R32 Engine cuts out

[B0oStEr]

I took the R32 for a spin today after not driving it for the last two weeks.

Going slowly around a roundabout the engine stalled without warning. It didn't restart the first time I tried but started on the second attempt.

When I got it home I was letting it idle for a minute in the driveway and it shut down without warning just as if I used the key.

There was no slow idle just a steady 800rpm then it stopped just as if I'd set the turbotimer.

I spent the last hour reading the twenty posts my search found but most of those with stalling problems had a poor idle as well or the problems were a result of malfunctioning a/m blow off valves etc.

The only mod on this car is a turbotimer and it's an auto if that makes a difference.

Due to the instant switch-like nature of the problem I think it's probably something electrical rather than fuel related.

Has anyone had a similar problem and found out what it was?

Thanks

[B0oStEr]

Ok, this problem hasn't gone away.

Occassionally it stalls at intersections and roundabouts and always at idle or on the overrun but today when I was giving it a bit it started missing as it came on boost then it just shut down. I managed to pull the car over to the edge of the road (no power steering) and it restarted first time and I drove home.

Usually the car revs sweetly all the way to the redline.

Could both problems be caused by the same thing?

I need to fix this fast as it's bl**dy dangerous.

[strutto]

What ECU are you using?

[BHDave]

When the car stalls is the fuel pump still running? Easily checked as the ignition will still be on so the pump should still be running.

When i completed my engine swap i forgot to plug in the dropping resistor for the fuel pump speed so the car started and ran but as soon as the ecu tried to drop the speed of the pump when the throttle was closed the car would stall instantly. It sounds like it may be an electrical problem due to the intermittent nature of the problem.

Have you checked the wiring on the turbo timer? The handbrake cut out may be causing issues.

[blind_elk]

The ignitor module can be a problem, in that it tends to fail when it gets hot. That's why the engine often fails to restart immediately.

[B0oStEr]

The car is stock except for exhaust and turbo timer.

All the dashlights come on when it stalls but I couldn't hear the fuelpump although it's normally very quiet anyway.

The turbo timer is unlikely to cause this because none of the ignition wires were actually cut when it was fitted and all it does is join wires once the ignition is turned off.

Someone told me it might be junk in the fuel tank getting stuck in the pickup and falling off when the engine stalls only to get sucked up again later causing it to stall again.

It made sense but I don't know how so much crap would get into my tank.

I've got to say my money is on it being fuel pump related although I think the pump itself is ok maybe something is dodgy in the grounding.

Where is this dropping resistor located?

What inputs does the ECU use to switch between fuelpump speeds?

[BHDave]

On R32's the resistor is located on the passenger side strut tower under the bonnet.

[B0oStEr]

Oh yeah, I wasn't sure that was for.

So the earth wire from the fuel pump goes to the ecu which switches earths via either the dropping resistor or a straight chassis earth? Is it just 2 speed?

What tells the ECU to switch speeds?

[BHDave]

I'm not sure how it is wired in. More than likely there will be a relay in line with the power feed to the fuel pump. When the relay is tripped by the ecu it will parallel the dropping resistor so there is less voltage (or is it current, i cant remember my formulas now) going to the fuel pump so it runs slower. Or something along those lines.

The ecu trips the relay when it gets a signal (or no signal) from the speed sensor wire and also a tacho input of some sort, indicating that the car is stopped and at idle.

[=premo=]

this problem sounds exactly like my problem only mine has gone from a once off thing to happening 3 times in the distance of 2km, happens at idle or when backing off after full throtle (both a couple of seconds after and in the small back off between gears). almost didnt make it home last nite, half hour befor my permit ran out!!!

so how do i go about checking the suggested possibilities, keeping in mind i cant drive it anywhere legaly. i do have acess to a mates r32 (swap ecu's etc).

i dont think its the ignitor module as it can cutout/die without warning on a cool nite after no hard aceleration and only 2-3minutes after start up.

cheers

[gts4diehard]

hi,

afms can cause this, it happened to my car a while ago, joints in the afm can need resoldering,. my car kept cutting out on me, stalling at the lights. check the past threads for more details.

another cause can be an alarm system, some alarms/mobilisers have relays inside them which switch the power to the fuel pump/ignition/starter and these can play up intermittently, my car also had this not so amusing problem, especially when car cuts out on freeway at 100kms/hr. just needed to replace relay and all fixed, not something that you can easily fix on the side of the road.

