Tomorrow I'm planning on taking off the new cap and rotor and checking them out, then throwing on the old cap and rotor. If my issue is fixed, great. If not.... I don't even know what to do then...
If this isn't it, I don't know what else could be it. Any other code should be saved.
And I mean, I replaced my cap and rotor, and on the test drive I took it for afterwards, it did the check engine thing for the first time. I didn't think it was really an issue, I thought it had to do with my shifting, which is why I started this topic in the first place. So being that it happened right after I replaced the rotor and cap, it should be this, right?
God I hope this is it... if this isn't the issue... I don't even know where to start
Did you check all the grounds in behind the radio and around the engine like was suggested before .The thing is , changing the plugs and wires and rotor and caps seldom does any good because they last a long time .The check engine light means nothing unless the car dies on you .I mean stops , won't run , won't roll over smelling salts dead start hitch hiking dead .Not worth taking a day off work cause it is still running omfg its dead .That kind of dead .Other than that , drive on MacDuff .
Did you check all the grounds in behind the radio and around the engine like was suggested before .The thing is , changing the plugs and wires and rotor and caps seldom does any good because they last a long time .The check engine light means nothing unless the car dies on you .I mean stops , won't run , won't roll over smelling salts dead start hitch hiking dead .Not worth taking a day off work cause it is still running omfg its dead .That kind of dead .Other than that , drive on MacDuff .
Let me make something clear.
2 days ago I had no issues. I mean, I had a gauge thing, but that's a separate issue.
Yesterday I changed my distributor cap, rotor, spark plugs and wires.
Yesterday this issue first appeared.
Today I started to look into it.
This is not the same thing as the starter grounds I did, or the G201 I did. This is something else.
And the check engine light doesn't mean anything? That's just not right. WHENEVER the light flickers on I CAN FEEL the engine lose power! If the light is on, the engine is working against me. It's that simple. There is something wrong, and that's why the light is on, it doesn't "mean nothing". If it meant nothing, it wouldn't be there. I suppose as long as my car is moving I shouldn't worry about how much fuel I have either, huh?
I'd rather take the day off and fix it than get stranded half way there and have to fix it anyways without any warning, And pay however much to get it towed home.
And if this code 12 means nothing, can anybody explain to me why my ECM will not save codes!?! Because it's either not saving codes, or giving me a distributor code. Which makes sense because my issue started right after I did distributor work!
[This message has been edited by I_N_J (edited 02-14-2016).]
Out of curiosity, what brand cap, rotor, wires, and plugs did you install? Did you connect all with dielectric grease? Not trying to be rude, but sometimes the smallest details get overlooked... Did you ensure a good, clean reconnect of the battery? Little stuff....
A flashing check engine light is NOT normal, no matter how you drive. You have something wrong. If the problem appeared after the new parts, check the installation and parts. Check the wires, make sure they are connected properly and they are routed properly. I use NGK plugs in snowmobiles and AC Delco in Fieros. I would put the old parts back on and see what happens.You may have loosened a connection when working on these parts.
Check your battery terminal connections also.
FYI, code 12 means there are no codes... it has NOTHING to do with the Distributor. The computer is not storing the code, that is all. I am guessing you are losing power, causing the check-engine light to flash as if you were starting the car. (these are simple computers... not ODBI... the issue is not something it sees as "wrong")
[This message has been edited by jaskispyder (edited 02-15-2016).]
A flashing check engine light is NOT normal, no matter how you drive. You have something wrong. If the problem appeared after the new parts, check the installation and parts. Check the wires, make sure they are connected properly and they are routed properly. I use NGK plugs in snowmobiles and AC Delco in Fieros. I would put the old parts back on and see what happens.You may have loosened a connection when working on these parts.
Check your battery terminal connections also.
FYI, code 12 means there are no codes... it has NOTHING to do with the Distributor. The computer is not storing the code, that is all. I am guessing you are losing power, causing the check-engine light to flash as if you were starting the car. (these are simple computers... not ODBI... the issue is not something it sees as "wrong")
Directly from the page on this website about checking codes, under code 12: ". If it's flashing this code while the engine is running (Field Service Mode), then the ECM is not receiving any pulses from the distributor."
And the light doesn't necessarily flash, but it rather flickers.
I put the old cap back on, and no change. I was going to put the old rotor back on, but I don't know where it went. Picked up a new one from Oreillys, and it's a hell of a lot better than it was. The light did flash twice in my two test drives though. It did it in the exact same time each time. I was running the engine at about 2500 RPM and just as I pushed the clutch in to shift from second to third, the light just flickered on-off. I didn't feel any power loss (Probably because the clutch was in...) and it never did it while I was driving and putting load on the engine.
now I'm going to check all the connections I did. Already checked the starter, but what you said makes sense about it losing power. I'll see what else I touched.
[This message has been edited by I_N_J (edited 02-15-2016).]
You must read my Cave, Wire Service and likely other cave pages and fix yourself or find and likely pay someone to fix power/ground problems. Be warned: Most repair shops suck at fixing electric problems and worse when car is 30+ years old because Can have several wire problems to fix. If they take the job, you can bleed money for Shop Hours.
power and/or ground problems in engine bay will cause both CEL blinking, speedo flipping speeds, etc.
