1987 Park Avenue ignition failure

[heidigirl]

yes, code 23 is the MAT sensor. I've never had a failure of the temp sensor, so I don't have any real world experience that I can share with you. a bad crank sensor will set a code 42 on the 1988 model, but the engine won't even run if the sensor is completely dead. clear the code, and you might be able to restart the engine, which is the maddening part of all this: intermittent failures. clear the codes, you can get the car to run, but you forfeit any trouble shooting opportunity. i guess the one suggestion i can offer is to maintain a cache of small disposable office supplies in the vehicle.

[soulbrother]

Hmmm..... Just found out what caused the code 23, when testing for the mentioned problems I disconnected a sensor placed in the air filter housing near the inlet for the throttle while engine was running,guess it was the MAT sensor I disconnected so that´s the code 23. Alltogether,the code reading did not give any clue so I guess I´ll go for the crank sensor now,wasn´t too expensive,about $100. (5 times the price for same part for a Volvo,guess it´s the opposite in the USA) Thanks to you all, I´ll be back when the crank sensor is replaced,whatever the result.... [img]smile.gif[/img]

[soulbrother]

By the way...does the crank sensor indicate code 42 on the 1987 model too or did that come from the 1988 model?

[heidigirl]

i referenced the 1988 manual. couldn't tell you for certain if they are the same codes, but i believe the On Board Diagnostic (OBD) logic would be the same for both years. a new crank sensor from the dealer is over $50.00 here. considering duty, freight and taxes, you didn't get beat up too badly. hope this solves your problem. i'm gonna cross my fingers for you. maybe, my eyes too.

[soulbrother]

Did some testing today...disconnected crank sensor with engine running,of course engine stops but no codes are shown. When doing the same with the cam shaft sensor engine continues running,SES lamp comes on but once shut off it cant be restarted and code 41 is shown so today I ordered the crank sensor,hope it´s well invested money!

[soulbrother]

Replaced crank sensor a few days ago. This far,after driving the car twice, no trouble but I think I´ll wait for a little while before I say the problem´s finally solved.....meanwhile,keep your fingers crossed!!

[soulbrother]

Car still runs without problems,seems the new crank sensor did the job! Finally the price (for a Standard Motors replacement) went down to about $43 so why complain... Thanks to you all!

[coiciu]

I am having a similar problem on my ’97 Buick LeSabre and I don’t know how to correct it. In my case though, the engine is very rarely stopping while I’m driving. Usually it just wouldn’t start when the engine is warm (like after I drove it for a while and then I let the car in a parking lot). A couple of times it started but then it died after a couple hundred meters. If I let the car sit for about half an hour, it would start, sometimes with difficulties, sometimes fairly easy. Almost all the time, the engine is very ‘unstable’ at first, but then after the revs go up above 4000 rpm and then down again, everything seems to be like new. The problem is that I don’t have an error code reader (it is quite expensive for a car at its age) and when I could go to a service it would run OK. Reading some forums on the internet I had the crankshaft sensor changed, but it didn’t solve the problem. If anyone can have an idea of what the cause might be, I would greatly appreciate your input.
I forgot to add that this car has always started with difficulty when the engine was cold. Maybe this helps!

[heidigirl]

could be a dying fuel pump. you can check for codes using a paper clip. check mastiff's link earlier in this thread.

[coiciu]

Thanks for your reply! One quick question before I try it: would that method work on my car too? At the link you gave me it says it is good for cars up to '95 and my car is '97. Do you think I can ruin something by doing that?