Well I went out this morning and made sure I had just enough tension so that it was not loose, went for a spin and it was perfect. OD kicked in at about 80km/h dead on, just like before.


So now that the tranny is out of the way, I guess getting back on this threads topic would be good.

I have added a fuel treatment at the beginning of the week, and still no change. It cranks over many more times than it should, and when it does start, it kind of stumbles for a couple of seconds, then starts to run like it should.
The garage that I have my AC done at this morning was mentioning that it could be the crank sensor. I had put my new crank sensor on it when I did the engine. I made sure that it was centered and not touching the metal fins on the back of the harmonic balancer.

I am still thinking it is a fuel issue. I could change my fuel rail to the one on my blown engine, but that is work that I don't feel like doing if I don't have to.

I too would suspect the FPR on the donor motor, particularly if it sat in storage for an extended period.

Well I have no scanner at my disposal, and there are no codes ( engine lights). In overall driving conditions, it drives great. I did notice that if you take it easy with it you do feel a slight miss, but it is not all the time, usually only in 1st and a bit in 2nd. Plus I don't have a fuel pressure tester.

I guess I will rip off my old fuel rail and see how easy it is , then possibly swap that onto the new engine. I could also just change the FPR, unless it is just easier to swap the whole rail.

Mike, if it helps, ours is doing the same thing, and I have pretty much narrowed it down to the FPR. My fuel rail was rusted internally though, I gotta get another one soon.

When it starts, does it smell rich? I suspect I have an injector leaking down, but maybe the FPR can bleed pressure off without it actually leaking down into the intake?

If you shut it off and restart it like a minute later, does it fire right off?

Edited to add, I have not tested my fuel pressure either, no tester.

Well today the first thing in the morning, Renée said it started fine, she stopped for coffee on the way to my race and it started fine again. Then the rest of the day it started with the same issue. Tonight also, and when it did start, I could smell the gas, so I would say that yes it did smell rich.

I got my old fuel rail off yesterday and will get an o-ring kit of for the injectors and swap that to the other engine. since the engine sat for a year or less at the wrecking yard ( still in the car), and the fuel rail seem pretty dry when I got it. Mine was still full of fuel when I removed it yesterday.

Probably just as easy to replace the fuel rail as just the FPR. I am almost tempted to try just changing the FPR and see what happens. Only thing is that this engine is low mileage and sat all winters since 1988, it was a summer car ( the donor engine that is), so the injectors may be a bit dirty, but it does have great power once it is running.

Same problem with my old 92 Cad SDV and yes it was the injecters... Thats what it sounds like to me. Good luck with that SSE keep it on the street I see to many rusted up in a heap some place!

Well I ordered an o-ring set for the injectors today and I will pick it up tomorrow. I still plan to swap the fuel rail and injectors.

I went to start the car so Renee had a warm car to come to ( it was raining, high winds and cold today). I swear to god that I didn't even hear the starter engage and it was running, I was amazed. I let the car idle for about 5 minutes or so to warm it up. I then shut it off for about 10 mins, then when she went to start it it took maybe half as long as it usually does to start, but still stumbled once started.

I got to her place before her so I was waiting for her. She pulls into the driveway and parks the car, there is a slight incline where she parks, then I see the window open, and she tells me, "you probably don't want to see this",, I walk over( it was dark by this time) and what do I see SES.
OK no need to panic, tell her to just leave it running so I can scan it, she decides to back up a couple feet and it goes off, I think WTH. She drives forward a couple feet again ( there is a slight incline, I mean slight) it comes back on. So I go to the trunk and grab the scanner, shut the car off and hook up the scanner, you know the over glorified paper-clip. I turn the key on.


Flash.................pause.................Flash. .....Flash ( OK it is going into diagnostic), repeated 2 other times. Then I wait for the code, time starts to go in slow motion at this point,

Flash.................Flash.................Flash. ..............Flash.................pause, OK I got a 4, so I know it is in the 40'*, I wait for the rest and pray it is NOT 1, I feel like I am watching a slot machine and trying to hit the jackpot.

Flash................Flash ( wooho, not 41)..........Flash.................then it repeats 2 other times.



So I grab my page that I leave in the car with the codes on it and see
"code 43: Electronic spark control circuit or Knock sensor problem "


So now I have a bit of searching to do on BC to find possible causes.

One thing that I was thinking. If there is a knock in the engine ( like a loud top end) would that set off the knock sensor, or does it mean the sensor is not working properly.

It only does this at idle, I took it for a good run and nothing, but I got the same thing when I went to park it.

I did notice there is a sound coming from the drivers side of the engine, almost like a loud top end, but also like possible gears like in the tranny, but it is in park.


It could also be on the ignition side of things too.

Any thoughts on this?

UPDATE!!


Well I decided to swap out the fuel rail and injectors with the ones form my blown engine to see if that would solve the problem.

I fired it up and let it run for a bit to make sure fuel was flowing properly, shut it off and waited a minute then started it up again. Took longer than it should have to start, so the long cranking issue continued, so it was not the FPR.

I decided that I had a spare ICM that I had bought for the mounting plate to convert to the Delco system, but it was from a 93 grand am I think with a 3.3L. They looked the same except there was one less wire, same as what my harness looked like ( the one for the Bonneville has one extra wire which I think is only a ground). Kept the 97+ SC coils on it and figured why not.

Seems to have started better, went for a ride but I think it may have lost a bit of power. Now when it is idling I can hear the injectors, not like the ones that were on it. So I think that my injectors from the blown engine are getting tired and I should possibly put the newer ones back on.


I am waiting to hear some news from Renée to see how it started tonight and how it ran, she will be able to tell me more if it was lacking any power or not.

Long story short, it looks like the ICM was the cause of the hard starts and the rough(er) idling, it still has a slight bit of a stumble but not like before.