I have a 92 ls that is an automatic. Sometimes it just decides not to start. It will crank fine, but no start. During this time the s3 light on the dash is blinking. When it is not blinking the car will start fine. It eventually will fix its self, but is annoying. Does any one no what could be causing this? Thanks in advance…
C’mon guys…Please help me out…
does it crank or does it just click?
does it happen during certain types of weather?
if u want help u have to give us a little more information
when the S3 light blinks, computer is tryin to spit a code at you
well…
well i also have a an automatic and i put in an after market shift knob which i think maybe the cause of my reverse grinding. but when and how often does ur car do this?even on nice days or just days that are wet!maybe u need a tune up! dude jus give us a little more info to work with
Peace
It sounds like the starter. But answer the people’s questions first.
Regards,
Oz
Sorry guys for the late reply, but the bandwidth thing. The car will crank over just fine, but acts like it isn’t getting any fire. It seems to do it on hot muggy days when the car has sat with the windows up all day. The strange thing is that it fixes itself later, and I have not been able to nail down the problem. Could it be the ECU? I have had to replace it once so far. Again, sorry for the late reply, and thanks for the help…
Originally posted by Red92TegLS
Sorry guys for the late reply, but the bandwidth thing. The car will crank over just fine, but acts like it isn’t getting any fire. It seems to do it on hot muggy days when the car has sat with the windows up all day. The strange thing is that it fixes itself later, and I have not been able to nail down the problem. Could it be the ECU? I have had to replace it once so far. Again, sorry for the late reply, and thanks for the help…
Check your:
- Air filter (clogged)
- Fuel system (maybe not delivering fuel during hot days)
- Battery connections positive and negative terminals (could be corroded).
Regards,
Oz
Thanks…I really didn’t think of the small stuff. The S3 thing was throwing me off:D
Count the number of blinks from the s3 light when it blinks, it’s telling you a code, meaning that the auto tranny computer senses a problem. it should blink between 1 and 13 times. If it blinks 12 times or more than 13, then your auto tranny computer is faulty. Otherwise, just post the number of blinks here or look in a helms, and you can find out what the tranny computer is having a problem with. In the helms, the codes should be on 14-34, at least they are for the 1990 helms. For the most part, all the problems sensed by the auto tranny computer are disconnected or shorted wires.
Thanks, I have never counted them, but I know it’s alot. I appreciate all the help…When I find out I will let yall know.
Ahhhh sounds like another case of the starter relay. I had the same thing happen with my car to the point that it would rarely start on the first time in the summer. Take it to a Honda guy who knows what theyre doin and theyll take care of it. Im pretty sure its up under the passenger side dash but Im not sure what to look for. And make sure you fix that before its totally fried and doesnt start at all. Hope this helps…
it the main fuel relay , i swaped mine out and now is fine most of the time , main fuel relays are a part that does go bad after 10 years good luck
JOE
just a suggestion, I’d try and solve the problem that your tranny computer has first before replacing a bunch of other stuff. I had a similar problem in the last year and spent a fair amount of money just replacing stuff that I thought could be the problem without ever taking enough time to fully diagnose the problem. Granted now I have new parts on half the car, but a lot of them were unecessary, as my problem turned out to be a loose wire. I ended up spending around $500 replacing stuff that for the most part ended up not needing to be replaced. I definitely learned a lot about my car from all this, but none of it helped to solve my problem. So my suggestion is to fix the obvious problem your auto tranny computer has first, then try other things to see what’s wrong. If it is your pgm-fi relay, try listening to the gas tank with an automotive stethoscope when you first turn the ignition key to the on position, you should hear the fuel pump turn on for a second or two (helps to have a friend to turn the key.) If you hear the pump, your relay probably isn’t bad. You can check it further by getting a manual and looking in it to see how to test the relay (it’s quite easy using a multimeter and some jumper wires, you can get them both at radioshack). Good luck
Auto Tranny Computer?
Ive had the S3 blinking light for awhile now…it sucks not being able to shift into s4. Should i count the number of blinks or whatnot to determine the problem? It always take the s3 light about 10 seconds to start blinking after i start the car. It started right after i got headwork done…which always made me think it was a loose wire.
ok…i just went and counted the number of blinks…and its endless once it starts. Does that mean for sure that my auto tranny computer is bad??
~blizzum~
First you have to check to see if you have spark. Remove one of the sparkplug wires, and put it a few inches away from a good ground and have someone try to start the car. If you don’t see it ark, then you have an ignition problem(plug wires, distibutor, ignition coil), obviously. If you are getting spak, you have just narrowed it down to your Fuel system(injectors, fuel pump, fuel filter, fuel relay OR starter) Mine is doing the same thing every once in awhile and I have narrowed mine down to an old cap/rotor. Good Luck.
If it does blink continuously, that does suggest that your tranny computer is bad, it doesn’t absolutly mean it is, but it’s a pretty strong suggestion. Are you sure there are no longer pauses in the blinks? if there are pauses, count the blinks in between pauses, that’s the actual number. I’d strongly suggest getting a helms, it will be invaluable to diagnosing and solving the problems. Also, it is a good idea to check for spark with a spark tester, and also not a bad idea to check the coil resistances. And check the pgm-fi relay according to the manual. Also try resetting the car (if you haven’t already) by disconnecting the battery for a little bit, and see if that changes anything. Good luck.
Oh, this may be a bit far fetched, but check the main engine grounds as well, primarily the one on the front of the engine attaching to the valve cover, as well as the one on the thermostat housing (this one is the main ground for most of the engine electronics). If they’re loose, they could be causing some intermittent problems.
Thanks for the info…like i said it seems to run and drive fine except for not being able to shift into s4. Also there are no pauses inbetween s3 blinks…its endless. All this started after i had headwork done. My timing belt broke about three months after i bought the car…bent 10 valves. I had my brother fix it and do some performance work while it was down. Im going to check the thermostat ground…im pretty sure it isnt there…i made a ground for the valve cover cause i knew it was kinda important. Thanks again for the info.
~blizzum~
ps. i ordered my helms manual today!
OMG
ok…at 2:00 in the morning i went and checked for the thermostat housing ground…its not there. Ive had these problems since the headwork was done so im almost pretty sure this is the problem. Just to make sure could you explain to me what the thermostat housing ground looks like and what it bolts to on either end. Thanks again for all your help.
~blizzum~