Hey folks looking for some, ideas My kick is an 89 with 120,000 km on it. Some background, I have replaced the plugs,wires, cap and rotor less than 15,000 km ago. Over the last couple of weeks, I will be driving along and the motor runs really smooth, occasionally I will get a chug, and out of the blue it quits, the last time the battery did not have enough juice to keep trying to restart it, so replaced it, I have replaced the fuel filter. after letting it sit for a brief amount of time it will restart, but have to crank it over quite a bit. I am going to replace the coil tommorow, as it seems like it might be electrical as it just quits as opposed to chugging before it dies. TPS, Temp sensor, o2 sensor, fuel pump, or fuel pump relay. I use this truck as my daily driver , and it is starting to happen more often and I need the vehicle. If it just quit and would not start again it would be a hell of alot easier to figure it out.

Thanks

Mac

I do not think it is the computer as once it starts again it could be a couple of hours of solid driving and not a problem.

Mac

Just a thought but have you checked the fuel tank breather?

Next time it stalls and wont start have some one check to see if you have spark. If you do then you could eliminate coil/dist. prob.


                      later, Kevin

I am not familiar yet with the Sidekick engines but your symptoms sound very much like a Crankshaft Position Sensor problem.  Does your engine have a CPS?  If not, it must have another sensor for determining the same thing.  It could be as simple as an intermittent conection or a bad wire.

I hope that helps.

That is my problem Kevin, I am driving alone when it happens, and it is intermitent enough to start again, and then continue to run, I hate swapping parts in get expensive.

Mac

Hey rhinoman, checked that as well, It does not appear to be getting vapour lock.

Mac

ECM they are really known for this prob,  after awhile they get hot and bam, let it sit for a while and it will start and run for a while.  Man I been through it too many times.

The only problem I see with it being the computer, is it will run for hours, and then stop, and restart in a minute or so, and then continue to run for hundreds of km's I would think it should be quiting more frequently as the computer would not get a chance to cool down? What do you think?

Hey MAC,  I would suggest checking all of the wiring connections in the harness plugs to the ECM.  My first sammi, the computer loosened up from the mounting (screws actually fell out) and it was sort of dangling around by the harness.  It took the thing just dying like you're experiencing before I got it fastened back. No more dying.
Alot of times just the act of unplugging and reconnecting things clears problems like this.
If it's not the harness connections at the ECM, it's a connection somewhere else.  My $.02.

I used to be a pro auto tech. When I got intermittant problems like this I would instal a fuel pressure gauge then just leave it under the hood (tied out of harms way)  and I would  clip in a  spark teste rinline on the coil wire (the kind with a spark plug top on one end and a spring loaded clip on the other clear plastic viewing window)
It is a good idea to carry a fire extinguisher too just incase the spark and fuel mix
now when it dies youre ready to sort out what is missing spark or fuel.

I used to leave them idling in the driveway while I worked on something else but some times they gotta be driven under a load.
Hope this will help you out

MOO

See this thread http://www.zukiworld.com/cgi/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=suzuki_talk;action=display;num=1075778375 ,particularly Speedystangs response.  My Tracker does similiar to what you explain.  When it did it last I held the pedal to the floor and it started right up.

It is not an issue of starting, the truck just quits while driving. I picked up a coil today and see if that fixes the problem.

Mac

Thanks Ronzuki, I will go through the connectors, I am sure it is electrical, the way it quits.

Mac

Well, it was not the coil or, the connectors on the harness, checked and cleaned all of them, computer, and engine side..


Mac

High ho, it is off to buy more parts I go.