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Thread: Spirit R/T start/idle issue; PCM resetting; traction control system

  1. #1
    Garrett booster Turbo Mopar Contributor
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    Sep 2011
    Location
    Newton, MA
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    65

    Spirit R/T start/idle issue; PCM resetting; traction control system

    Hey all - thanks in advance for any help you can offer!

    I am having two problems with my Spirit which may or may not be related, and before I start tearing into things, I thought I might ask the forum in case this is an easy fix and I just wasn't using the right search terms or something.

    Problem 1.
    Sometimes the PCM will seemingly reset itself after the car sits for a while without being driven. The Traveler odometer goes back to zero, which is why I infer that it's a computer issue. This has been happening for a while now, and I can't quite remember when it started (although I think it may have been around the time that I installed the wiring harness for the ND Performance traction control system -- more on that later).

    Problem 2.
    I just came back after a week long visit to the wife's relatives several states away, and when I tried to start the Spirit, the engine turned over and it felt like it was about to catch, but then it died. I can keep the motor running if I put my foot on the throttle, but as soon as I let go the car dies.

    My suspicion is that Problem 2 is caused by a stuck automatic idle speed sensor, and that's going to be my first point of attack if and when I start taking things apart. However, the fact that there is also apparently a computer issue makes me worry that it's something else.

    Other observations:
    - Battery charge is fine - it reads a little above 12V
    - Fuel pressure appears to be good judging by the gauge on my fuel rail
    - As far as I can tell all the accessories power on okay
    - No codes are set except 12 and 53, and those have been set ever since I got the car. I have a FWD Performance Stage IV SBEC so the 53 is not really a surprise.
    - The biggie -- although I missed the group buy that happened a while back, I ended up getting one of Neil Emiro's traction control systems through FWD Performance. Despite being an electronics hobbyist who's handy with a soldering iron, despite following the instructions to a T, and despite copious help from Neil, the system just doesn't work. I've checked, double checked, even triple or quadruple checked the continuity/resistance of every connection, checked for good grounding, etc., and I still keep getting a Code 43 (ignition coil driver circuit open or shorted) every time I plug the box in. For now the system is bypassed: the harness is still wired in, but the box is not plugged in, and I've put spade connectors on the two ignition coil leads from the PCM so that they can be easily connected and disconnected (I had cut them when installing the harness, per Neil's instructions, in order to splice the harness in). I would be ready to chalk this up to user error, except for one thing: if I unplug the coil lead spade connectors, but jumper the wires at the connector to the box, the computer does not set a code 43, and the car runs perfectly well, meaning that the problem is most likely in the box itself.

    If you have any thoughts, suggestions, or experiences with these issues, I would very much appreciate your input. Thanks!
    '92 Spirit R/T - Holset power coming soon!

  2. #2
    Supporting Member II Turbo Mopar Contributor DOHCRT's Avatar
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    Dec 2005
    Location
    Phoenix, Az
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    Re: Spirit R/T start/idle issue; PCM resetting; traction control system

    It probably isn't you...My car was the test platform for the R/T traction control (the install pix in the instructions are of my car) he installed the prototype box in my car which gave him the info needed to fine tune the production boxes. Unfortunately unbeknownst to either one of us the check engine light bulb was missing from the car when he picked it up for me. ( I bought it from a guy near his house and he picked it up and installed the prototype system on it.) When I picked it up and did my initial used car prep, i installed the missing bulb and the traction control was setting a code 43. We attributed it to being the prototype box, but maybe not since you are having the same issue. My system worked perfect for a while, then one of the 2 settings would pop and backfire at certain RPM's and eventually the other setting started doing the same thing, so mine doesn't work right now either.
    Sorry I don't have any answers, but I wanted to let you know that it's probably the system and not you or your car...


    Vic in Phoenix
    dohcrt@cox.net

    91 Spirit R/T x4
    92 Spirit R/T x2
    89 CSX
    88 CSX-TIII
    84 Rampage TII
    97 Ram (Buzzin Half Dozen)
    69 Dart GT 'Vert

  3. #3
    Garrett booster Turbo Mopar Contributor
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Newton, MA
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    Re: Spirit R/T start/idle issue; PCM resetting; traction control system

    Hi Vic - thanks for your insight re: the TCS. In contrast to your experience, my car would idle okay but the CEL would come on almost immediately at startup. Any driving at about 3000 rpm or so would cause weird surging/breakup issues, maybe from excessive ignition retard, although my guess is a busted coil driver in the TCS.

    I wish I had shared my experience sooner - I had held back because Neil was very helpful in assisting me with debugging the TCS installation, and I didn't want to risk discouraging anyone who might have wanted to purchase a TCS, in case it turned out that my problem was plain old user error.

    As part of the debugging I sent the TCS to Neil, who bench tested it and gave it a clean bill of health. He also installed it in another car that had a known working unit. So I'm not sure what's going on. My concern now is whether I continue trying, or what I can do about getting my money back. If that's even possible at this point - although it would seem pretty unfair to deny a return given that I kept the unit in good faith and only because of assurances that the problems would eventually be worked out.

    Anyway, if your PCM/ignition system/fuel system are doing fine despite having experienced the dreaded Code 43, maybe the present problem starting and idling isn't related to the TCS. Thanks again!
    '92 Spirit R/T - Holset power coming soon!

  4. #4
    Garrett booster Turbo Mopar Contributor
    Join Date
    Sep 2011
    Location
    Newton, MA
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    Re: Spirit R/T start/idle issue; PCM resetting; traction control system

    So it turns out that the problem was the AIS. I popped a new Wells unit in there, and after a minute or two of jumpy idling and near-stalling the ECU warmed up to the new AIS and settled into a nice, even idle.
    '92 Spirit R/T - Holset power coming soon!

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