Stephen

[TRY032]

try the battery terminals and the earthing strap... my car does this exact thing.. well not any more after i tightened these two things............. try a new battery also

[negitive]

happens to me too...

ive just imported an 89 r32 gtst, and it drives like a beauty.

anywayz everytime i approch a light it stalls suddenly even on neutral.

so im guessing it may be the battery, ecu, or fuel pump?

also ive noticed that wen it has cut out, i floor the accelerator and suprisingly the engine just kicks back in...strange... i have a feeling its got somehting to do with the fuel pump as it has just been replaced with a bigger one....

[=premo=]

well after swaping some parts with a firend, we may have found that the problem was the AFM all along, althow im not 100%. he used mine for aprox 3days with almost no trouble, but has said that it started cuting out a bit 2day and yesterday but no where near as bad as mine. he cleaned the AFM and now its fine. im getting a permit for my car wednesday so ill see if i still have the problems running his AFM.

[B0oStEr]

This cutting out problem is getting worse.

Now most of the time it happens just as I start to make boost.

Usually I can restart it with the key before I come to a complete stop but a couple of times recently it wouldn't restart for five minutes or so.

It's only a matter of time before I get stranded in the middle of a busy intersection :Oops:

At least if it won't restart it should be easy to track the problem down.

My other R32 only runs 7 PSI but this one runs 9 PSI.

I'm not aware of any mods to account for this small difference.

As it cuts out when coming on boost could this be part of the problem?

[$ballin$]

im no mechanic or anything, but i think i have experienced your problem before in my past skyline. the problem may have 2 do with your air filter. as my car had a pod filter i would let the engine idle and actually blow hard into the filter and the engine would start to idle rougly, the harder i blew it stalled. i understand that ur only mods are a turbo timer but maybe a sensor has been tampered, come lose or something.

my 2 cents

[=premo=]

ok, its not the AFM. its still happening, my mate took my r32 down to the engineer on friday (to adelaide and back from the hills good hour n a half of driving) and only had a small cut out once. i drove it that night and it died in the ass for about 5min aprox 4 times in traffic. not kewl.

i have the stock air box on and it still happens (so not the pod filter). ive replaced the plugs and it hasnt happend since but i havnt traveled very far as my permit ran out last night. im going to bridgy to get it registerd tomorrow (i hope).

my car is running 0.9bar with only a N1 cat back and the pod filter, and 0.75bar with stock air box. i cant find any other mods on the car. so it could be a boost problem?????

[B0oStEr]

This problem keeps changing. The last couple of days I can hardly drive it anywhere without it stalling. Now at idle or cruise with no throttle it drops the revs to near stall then revs up to 1500 rpm or so then back to stall.

It seems to have a mind of it's own.

I thought I might have found the cause. I found that the AAC valve was broken.

This is the valve that is mounted near the injectors not the one with the stepper motor at the rear of the plenum.

It has a disc with a hole in it that is moved to close by a heated bimetal strip.

I opened it up and found the pin the disc rotates on had fallen out so it passed extra air to the motor even after it reached operating temperature.

I fixed it and started the motor. When the motor warmed the valve closed off and the revs dropped. I disconnected the plug from the stepper motor and screwed out the idle screw which had been screwed all the way in by the previous owner and set the idle at 675rpm, then I reconnected the stepper motor plug.

The idle was a stable 675rpm for the first time since I bought the car.

I took it for a test drive, excellent, could this have been the cause of the whole problem?

No, the stalling thing started again the next time I drove it.

Oh well, one down who knows how many to go?

I'm going to put a fuel pressure gauge on it tomorrow.

[The Dan]

That is the blowby control valve.

Do you have an engine manual?

If not, PM me and I'll get one to you. It helps in diagnosis.

[B0oStEr]

That is the blowby control valve.

 

Do you have an engine manual?

 

If not, PM me and I'll get one to you. It helps in diagnosis.

Thanks for the offer but I've got one of sorts.

The valve I described is definately the Auxilary Air Control valve. It has nothing to do with blowby. It supplies additional air past the throttle during warmup.

The fuel pressure was perfect so the pump is not the problem.

The ECU diagnostic showed airmass meter and speed sensor faults.

I checked the airmass meter plug and it was clean with no corrosion.

Due to the problem being intermittent I think cleaning the airmass meter wouldn't help so what else could be wrong with it? Internal dry solder joint?