Hey guys,

The wife started the car this morning in the garage (door open of course) to warm the seats and the car itself.

I left a few minutes after she started it, but noticed it purring like a cat when I walked by it.

About halfway to work, I get a phone call from her saying that she can't take the crossfire to work and has to take the Focus. Apparently, as soon as she got in the car and decided to pull it out of the garage, it started bucking badly, a check engine light came on, and it was running rough/wouldn't clear up.

There have been a few times when the car would have hard starts, it would run terrible for the first 15 seconds after starting, etc. BUT, it always cleared up with a simple throttle 'blip'.

Any ideas? I'm thinking it is the fuel pump that AtomHeart had a problem with...but the dealer said was not an issue.

Question: Should I drive it to the dealer and risk further damage (15 miles), or have it towed? If I have it towed, does the warranty reimburse the cost?

Thanks,
SQ

 

Check that sensor i was talking about in my other post. The sensor in the secondary aluminum ypipe that goes from the manifolds down into the heads. Make sure its not popped out. Report back.

 

Sounds like your car is in "limp mode". Mine behaved exactly the same way with the addition of a hissing sound everytime i try to accelerate due to the MAP sensor popping out. My fix was to put it back in and CEL went away after several miles of driving.

If you haven't done it, you might want to disconnect your battery for several minutes to see if that clears it up or if you've removed your ecu at one point, try reseating it.

good luck...

 

Is the map sensor the one on the back of the intercooler Y pipe?

I am pretty sure it has something to do with the hard starts I experience. There has been times when I turn the key and the car will turn over for 7-8 seconds, won't fire, and then the computer makes it stop cranking. You have to pull the key out and re-insert it, then crank again. Several times when this happened, it would run rough when it did fire until you just barely touched the throttle.

AtomHeart had an issue with a secondary fuel pump seal that resulted in hard starts. I told this to my dealer and they, of course, "Could not duplicate" the problem.

I will look into the sensors you guys mention at lunch time. Where exactly are they?

For the record - the computer has never been out, and the car is stock with the exception of drop-in K&N Filters. I did change to the SL55 Y-Pipe a while back, but re-installed the stock one. The hard starts occurred before I ever did that though.

Thanks,
SQ

 

Look aprox 6" or so BELOW the t/b. Its that cast aluminum ypipe with two couplers on it, the sensor resides right in the middle.

 

Is that the MAP sensor?

 

Don't we have roadside assistance?

 

Im not sure, but I would assume. I'm not worried about breaking down with it...I'm more concerned with damaging it more by attempting to drive it to the dealer.

I guess I could roll it out on the street, call the dealer and say the car broke down at a friend's house and have them come get it.

SQ

 

I feel for ya Shawn - I just got back today from the dealer due to a CEL - although my SRT ran fine. Turns out I have an intermittent problem with the #2 injector. They have one on order and will install it next week.

While I was waiting the mechanic (the only one this dealership has for German cars - Crossfires and Sprinters) came out and spoke with me. He saw that I had installed the SL55 airbox, boost gauge and on a test drive discovered it sounded different and saw that the resonator was gone - so he asked if I had changed the injectors just to be sure that he did not order and install a stock one and have the #2 cylinder running lean.

I said no - and we discussed warranty. The reason I bring this up is that it may be necessay to change injectors with the 185mm pulley to avoid running lean at WOT.

He said airboxes, mufflers, larger HE, Johnson pump etc..(I ran down the list) would not void the warranty - but he must note on the service record and report to his supervisor if he notices any component mods such as OD pulleys, coils, ECU mods etc.. and then his boss would make the determination to void the warranty.

Just some info I thought I would share.

I will talk to him again next week when I return. He told me he just purchased a new Harley so I will see about going out on a ride and possibly take him up on a flight. Might just be a good investment. Always good to have the only Crossfire Mechanic has your friend.

 

Its never a bad idea to buddy up with your technician I wonder if theres any way the dealer can tell if you have a remapped/modified stock ecu? If im going to spend $1000-$2000 on an extended warranty when the time comes(2 yrs away) i darn sure dont want it to be voided because of my mods. I can easily switch back to stock intake and even pulley if serious engine work were necessary, but if they are going to be able to tell my ecu has been modded through their diagnosis computer...lets just say thats something id like to know.

