Car died today, ideas on cause?

[jhandy]

Driving along, no warning, engine shuts down. No lights, No codes
C1 fuse is blown, and when replaced, blows again the instant the key is inserted
and turned to ACC.

Dealer says the DME died. Is that possiable? Just to die? No water underseat
ever.

I say ignition switch... Had to flatbed to dealer, got stuck in the back country.

02, S, 73k miles.

[Steve Tinker]

Give Jake a call - if I remember you have a good relationship with him, maybe he could shed some light on the problem for you.......

[jhandy]

A little update.

Dealer tested the DME and said that it is fine. they replaced and blew a few more of the C1 fuse.

They tracked it down to something I never heard happening before. However they say it is common on roads with debris.

The Bank 1 engine wiring to cam 1 position sensor has worn and is shorting on the body.

Splice,repair, diagnostic time, tow = 760$

drop motor, replace harness, time, tow = 3890$

So of course I asked they splice the wire. Can anyone think of a reason why this will not be good?

James

[Tranlm]

I feel so bad that you had to spend so much money just to figure that out!

[Perfectlap]

So $350 at an indpendent specialist?

Was it making any unusual noises before it died?
How much is a tow these days in TX? I coughed up $85 for five minute flatbed ride when my alternator gave out. I thought that was a bit pricey...

[porsche666]

Aren't you a surgeon in Texas? Surely you can afford to buy a new car?

[jhandy]

No noise, no warning, made a left turn and lost all electrical power.
The C1 fuse keep popping. All lights work, just when you turn the key, nothing happens.

The tow was 150. I think it was high because of where I was. The dealer was about 75 miles away. It does suck that it cost so much to fix. However I could not just leave it on the road, it would be on blocks by morning.


I hope this helps someone not spend $$ to fix a wire.

[tightbox]

So, did this fix work in the end? I'm having the exact same issues. The engine cut out around a corner, cluster says "engine failure" and engine won't even turn over.

It started ONCE after replacing the 25 amp C1 fuse, and ran fine for 20+ minutes. Shut her down, and tried to restart, it wouldn't turn over, and won't again (15 fuses into testing!)

C1 blows immediately before even turning key to crank position. Chased everything I can think of down w/ elec tester. Tried new battery, swapped "53" relays, new ignition switch, tested red/green wire going from DME to fuse panel.

Any idea where the wire your dealer spliced is located?

[Jake Raby]

Hell, they have to drop the engine to change a wire harness??
No wonder those guys don't last long under my roof!

I've never had this issue occur before, but I can see how it happened. It could also start one hell of an engine fire had that fuse not done its job!

[jhandy]

The splice fixed the problem. I do not know where this wire is located, maybe someone has a picture of this the "Bank 1 engine wiring to cam 1 position sensor".

sorry I could not be of more help.

[Jake Raby]

I've seen that wire damaged before.. Something probably flew up off the road and hit the wire.. Its fairly exposed to the under side of the vehicle.

[tightbox]

Jake, do you have a picture/diagram or description of where this wire is located?

My car has been stranded for over a week while I test everything I can think of!

Thanks!