please help!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

my 86 ca20e wont start, for some reason it seems that the fuel injectors are fired up all the time. even with the key off, i tested it with a test light. now this is with the ECU unplugged and the EFI main relay unplugged, i would just replace the ECU but everything else seems to work, the fuel pump comes on, and the coils are fired up. now i know the ECU powers up those two things. so i am confused, now the lights on the computer come on. but they dont stay on. I have the ALLDATA program and i got all the codes for it. It says if they dont stay on then i have a power problem. but i got power going to it, i checked. i think the wireing that goes to the fuel injectors has a short in it and it is shorting out the computer, because the computer comes on and gets kinda hot. then shuts off, then the lights dont come on. I know about the pickup in the distributer, so i replaced that and it started but would not stay running, now it wont start, so i am back to step 1. Tell me if i am on the right track? and tell me if anyone has experienced this problem? and if so what they did to fix it.

thanks a bunch

Ok i have waited for a few weeks and i really need a car, i really need some help here, it would be nice if someone would even try to help. Please i really need help.

THanks

the ecu getting hot is normal. about the wiring, the best that i can tell you is to comb through the wiring and check the voltage.

mine had similar problems with the distributor (not running or dying). make sure that the rotor is not blown. also make sure that the distributor cap is clean.

hope that helps man.

If you take the cover off the ECU, and see components that are burnt, then it is a good bet that you need a new ECU, but otherwise I would say it is ok. Next i would check contacts, and relays to make sure they are functioning. 8) This is a long process (and I do mean long), but if you feel there is a short, unplug the harness...pick one of the two...then test each wire against each other to see if a MM can detect a dead short...then if it checks out, take the other harness off, and check it...if it checks out, I would start re checking everything, and made double sure that all the contacts are clean. 8)

I went to my dads shop the other day where my 200 is and i started fooling around with it. it has been sitting for like 1 1/2 months, i hooked up the ECU and i wanted to see if it would start just for laughs. Well it actually did, and it ran forever, i drove it around the parking lot and everything, then i parked it and shut it off, then turned it back on like 15 minutes later and it still ran.
Now why would it not start for anything the whole time i was working on it, and randomly it just starts. my dad (who is ASE certified) says it might be the temperature related, because the whole time we were working on it; it was really hot out side. and now when i started it; it was like cool out side.
Can anyone think of a good explanation for this

thanks

-rs200sx

well to start with did it just not start before, or did it not even want to turn over?? also did things like headlights, four ways (hazards) and so on work, or did they not work either...If they didn't it could be a ground problem in which case your attention can be turned away from the ECU...Now generally when ECU's decide to die, they generally don't wait, and they just die, so this leads me to believe it is something else that is electrical. But first off, I would check your grounds, especially on an older car, that is a quite common problem...I hope this helps...

I'd check everything out like Alex said... but if it won't start when the ambient temp is high, and everything else is the same. More than likely a output drive transistor in the ECU is going bad.

You can check it with a can of freeze spray. If you cool the ECU down, and it fires right up, you nmost likely need a new ECU. Its probably less hassle than replacing the transistors, unless you've played around with them before.

Ron

No, it would turn over, and i had spark, the injectors were not fireing, it was not getting a siginal to do so. and yes i will check the output drive transistor in the ECU. I never thought to check the lights and stuff. but i will try next time. the other night i was letting it run and since i have the computer out i saw the green light on the ECU was flashing when it was idleing and when i would REV the engine probably past 2G rpms the red and the green lights would flash, the ECU was not in diagnostics mode, it was off! This struck me as very odd. Does anyone have any explanations for this???
I will try all of your ways, but for the time being it runs. one thing it does is that sometimes when it is running (idleing or driving down the road) is that it randomly shuts off and when it shuts off it makes a beeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeeee-on and on sound, now if i just turn the key from the 'on' position to start it just turns over, it does not fire. so i would just turn the key totally off and try to start it again, then it fires. now i will have to start it like that everytime it shuts off guarenteed!
but yes i will try all of your opinions

thanks for the help and anymore input would be greatly appreciated

rs200sx

bump
I need some answers please.

well i had the car running and i drove it home and i almost made it, i did absolutly nothing to fix it, i plugged the computer back up and it started I think it is temperture related because it was a cool day but now I still cant get the damn car running, when i drove it home and it shut off on me, right b4 it shut off, the Tach started going crazy and bouncing all over the place from redline to zero and back really fast, but the engine ran the same till, it shut off. could this be a coil problem it seemed like something was shorting out i am not sure what this is but it is extremely confuseing. i just cant figure out what it is. i am pretty certain it is not the ECU the fuel pump comes on and my lights work, but i cant test that because i dont want to buy another one, too expensive.
there is a wire that plugs into the injectors, it has a green connector, i tested that with a test light and it was hot on both sides of the connector even with the car totally off and the computer unplugged.
has anyone experienced anything like this b4, i really need some help. if it was the ECU i would think it would just die, not only half work. so please i need some help

Check the ECUs self diagnostic codes

If you have an intermittant run/no run I would suspect the CAS (crank angle sensor)

Now, ca20e cars are not my specialty, so someone else pipe up if his car is post or pre CAS.

Basically the crank angle sensor tells the ECU when to fire the injectors.

But, if it does seem temperature related, replace your igntion components ... all of them.

When the car wouldn't start at all ... how was the battery? Without a really good charge these cars won't start. They'll spin fine and sound like they should start, but wont. Hook up a jumper and 9 times out of 10 they go.

Bad ignition components will amplify this.

Now, the car randomly shutting off ... that could be a couple things. These cars have 2 separate ignition coils, so if it dies outright (it will run on only one coil) it's usually the CAS (especially when intermittent) or it can be the ECU.

If the car won't start, unplug the ECU. It will run without it. If it fires right up (I didn't say it would run well ... just run) your ECU or wiring to/from the ECU is bad. Seeing that the injectors are getting signal all the time, it's 99.9% likely it's the ECU or CAS.

There is a ground wire for the ECU, make sure it's still good.

Make sure the ground cable and primary positive wires from the battery terminals are good. Replace em anyway.

Try all that and come back to me.

I am not sure where the CAS is, i believe it is in the distributer, although i am not sure. i replaced the distributer with a remaned one.
the battery was fine, lights worked and all,
i checked the codes, it was spitting out all sorts of codes, i have access to the ALLDATA program and it has the codes in there. so i have checked that, but i will have to check that again.

How will it run without the ECU????? that tells the injectors when to fire right?
well i did try that once and it did not run, does that mean one of my coils are bad? i tested for spark last night and got nothing? i do have power going to the coils, but it seems it is not coming out of neither, i wouldnt think that both coils would go bad?

So the injectors are not suppose to get the signal all the time??
well thank you so much and please anymore info that you might have would be a great help and i will try your tips
thanks

rs200sx

well i finally got it running, The problem was that there are these 4 wires in the distributer, well when i replaced it, and tried to start it, the rotor cut the wire and was shorting it out, well when i was driving home it totally cut the wire and that is when it shut off.

so it is all good for now, i have to tweak the timing on it and clean it up.

cool huh

rs200sx

Good to hear man,

glad your wheels are turning again