You need to check first:
battery cables end to end. Pulleys etc can grind the Cable insulation causing intermittent shorts. Shorted + cable can dump 200+ amp from the battery and at minimum cause a big power surge. At worse can cause car fire or even an explosion Anytime. Anytime means Parked or driving. Easier just to replace them and make sure doesn't hit pulleys etc.
Grounds for engine and battery going to frame. Do Not add extra grounds! Extra grounds w/ bad/loose OE grounds can Cause More Problems.
+ box under C500
Alternator is good as I said in your other post. Iffy alt will kill the battery.
Then check anything else.
You likely have bad engine/trans mounts and dog bone too. See my Cave, Engine Mounts and likely replace dog bone. If has New style bone... they suck. Worse when you have bad mounts. See my Cave, Torque Strut
------------------ Dr. Ian Malcolm: Yeah, but your scientists were so preoccupied with whether or not they could, they didn't stop to think if they should. (Jurassic Park)
As mentioned above, Code 12 means the ECM isn't getting reference pulses from the ICM. If you're checking for trouble codes with the engine off, then you're supposed to get Code 12. But you should not be getting Code 12 while the engine is running.
Seems to me like you may have loose or frayed wires somewhere. It would be a good idea to check all the wiring connections for the ignition system and the engine sensors. Look for any wires with burnt or cracked insulation, or any electrical plugs that are damaged or degraded.
Engine is rocking (moving when shifting), causing a wire connection to be flaky somewhere.
quote
Originally posted by I_N_J:
Directly from the page on this website about checking codes, under code 12: ". If it's flashing this code while the engine is running (Field Service Mode), then the ECM is not receiving any pulses from the distributor."
And the light doesn't necessarily flash, but it rather flickers.
I put the old cap back on, and no change. I was going to put the old rotor back on, but I don't know where it went. Picked up a new one from Oreillys, and it's a hell of a lot better than it was. The light did flash twice in my two test drives though. It did it in the exact same time each time. I was running the engine at about 2500 RPM and just as I pushed the clutch in to shift from second to third, the light just flickered on-off. I didn't feel any power loss (Probably because the clutch was in...) and it never did it while I was driving and putting load on the engine.
now I'm going to check all the connections I did. Already checked the starter, but what you said makes sense about it losing power. I'll see what else I touched.
Yeah, shorting positive battery cable is definitely a bad thing! Be very careful to make sure it doesn't do that anymore, because it can really mess up the electrical system. For example, it can kill the alternator or fry the ECM.
So it was doing it very rarely before I did the starter stuff because there's a spot on the wire where the serpentine belt must have gotten ahold of it, and if the engine moves just right it can hit the water pump.
After the starter stuff, I put the connector back on in a way that allowed it to contact a mount for something... not sure what it was, maybe exhaust mount. But that mount is loose and moves around a lot, so with the engine moving, that thing must've been sorting a lot.
I've driven around 60 miles since fixing those issues though, and no more issue.
Not for now anyways...
It's only a matter of time until the next one though...
Sounds like the engine strut. Didn't they eliminate that in 88 after determining it wasn't really needed? I've heard it's not easy to find a replacement anyway.
No, it's not a big mount. it's a piece of sheet metal with a 90 degree angle on the engine side that is connected to the engine above the starter solenoid. It has a couple holes on the non-engine side, which leads me to believe it may be an exhaust mount that the spring rusted out of.
Along with moving the starter connector so that it wouldn't short, I bent that piece out of the way. And I could easily bend it while lying down underneath the car and moving it with a couple fingers while trying not to burn myself on the catalytic converter. Definitely not an engine mount.
[This message has been edited by I_N_J (edited 02-15-2016).]
No, it's not a big mount. it's a piece of sheet metal with a 90 degree angle on the engine side that is connected to the engine above the starter solenoid. It has a couple holes on the non-engine side, which leads me to believe it may be an exhaust mount that the spring rusted out of.
Along with moving the starter connector so that it wouldn't short, I bent that piece out of the way. And I could easily bend it while lying down underneath the car and moving it with a couple fingers while trying not to burn myself on the catalytic converter. Definitely not an engine mount.
From your description, I'm thinking it's likely a heat shield. Not so concerned now!
It's been awhile since I worked on a Duke, but IIRC there's a "splash shield" on that side of the engine to prevent oil from getting on the catalyst and causing a fire. There's also a heat shield for the starter... or at least there's supposed to be one.
I would look at all the engine mounts, as they may be old and allowing the engine to move too much. I am not a fan of the poly top engine mount. It transmits too much vibration to the passenger compartment (4cyl).
It's been awhile since I worked on a Duke, but IIRC there's a "splash shield" on that side of the engine to prevent oil from getting on the catalyst and causing a fire. There's also a heat shield for the starter... or at least there's supposed to be one.
Is this something I should consider installing....? I mean, there's a passenger compartment heat shield, but I didn't see anything by the starter or cat.
My engine mount looks old, but overall not too bad. Maybe I'll put a new one in this summer when it's not so damn cold out and I have time to start making this car better instead of just fixing it.
