91 Festiva Electrical short

[Jblair]

Yes any relay will work, from another car. And yes the VAF is the air flow meter. But that silly thing has a lot to do with our little cars starting. And ive seen them do very odd things to drivability when failing. Simple enough to try if you can find another in a JY or a local member.

VAF may be what i try, im out of ideas, there was no rough ride at time of death, it was quick and intermittent. The spark cut out completely

[tooldude]

Looking at only the schematic for the passive restraint system, it occurs to me that possibly one motor is stuck 'ON'. I don't have that system, but it seems that the mechanism could hang in the track and not reach the cut-off point or, if adjustable, the limit switch could be out of adjustment. This would keep the motor energized. Only one motor energized would not draw enough amperage to blow the 30A fuse, and shouldn't, whereas a dead short to ground will blow any fuse.

[Jblair]

The belt is stuck and it i need to free it. Once i get the beast fired up and running thats my next thing to tackle. With the fuse out i can find this other problem. Tooldude, your pretty damn good. I apprecieate someone who knows what they are talkimg about and is on the same page with me.

[tooldude]

I'm sure I'm not the most knowledgeable person on this site regarding Festivas. I just got on a campaign recently to fully understand the Festiva F.I. system. I don't have the answer to everything right off the top of my head like a mechanic who is hands on all the time. Rather, I look at the problem and try to analyze it from theory based on what I've studied and my own experiences, the same way I have to deal with my own vehicles. Anyway, I think your next step is to see that you have voltage getting to your distributor (Y/BK wire) and a signal coming out of it (Y/BL wire). It seems to be the only thing not replaced.

[Jblair]

So, i check my batery, it charged over night, 13.6v i reconnect all connectores, fires right up, dies 30sec later, i refire, same thing, then i smell something hot, didnt blow any fuses, wont refire. Main relay is clicking just fine, ill take my mind away from that. Signal to distributer is intermittent

[Jblair]

How do i test pcm?

[Jblair]

Ohhhh. So i start jiggleing neutral safety and clutch switch and boom fires. What js the switch at clutch pettle that works when pressed in? Not the at rest but at pressed switch

[Jblair]

I set a jumper wire, makes no difference . Its starting and dieing after 30 sec. I may have to try this vaf, i have no idea what that could do but damn.

[Jblair]

Restarted my trouble shooting, no spark. So again problem is intermittent spark

[Jblair]

12V at yl/b wire at distributor. 5V at yl/blue. This is with 3wire connector unplugged, key in hot.

[Jblair]

Had it running for about 1min, idle very unstable, idles normal, drop, pick up again, faster, then stopped.

[tooldude]

The check for voltage at the distributor was because I thought the car was not starting up again. There is obviously voltage there if it runs at all. The only check there, that makes sense now, would be to see if there is a loss of voltage when the car dies, but the problem is most likely elsewhere. You might check that the connections on the Idle Speed Control Solenoid are tight. There's the possibility that the CKP sensor is faulty. I'm thinking what you are calling spark cutting out is not spark, but a lean miss. Maybe I was taking you too literally. Have you checked all the vacuum hoses thoroughly for hidden splits or loose fitting? You may have a fuel supply problem, that really seems suspect, can you check running fuel pressure? How long since that fuel filter was changed? That's an easy check and probably needs it anyway.

[Jblair]

The problem is lean mix. New fuel filter. I checked by sprayibg starter fluid, works every time. My time has been limited, ill start checking vac lines. I wanted to try the VAF, got to jy late.

[Jblair]

And fue pressure is seeming good. Other checked it, i havent. I was chasing his ghost before tho, so im trying to open my horizons

[Jblair]

Cars running. Grounded out the pcm, started up, kept running, something happened at the pcm, thats why, ignition and fuel did odd things. . . Now on to he new problems and new threads, cilinder head possible crack and really bad slipping clutch. Hahahah