[vanagon40]

Temperature in the low 30's this morning. Turned on the key and no check engine light, no check gauges light. BUT the car started, no problem.

Removed the PCM and the electircal connections look good, most with a coating of dialetric grease.

Put the PCM in the freezer for two hours. Installed PCM, turned on the key and no check engine light, no check gauges light. BUT the car started, no problem.

My next step will be spaying the conectors with a little electric clean, some DeoxIT D100 (in the mail as we speak), and reinstall. I expect my problems may temporarily be over as we should be getting warmer weather.

 

[vanagon40]

Sprayed both connectors with Scotch 3M 1605 Electrical 4 Way (this stuff must be pushing 40 years old in an aerosol can my father "borrowed" from work). I love this stuff.

Cleaned the male pins with dishwashing liquid and blow dry with a hair dryer.

Blow out the female connector with compressed air; rinsed with acetone, and dried with more compressed air.

Treated both the male and female connector with DeoxIT D100.

Reinstalled and both the check engine light and check gauges light work. Car starts great and the tach is working.

Rode my motorcycle to work today due the extremely favorable weather. Next week forcast is warm with rain, so may be driving the Lebaron.

Not sure when or if I will know if I have solved my problem. If the tach operates all the time, I will assume I made positive progress.

Will report back the end of next week.

 

[vanagon40]

Now it won't start in the rain. Starts sometimes even though the check engine light is NOT lit; fails to start sometimes even though the check engine light is lit. Cleaning the connector to the ECU seemed to make no differrence. The tach was still hit and miss, the oil pressure and fuel level guages pegged on one occassion.

BUT, tonight after dark and in the rain I looked under the hood with my wife's assistance and saw the coil sparking like crazy. The wire and boot looked good, so I just ordered a new ignition coil.

(Also replaced the distributor cap and rotor tonight, but that was in the daylight before a saw the sparks from the coil.)

Had this exact problem with a 1988 Astro van, with the coil being a PITA to remove and replace. This looks much simpler.

Not sure if this is the same as my below freezing problem or not.

 

[vanagon40]

For anyone still following this thread, I replaced the coil and the car started this morning despite the rain.

I'm not sure if the coil was part of the no start when freezing problem. Looks like I may not find out until next winter.

Thanks for the all the help and suggestions with this problem.

 

[chuzz]

Kind of makes me look forward to the winter already. :runaway:

 

[mrneuro]

Kind of makes me look forward to the winter already. :runaway:

Chilean road trip?

 

[David Eidell]

Having a 3.0 myself I followed this thread with interest. I wonder if someone makes a COMPATIBLE WITH THE ECU, alkyd distributor cap, rotor and ignition coil? I know that globbing on silicone dialectric grease onto the two small coil terminals has helped me in the tropics. I'm getting sorta tired of dealing with problems originated in the

Honorable People's Liberation Army Factory #232 most esteemed engineering department

 

[vanagon40]

David, I don't have an answer to your question, but since replacing the coil, the car starts every time with no hesitation, even in the wettest of weather (and it has been wet the last two weeks in central Indiana).

Of course it has not been below freezing, so I'm not sure that I solved that problem.

But, I have have no reservations about driving the car anytime, anywhere again.

 

[vanagon40]

I'm back. Since replacing the coil last spring, all my starting problems have been solved. And the car does start below freezing now.