Hey, I'm in need of some advice or suggestions. Here's what happened:

-Started car, let it warm up for 10 mins or so, sprayed WD40 all over my pulleys because it sounded like they were squeeking real bad.
-Did a run to 70mph without hitting any rev limiters.
-Rinsed my car off at a carwash because it had rained the day before. I did not spray into the engine compartment.
-After rinsing the car off I took it down the interstate to help it dry and just take a cruise. It was very windy too.

After 10 miles I turn around to head back to town/home and start getting onto the ramp, right then going about 15 mph and like 2.5krpm the car seemed to backfire, sputter and died on me, it was quite violent. The oil pressure was still there but the rpm's no longer held steady and it just died on me. I got out of the car and everything seemed to be in place, no fluids anywhere. I started the car back up and backed it off the interstate like 70 feet behind me where there was a nice pullout where I could park it.

When the car started it was the same thing, all the backfires/stuttering was so bad it sounded like something smacking around under my DS valve cover, just not steady at all and very noisy. I think the smacking was from the exhaust manifold leak I have there with the backfires. I took the valve cover off and everything looks fine to me, nothing obvious at all. Does this sound like something internal in my engine is broken, timing chain, opti spark, fuel pump??

The car has 81,500 miles on it and had been sitting around for 1-2 years or so in Ohio before I got it and to my knowledge has never had the opti changed out. It needs new plugs/wires as well and a ton of other stuff. The car has ran fine for the 3 months that I've owned it. I've been giving tuneups to what I can here and there a little at a time. I hope it's nothing too critical inside of my motor that went, it doesn't make sense seeing how I wasn't gasing the car or anything... Thanks for the feedback!

 

Pull off the DS valve cover and see for yourself. Its only 4 screws, 3/8" size socket and about 2 minutes of work. Just look for a rocker that is real loose or a pushrod that may be missing... maybe take a picture if you can. Have somebody crank the motor while you watch the rockers to see if they all move or if any appear questionable.

 

It's got air, it's got fuel it's gotta be no spark now. I was turning the engine over and everything under the DS valve cover looks,sounds kosher. Even if it was something near there the car would still run correct? I was poking around down near the opti itself and it is does have lots of moisture on it. The intake manifold thats been leaking bits of oil down onto it doesn't help the cause any. SO I think I'll order a new opti spark, plugs, wires, intake mani gaskets, water pump gasket, etc, etc and maybe it's about time for them quicktrip long tubes...=/ I hope this will fix my problem man!

 

checked for spark on a couple of spark plug wires tonight and it was sparking just fine. could a faulty MAF sensor cause these types of misfire/no start conditions? I did just change the PCM out like 2 days ago too, maybe that's got some issues with it. I'll continue to read my Haynes manual and test this and that... I'm stumped. The car won't start at all now.

 

Doesn't the first sentence contradict the second sentence?

Squirt some fuel in the intake while someone cranks it over. If no dice:

First look for spark on all the plugs. Not just 1 or 2. The easiest way is with an inline spark tester. If it does NOT spark, put the tester to ground instead of to the plug and see if you have it then. If so, the plug is bad.

Why did you change the PCM?

What's the fuel pressure when you're cranking it?

Do you have injector pulses?

Do you have an SES?

Have you scanned it for DTC's that don't set the SES?