 

As a tech I must say that this is some times not the best idea. First if you stand over my shoulder and rattle off things that you think you know, or tell me ridiculos things that you think are wrong with your car, I will want to tell you get the hell out of my space and I will work as fast as I can to get your car out(not spend the time needed to take care of it.)
Things that help
Politely introduce yourself when I'm not doubled over your car.
Explain to me in great detail what happened when your car malfunctioned.
Don't tell me your life story unless I inquire.
Don't insist on waiting on your car all day. Make arrangements to get a ride home, either by the dealers shuttle, or spouse, or friend. This gives me time to take care of your vehicle.
And lastley, it doesn't hurt to tip. $5 is nice if the tech has done a great job, and made sure not to leave any finger prints on the inside of your car(outside prints are gonna happen deal with it,) and if you had a serious problem and your vehicle is under warranty maybe $10 or more, because the tech barely makes any money on warranty, in actuality they probably lose money.
This is how to make a tech your friend, and get the best service possible.

Shawn

 

Got home on Friday after work, pulled the car out of the garage, unhooked the battery and let it sit for about an hour as i played Madden on the Wii

Went back out, hooked it back up, and the car started/acted fine with NO CEL.

The car DID have a hard start issue again yesterday though. It cranked for 7-8 seconds without firing, and then just stopped cranking. (the car 'gives up' after cranking too long, and you have to pull the key out, re-insert, and re-crank.).

There is another dealer I am going to take it to that has an SRT tech. I'm not sure if the car will still have the code after I disconnected the battery or not, but we'll see.

Brian, what were the symptoms of your injector failure?

SQ

 

Just a CEL - Car ran/runs fine but the CEL would not clear. Repair tech said there was 72 occurrences; which is not a lot when you consider the duty-cycle of even one injector.

They cleared the error code but it came back on when driving back to work.

I'll take a new injector now - it will be nice to get it fixed before I install the LET pulley.

 

Had this happen to our 2005 Crossfire found to be Intake censer.

 

Hey, Shawn!

It might just be crappy gas or some water in the fuel system. You could try tossing a bottle or 2 of injector cleaner in the ole petrol tank & see what happens especially now that it appears to be behaving. The only spooky thing is that the car was running just fine while it was warming up but then began to act up after it was put into gear.

 

Just trying to find an acceptible answer to a problem I have here. The dealership had the Xfire for over a week for check engine light. He tried an mass air sensor and ended up clearing the code and blaming it on a bad load of gas. I sinced refilled with Amaco and it reappeared on the interstate with less then a 140 miles.
I guess it chin music time again at the dealership here in Virginia>

 

DMS,

Mine was assumed to be to the faulty fuel pump (lack of fuel on startup).

SQ

 

I was looking at buying an SRT convertible 2 days ago. Got a pre purchase inspection done ($340), the mechanic said the check engine light is on, and the car was running a little rough, took for a spin, everything is ok, brought it back to the car dealer and the CEL came on again. Dealership reckoned they got somebody to look at it and they said that it happened because the car was very low on fuel. They put more fuel in and the light didn't come on and it runs beautifully. Doesn't sound right to me. Any thoughts anybody? Cheers James.

 

Good reason to have a code reader/delete at home. Worth the $100. I did not see your location but I had trouble with my car starting and when it did there was no boost, therefore no boost. Turned out the black sensor right behind the SC pulley was picking up moisture in these humid Florida nights. A dab of dielectric grease fixed it and I dealt with it for a month until it was resolved. Do you have the original parts except for the one(pulley) to raise the boost? Start with the obvious and work back, good luck, Sweet

 

Yea, I have some thoughts.

1) No vehicle runs "a little rough" and lights it's CEL because "it's very low on fuel".
2) Anyone who makes such a statement as in 1) above is offering an opinion that you should not listen to.

And did I read this right? YOu had a pre purchase inspection done, they saw the CEL come on, did not read the code and still charged you $340? Did you PAY them? If so, WHY? CELs light when a code is generated, the idea here is to READ THE DAMN CODE and you will know what the ECU/PTCM/etc sees that it does not like - and there is no reason to GUESS as to why the light is on.

THIS is the kind of story that is the reason why I NEVER have a pre-purchase inspection done. I do it mydamnself. MOST such "services" are almost a complete waste of time, as in your case.