NickG Posted April 5, 2009 Share Posted April 5, 2009 Thought the topic would grab some attention. I've got a 1981 280zx non-turbo, auto tranny, with about 124k miles on it. So for about 3 years now, the car would randomly shut off while I was driving. Didn't matter how fast I was going, what the temperature outside was, the time of day, how much fuel I had, what day of the week it was, what mood I was in... The solution was to just turn it over again and it would start right back up. Usually, I could be doing 70 on the freeway, and it could die, I could put it in neutral and coast while I restarted it. Or I could be sitting at a stoplight and the same thing would happen. Over time, it got progressively worse. It wouldn't immediately start back up, it might take a few tries. Eventually it got to the point where sometimes I couldn't start it back up. I got it towed 3 times, and by the time I got it back to the house... the car would start fine. I could not figure it out... there was no consistency. I replaced the ignition coil, the fuel pump, the fuel filter, spark plugs, spark plug wires, distributor, ignition switches. Nothing helped the problem. After doing all of this, and leaving the ignition switch dangling beneath the steering wheel while driving because I was in the middle of operations... I was driving along, and the car died. I lifted the ignition switch to put my key in to start it, and to my surprise, just by MOVING the switch, the car sprung back to life as if it had never shut off. So I drove around for a year like that... shaking my ignition switch whenever it would die while I was driving. Now... it's worse. Not even that works anymore... immediately. I may have to sit at the side of the road shaking wires beneath my dash for 5-20 minutes hoping that some magic will fix it. And so far, it has... but I predict that the condition is getting worse and soon it won't. Now... onto odd symptoms and things I've noticed. When the car dies, and I attempt to restart it, the starter motor works. There is no spark when it is in the "no-start" condition at the coil. The tachometer does not even jump when the starter is running (it does when it starts correctly.) I have run a wire directly from the BW wire at the ignition switch to the coil, thinking there was a discontinuity in the harness. Did not work. I've posted about this problem on a few other forums. It boggles me. Anyone have a clue? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chemicalblue Posted April 6, 2009 Share Posted April 6, 2009 First - Do you have a factory service manual? I would research the wiring diagram and test the power wires coming in and out of the ignition switch when the issue occurs. Second - 70% of the time its the worn out ignition switch. You will have to use a dremel to carve slots in the screws holding it on to get them out. They use screws that the head snaps off from the factory for theft prevention. Third - You may be experiencing multiple issues like the ignition module going bad or the ecu. Sometime Ive seen either overheat and cause this issue and once the car shuts off, they cool off and the car starts and runs fine for a while. Its a start, let us know what you found. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickG Posted April 6, 2009 Author Share Posted April 6, 2009 I do have a FSM. I have replaced the ignition switch 3 times. I can't actually test the wires themselves because the issue is intermittent. The wires may test fine while I'm testing them but could lose connection while driving (causing the problem). I'm starting to think it may actually be the ECU... which is lame. However, the problem occurs whether its 40deg outside, or 120deg outside. It happens 30 seconds after the car has been running cold, and it also happens after 45 minutes driving at 70mph. There's no consistency in that regard. I printed out the wiring diagrams on 2ft x 6ft paper and followed just about every line related to the coil... but the weird thing about it is how jarring the wires or switch would cause the car to come back to life. This suggests that it is some sort of loose wire. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickG Posted April 12, 2009 Author Share Posted April 12, 2009 It was the ignition module. Replaced it and it works fine. Hasn't died in several days. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Brad-ManQ45 Posted April 13, 2009 Share Posted April 13, 2009 NickG: Welcome to HybridZ, and thank you for taking the time to post the remedy. If I had been looking I would have suggested the IM as the problem. Anyway thanks again for posting your solution - too few people bother and no-one gets to learn... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
NickG Posted April 13, 2009 Author Share Posted April 13, 2009 NickG: Welcome to HybridZ, and thank you for taking the time to post the remedy. If I had been looking I would have suggested the IM as the problem. Anyway thanks again for posting your solution - too few people bother and no-one gets to learn... I am totally in agreement. It bugged me when I would find something that I thought might be similar to my problem, and the person would never come back to post their solution. Hope this helps someone! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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