Help! 97 LC intermittent no start. Stranded (1 Viewer)

[Landcruisin50]

Hi mudders, help needed!

I’ve been trying to resolve an issue for months. Now I’m stuck an hour from home and could use the community brain trust.

The cruiser starts easily for the first time each day. Intermittently, it won’t start if I turn it off. Turns over….but won’t run. Normally, if it’s going to die, when I try to start it it fires once…then nothing. More like a cough. Just a hit in one cylinder or so. Then…… nothing …until I let it sit, usually overnight. Waiting 30-60 minutes does nothing. Next morning, crank and take off. Sometimes….she runs rough for a minute, then settles. Other times, cranks right up.
What I’ve done while staying to fund the problem.

Intermittent success:
1. At first, if I disconnected the sensor on top front of the throttle body, she would crank and run at 2000rpm till I reconnected the sensor. That worked 3-4 times when this first started.
2. I’ve had success after putting a bag of ice MAF sensor. Trying to trick the cruiser into thinking it was cold of morning.
3. A few times, it will crank after 15 minutes of waiting….. then it starts very rough and smooths out over a minute or two…picking up one cylinder at a time and blowing out smoke.
4,. No codes showing. Sometimes I get an eGR error, but that’s normally while it’s operating just fine ..like on the highway.
5 disconnecting the battery and resetting the ECU dies nothing to help.

What I’ve tried:
1. Complete tune up
2. Completely clean of the throttle body
3. Deep clean of the intake manifold. No clogged passages that o can tell…. No serious crude.
4. New useable link
5. After trying the ice trick, I replaced the MAF with a good used one. Ran fine for about 5 days…. Then same thing. Strands me.
6. Early on, I swapped the fuel relay…. No effect.

All those things helped it run better, and more consistently……but still strands me and now it strands me …every time. I just Uber home. But today I’m $100 ride one way away from home.

I’ve had this girl since 97. Triple locked anniversary edition. 350k miles. I love her…. But can’t get to the bottom of this.

I have tools with me, but am stuck.

Any/all help appreciated. I’m thumb typing on a phone…. So can’t do a lot of searching here.

Thanks for any advice?

Bentley

 

[Irish Reiver]

If you have an OBD2 reader with you it would be worth looking to see what the engine temp sensor is reading. It might be way off the scale and altering the fuel ratio for a wrong temp.

 

[Landcruisin50]

Thanks. I just purchased a new reader….. but have only used it to read and erase the egr code. Do you try this while it’s running?
Update: After a 2 hours with multiple failed attempts, I iced the MAF. After 15 minutes it cranked…barely. At the end of a long start attempt, which has never wiorked before. Normally only floods it and runs the battery down. Then, for the first time ever, as I approached my driveway 30 minutes later, it cut off while I was driving. No warning, was running perfect…then nut running. I coasted into the drive. Tried it, no start. THAT time, it was as if I lost spark. Like I turned it off.

I’ve got to check in with the office, then I’ll look at the OBD2 reader manual. Any advise appreciated. Thanks for the response. But I’ll never leave home with her again til I get this solved.

 

[jsloden]

When it does it you need to establish if you're loosing spark or fuel, and go from there. Then you need to establish which parts related to fuel or spark are getting heat soaked and crapping out; maf sensor, fuel pump, throttle position sensor etc... Because it sound like whatever part is crapping out is definitely heat related. I had a bronco that the fuel pump would absolutely not work if it were above 85 degrees outside. Anything below that and it worked perfect. I could drive it to work in the morning but it would refuse to start in the afternoon at work.

 

[Brindleboxer]

I have two suggestions: 1) Download the FSM from the resources section (at the top of the page) and use it while troubleshooting. 2) Check you wiring harness near the EGR. I had near exact issues with a 97 and that is where my problem was originating. It would work sometime and then it would get some flex or movement and would shut down.

 

[jonheld]

Take it from the top.
During a no start, does the CEL illuminate with the key in the ON position before cranking the starter?
No CEL=no start.