

RyanPerrella

well i walked over to the car (1 mile away from my apartment) dead set on locating the clicking relay and pulling it to see if it would stop. I checked the CE panel, and found the two right most wire loom connections were loose. But they werent disconnected, the female socket that they plug into was not clipped into the panel itself. If youve played with these things you know what im trying to describe.

Anyway, so i found 6 "53" relays and tried pulling one but no dice. Mind you i have no tool to play with. So i just thought i would reconnect the battery and see which one made noise. I do that, then i turn the ignition key and ..... no clicking...... i decide to start the car and it starts right up. So i just drove it over to my apartment so its no close and no longer in a no parking zone at 8am tomorrow.

Im still hesitant to drive it the 12 miles to the valley where i have the 85 so i think i will tow it there but i am no closer to figuring out what happened or what the issue is. Im curious why it started tonight. Can these relays just get hot and my cooling off period solved it temporarily? If it gets hot does that mean that there is a short or something putting out too much current? I guess this is all just throwing crap at the wall to see what sticks, but what do you guys think here?

thanks for the timely replies

Mrmerlin

Ryan what were the results of following post #6

RyanPerrella

Stan

I didnt swap out anything. I didnt check the hotpost in the engine bay and the battery is connected although it is loose without any wrenches to tighten the post clamps down.

I was just kinda shocked that it started right up that i was just happy to drive it down the street to my apartment. I will play around with it tomorrow but for now, there is no clicking CE panel and as of RIGHT NOW, there is no issue.

Weird, I wish the clicking was there it would make it easier to diagnose.

Mrmerlin

from the info you provided it sounds as though there is a loose battery connection if the dash is going on and off

jon928se

+1

Intermittent connection at the ignition switch causing relays to switch on and off rapidly.

Could also be intermittent connection at the battery or any other hot connection to the CE panel or you may have resolved it by reconnecting the partially loose plugs on the CE panel.

Whichever I betting that the clacking noise is relays being switched rapidly due to intermittent connection to the signal side of the relay.