92 Buick Century 3.3L - no spark

[Richard STL]

133k miles with C3I Module.

After reviewing related posts it sounds like the crankshaft position sensor may be bad. I replaced the harmonic balancer last year but didn't know to check/replace the sensor.

Is there an easy way to check it before I tear it apart and replace it?

Are there any other components that usually fail that could cause this problem?

Any other suggestions?

Richard

[jgate]

Just a thought, I did have a 94 Century with a 2.2
He brought it to me after he had dumped close to $500 in sensors, coil packs, crank sensors, ing modules, plugs wires .
I checked the PCM and ing fuse found no power to the PCM fuse that is under the hood by the relay center, replace 2" of wire and we had spark,and it ran great.
So always start at the basics, check the fuses first, and check for power at the fuses.

[Richard STL]

Two days ago i checked the fuses and checked power at the fuses... all ok.
After I reinserted the fuses it started right up.

After running it for 2 days with no problem, it failed to start again this morning. (very damp and cool morning here is st louis.)

I checked the INJ/Coil fuse and power, re-inserted the fuse and it started!

I'm guessing a bad connection in the fuse box.
When (or if) I figure out for sure what the problem is, I'll post a message here.

[jgate]

What I usually do with a bad fuse box connection , is remove the fuse box , from the back, find the two wires I need, cut and install an in line fuse of the same size, that always takes care of bad connection in a power center. Very cheap fix compared to a new box. And just as safe as a new box.

[Richard STL]

It's baaaack!
After several months of few problems the "no-spark" problem has reappeared.

The engine has periodically quit while driving, but has always re-started with no problem. About 3 weeks ago it quit and after snugging up the fuses it started. About 2 weeks ago it quit and would not restart, even after jiggling the fuses.
I have checked all of the fuses in the glove box and checked that all fuses are getting power and even completed the circuit by connecting the the terminals on the back of the fuse box with a piece of wire... still won't start.

I have looked but not been able to find a fuse under the hood. (after posting I found a 20 amp fuse near the radiator fill cap. The fuse is fine and it has power.)

Another (possibly related) problem: while driving with the cruise control on, the engine loses power for 1 maybe 2 seconds, then continues to run with the cruise control working. I've looked for a vacumn leak and loose connections but found none.

Another (possibly related) problem: About 4 weeks ago while driving at highway speed, the "check engine" light came on for about a minute. When I got home I grounded the A and B terminals and got an error code 24 - vehicle speed sensor, but because of the price (about $90) I didn't replace it.

[oldsman]

Hi Richard, yes that crank sensor is behind the balancer. Haynes book says that you have to have special tool J 37089 to align it properly when reinstalling it and to check interrupter rings on the balancer to make sure that they arent bent, but it sounds like from what i read that you have a fuse problem. As jgate said eliminate that problem with the fuse block by replacing it with an inline fuse. Does it misfire some times or quit running after a while?. mY 3.8 cranksensor when it went bad engine would miss, stall and not start, when the one on my 2.8 went bad it would run fine for ten minutes every time then stall and not start No easy way to check it other than hooking it up to a diagnostic machine but I think your problem lies with the fuse block, let us know.

[Richard STL]

It apparently was the crackshaft position sensor! WHEW!

After tinkering for months, I finally broke down and just changed the CPS about a month ago. It's been running fine since.