'95 SSEi Runs for 30 sec, then dies.
 

I have a '95 SSEi that I can't keep running all of a sudden.

A week ago, I was driving down the freeway and the car starting bucking wildly and all the gauges went haywire. I pulled over and the battery was dead. My brother came and gave me a jumpstart and the car has run perfectly since then.

Then, last night, I was driving home and the car bucked a couple of times and died. Jumpstarted it and got about two miles before it died again.

Now, when I let it sit for a while, it will start right up but dies after about 30 seconds. Then it won't start at all, but will turn over nice and strong.

Anyone have any ideas what to check first? I tried a different battery and cleaned the terminals/cables. Didn't help.

If it dies suddenly, I suspect a ignition problem. When this happens, check for spark. If no spark, then start checking things. Test coils, ICM, cam sensor, crank sensor, ignition wiring harness. On your year there is also a possibility of a bad PCM, 95s are known for flaky PCMs

Oy! I was afraid of that. No clue how to test any of that crap, but I have suspected the PCM was on it's last legs for a while.

Thanks for the info!

A test for the coils is in the tech info area. However, I don't suspect the coils, there's 3 of them and if one fails, it will just run bad. I don't suspect the cam sensor either. The crank sensor, maybe. Do you have any SES lights? A bad ICM, possible, but run for 30 seconds and then die does not seem to fit. Die when hot is more likely. A bad wire harness, that's more random. Another thing I forgot to mention is the VATs system. Each year is different, I'll have to check what the 95 does.

Never mind about the VATs. A 95 wont even crank.

SES as in Service Engine Soon light? Nothing currently.

When the gauges went haywire last week, the voltage light and SES light came on, but went off after the problem seemed to fix itself.

Currently no lights at all.

Right now having to guess, I would lean towards a flaky PCM.

Alright thanks. Guess I will bite the bullet on a $130 PCM and see if it works. Appreciate the assistance. I will post later if it works.

By the way, is this the right part? The only listings I can find are for Ignition Control Modules. Is that the same as the Power Control Module?

http://www.autozone.com/autozone/cat...&parentId=57-0

Look on Ebay. I hate to tell you that's the problem and have you spend that much and not fix the problem. But I simply don't know of a test to prove a bad PCM

No, that's a ICM, you need a PCM, also known as a ECM, Engine control module.

Check at www.rockauto.com And look for engine control module (computer)

Ah ok. One last question. Where do I find the PCM in the car? lol

I think it's under your dash on the passenger side.

Damn. You are quick on the draw. I appreciate all the help by the way. lol

Tried two different remanufactured PCMs and neither solved anything, so guessing that's not the problem.

My brother seems to think it's the alternator, which seems unlikely to me. He said something about a bad voltage regulator inside the alternator preventing the coils from getting enough juice to fire. Maybe?

His buddy seems to think it's the Ignition Control Module...

Any more ideas? =)

ICM is about the only other possibility. There's only so many things that can prevent spark.

Can a failing/failed ICM cause the battery to die while driving? That was my first symptom. Both times it died, the battery was dead and it wouldn't turn over. Then it wouldn't start after jumpstarting or using a fully charged battery.

A dead battery comes from a bad alternator, or a bad cable between the battery and alt. There are tests in tech info for those, take a look and see what you find.

Spent an hour cleaning connections after test replacing pretty much everything electrical. It now starts and runs, but the battery dies quickly and the gauges are erratically possessed. Guess I will just spend more time cleaning connections.

Thanks again.

Sounds like a ground problem. I can't remember but I think there's a ground connection on the back of the block. When that acts up it can cause odd problems with sensors.

I went through the entire car and cleaned every connection I could find. These are my current symptoms...

Starts up and runs just fine. Driving down the road, all of the gauges suddenly go haywire. They jerk around, the car loses power(but doesn't die) and the check engine, voltage, traction control and ABS lights come on. If I let it sit for a couple minutes, it will recover, but if I turn it off the battery is dead and I have to jumpstart it.

Went to Autozone and had them check with a scan tool and it kept saying connection error. They also tested the battery and alternator. They said battery needs replaced, but I had same issues with my friend's battery in my car. They also said my alternator was a little weak, but still working.

I am at my wit's end. I appreciate all the assistance and patience. Thank you.

Have you looked in the testing area for the test charging system? Give that a shot.

Did that. Everything seemed within range on my test. Autozone's battery test put the battery under load from their machine, instead of my car, and he said the voltage dropped to 5v under load. It's possible I need a new battery, but I can't see a bad battery causing all my problems.

5 volts? I condemn every battery I test that goes under 9.6 volts under 15 sec load.

Thats with a Snap On AVR.

Problem solved. After all of that, it was the alternator. Apparently the voltage regulator was causing all the problems. Replaced it and went issue free even after a 30 mile test drive.