2000 Chrysler Cirrus Intermittent Starting

EPPS

MEMBER
2000 CHRYSLER CIRRUS
6 CYL
FWD
AUTOMATIC
147,000 MILES

The car will start and run fine most of the time. However, some times it wont start at all (or die after a short period of running, 5 minutes or less). It will still turn over fine. Sometimes it will attempt to start, a consistent boom (sounds maybe like one spark plug is firing) is heard 2-3 times/second. I can hear the fuel pump turn on as well. It failed to start a while back and I towed it to the shop. They said it was the battery (they would not listen to me, I told them it was still turning over) since it was frozen, it had froze after sitting outside for a month. Other than that, it started fine. After the shop, it ran fine for a few days, maybe 200 miles. It died after 5 minutes of running yesterday as I approached a stop sign and wouldn't start. After another 5 minutes or so of attempting to start it, it slowly started. I am to the point where I am looking to start replacing the coil pack, spark plugs, others in the electrical portion. After hearing the fuel pump turn on, I have jumped to the electrical system. Also, after seeing the prices of some of these parts, I'd like to get some advice first as these are pretty expensive. It's hard to troubleshoot it when it is intermittent.

3 Replies

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

Please elaborate on how you're hearing the fuel pump. Are your observations related to hearing the pump run for one to two seconds when turning on the ignition switch? It must also turn on during cranking. That can be hard to hear. Check for spark too. Before replacing parts, when it doesn't start, measure for voltage on the dark green / orange stripe wire in the coil pack connector. That one will also have 12 volts for up to two seconds after turning on the ignition switch, then again during cranking. If voltage is there for the initial two seconds, the circuitry is ok. If it doesn't come back during cranking, suspect the camshaft position sensor first, and the crankshaft position sensor next.

Caradiodoc

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Wednesday, March 3rd, 2010 AT 12:12 PM

EPPS

MEMBER
2 POSTS

I believe this problem has isolated itself to cold weather. I still haven't checked for spark or fuel pressure because the car hasn't had this problem for some time. The weather has warmed up. However, the weather dropped down recently, and like clockwork, the problem came back for three days in a row (the coldest days). Early in the morning I would crank the car, it would start/run fine, then after it warmed up I'd jump in and drive to the highway 1/4 mile down the road. At the stop sign, the car died every day. It seemed the colder it was, the harder it was to restart. The last day it did this, "no bus" showed up on the dispay on the dash. Also, once it did start, it was very limited to go, I would give it gas and it would put along for a few seconds. Does "no bus" mean no power? It cranked just fine, just wouldn't fire up.

Also, today I pulled the spark plugs out to check them, in the spark plug holes there were pools of oil. From what I read, this is the valve cover gasket. Also, some people say the voltage can short to the case through saturated/expanded rubber insulation. Can this be related to my intermittent starting problem?

I'm starting to find more signs of a POS/maltreatment. The tranny fluid was leaking, so I looked at the pan and all the bolts were two turns loose, I literally could have tightened them with my hand. Also, when going down hill or backing off the throttle, the car jolts around as the RPM's jump around. Any ideas?

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Sunday, April 11th, 2010 AT 6:20 PM

CARADIODOC

MECHANIC
33,871 POSTS

"No Buss" refers to the data buss which is a pair of wires that connect to every computer on the car. It is how they send information to each other. The wires normally have 6 volts on them. If anything affects those two wires or the signals on them, the engine may not run. The 6 volts is generated in the Body Computer. A no-start condition can actually be caused by that Body Computer. It's main job is to control things like the power locks and interior lights.

The Body Computer can be accessed by the dealership mechanics with their DRB3 hand-held computer. It also communicates with all of the car's computers over the data buss. If their DRB3 will not communicate, there is an entire book on troubleshooting this problem. The trick is to catch it while the problem is acting up. The Body Computer can be replaced as a test, but I don't like throwing parts at a problem until the diagnostic tests point to it.

Caradiodoc

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Sunday, April 11th, 2010 AT 11:32 PM