car died...

[Tom Weed]

Re: car died...

Are all the cylinders firing?

Start pulling plug wires off and see if it changes,I bet your Engine Control Module is out. Maybe.....

Cylinder 1 isn't firing, the coil packs were all checked and good, new plugs and wires, so that pretty much eliminated that, injectors resistance measured good... I will know more about what's going on this afternoon, it's a possibility the heads do not have to come off he said. I will update the thread when I know more...

[Nappers]

Re: car died...

Don't pull the heads. If memory serves, there is an engine control module behind the coil packs, take it off and have Napa check the Engine Control Module. There is also a cam posisition gizmo that accompanies it but usually it doesn't go bad. I think it takes a 5.5mm socket to get the screws out that the coils mount to.

Least aggressive first

Our Lumina 3.1 uses coolant too. The engine control module is shot. It loses a minute amout of coolant and my parts guy said with one cylinder not firing, it may get hotter and lose coolant.

[Tom Weed]

Re: car died...

I don't really understand this, but the mechanic called me a few minutes ago, it has a bent pushrod and a bolt going into the head was stripped out? He was going to rock the motor forward and intall a "helio" or however it's spelled kit without pulling the head for the bolt and put in a new pushrod. I am no mechanic, but just wondering how this happens... Anyways, this sounds cheaper than pulling the heads!

[Nappers]

Re: car died...

well that is better than pulling the heads!

How it happens....It's a Chevy (I love Chevy) LOL.

It's like extension cords, you put it away nicely, then you go back and it's tangled up!

Keep us posted.

I thought for sure the control module was out, it's a common problem on these 3.1/3.8 motors, they are mounted on the block behind the coil and get HOT!

[CharlesW]

Re: car died...

My horror story for the past weekend...

My 2003 Grand Prix all of a sudden last week started running really bad, sputtering and missing, drove it to Oriley's and put a analyzer on it, cylinder 1 wasn't firing, so I talk to a relative who lives in Louisville and is a mechanic at a Pontiac dealership told me to check the coil packs and plug wires, which I decided to change the plugs and wires anways. I am no mechanic and finding out I had to unbolt the motor mounts to roll the motor forward to get to the back plugs blew my mind...

So, after changing the plugs, wires and verying the coil packs were good, it still ran the same, so it was on to the injectors, taking the plenum housing off wasn't too much fun either, but I was told to measure the resistance across the injectors and if it was in the range of 13 ohms, they were good, which they were. I did not have a compression tester, and thought the next thing was the head gasket, that was more that I wanted to get myself into. I had the car towed away this weekend and heard back from the guy who was going to do the work that I had no compression in cylinder 1, but the head gaskets were good... I think he said he was going to have to pull the heads off and replace the valves? I haven't talked to him today yet, but this is going to cost me close to 1000 dollars and for a car with 58K miles I am very disappointed, the car went out of warranty at 50K miles so it's my baby...

I keep hearing horror stories about the 3.1 and 3.4 Litre GM motors going through intake and head gaskets quite often which tells me it's a poor design. At this point I can't ever see myself owning another GM again...

If there is no compression on a cylinder, all the ignition and fuel checks or replacements in the world won't fix that.
There is a mechanical problem. Either head gaskets, bad/bent valves, broken piston, something of that nature. No compression is not a good thing.

[Tom Weed]

Re: car died...

If there is no compression on a cylinder, all the ignition and fuel checks or replacements in the world won't fix that.
There is a mechanical problem. Either head gaskets, bad/bent valves, broken piston, something of that nature. No compression is not a good thing.

when it first happened, all I knew was the analyzer said cylinder 1 not firing... I had no access to a compression tester, so I did the easist things I could do in my limited ability. I dont have it back yet, so I maybe speaking too soon, but a bent pushrod and striped out bolt (aluminum heads, metal bolt) sound a whole lot easier/cheaper to fix than tearing it all the way down...

[CharlesW]

Re: car died...

when it first happened, all I knew was the analyzer said cylinder 1 not firing... I had no access to a compression tester, so I did the easist things I could do in my limited ability. I dont have it back yet, so I maybe speaking too soon, but a bent pushrod and striped out bolt (aluminum heads, metal bolt) sound a whole lot easier/cheaper to fix than tearing it all the way down...

I wasn't knocking what you first tried, but once a mechanic determined there was no compression on #1 cylinder, the problem definitely became mechanical.
If you have been losing coolant, there may be a relationship between the bent pushrod, stripped bolt and coolant leak. If a cylinder gets a lot of coolant in it, the coolant doesn't compress and it can actually bend valves, break pistons and break connecting rods. You should have your mechanic be sure you aren't leaking coolant into the engine. Like I said earlier, that can cause major problems.

[Tom Weed]

Re: car died...

I wasn't knocking what you first tried, but once a mechanic determined there was no compression on #1 cylinder, the problem definitely became mechanical.
If you have been losing coolant, there may be a relationship between the bent pushrod, stripped bolt and coolant leak. If a cylinder gets a lot of coolant in it, the coolant doesn't compress and it can actually bend valves, break pistons and break connecting rods. You should have your mechanic be sure you aren't leaking coolant into the engine. Like I said earlier, that can cause major problems.

Thanks Charles, I will make sure he looks at that, it wasn't low when I checked it when it first happened and the coolant was still at the top of the radiator neck, but I am having him flush the Dexcool and put the green stuff in it, I've read too many bad things... Thanks for the advice, I will have in double check that.

[RaskyR1]

Re: car died...

Sorry to hear about you car Tom!

I hope all works out and it doesn't end up costing you too much.

[roushstage2]

Re: car died...

personal opinion:
Anyone that has dex-cool as their coolant, i would change it immediately. Supposedly it has been changed so it doesn't create problems, but who knows?

+1

Reminds me...I need to do that with my grandmother's Corolla