92 Coil pack and Ignition mod

hey I have this car I'm working on , I took it in to canadain tire here in canada
I took it to them because once the car stopped it wouldn't start again.
They came back and said that it was 3 coil packs and the Ignitation module.candian tire didn't fix anything so far.
I had my coworks husband go to the car this afternoon . he tried to start it and it started no problems . let it run for 15 mins and shut it off for 5 and started it again , once again no problems.
Now when the car first died it was around -25 Celcus .
today it was alot warmer at -14 celcus . tonight when we went to pick it up from canadian tires parking lot it would not start , again it was around -20 celcus.
now was it just a fluke that it started in the first place ?
and how hard would it be to chance the Coil packs and Ignition module ?
I have a new set here . waiting to go in but I can't really afford the Shop to fix it , and $95/hr (canadian dollars) shop rate the module alone costed almost two hundred canadain. I belive the coil packs are located at the front of the motor with the ingition behind this.
if it's the CKS then I'm looking at the rear of the motor .
I'm a smaller guy with smaller arms . I thinking it shouldn't be that big of a job .
or is there more to it all.... thank you
I look forward to the help here.


chimera

I forgot to mention that it's a 3.1 thank you

If the vehicle cranks good but won't start. Have somebody crank the vehicle while you check for spark at the plugs and injector pulse. If you have neither, I would check the crank sensor first.

I have an old 88 chevy, has the sister engine to yours, 2.8L. I had a no start condition, a while back. The crank sensor for my vehicle, was less than 20 bucks US. The ignition module was around a 100 bucks US. Because the crank sensor was cheaper, that was where I started testing. A new crank sensor fixed it. It could be the ignition module on your vehicle. Maybe a few tests could narrow it down.

You can remove the coil packs and module as one assembly and then remove the module(it is flat) and then get it tested at most parts stores. Do not replace the coils, not needed although sometimes people do anyway to avoid future problems. Rare that they go bad, even then only one will go usually. Depending on where yours is located they are not too tough to remove. On some 3.1's they are on top of the motor, others are down low in front. The crank sensor can be bad too, as advised.

Thanks for the reply guys , I picked up the crank sensor tonight on sale foe 9.99 canadian .
I also got the sheet from the mechanic saying no spark shown ,
so I'l going to go ahead and change the crankshaft sensor first.

Be careful removing the old crank sensor if you're doing it yourself. The o-ring hardens, making the old sensor VERY difficult to remove. If it's stuck, don't get burley with it, or you could break it off in the block, which will require you to drop the oil pan to get it out.

thanks I was just told last night the sometimes they "mushroom" and won't come out , then the only way to take them out is too pull the front clip and the oil pan. he said you have to pull the clip to get the oil pan out ,
I haven't worked on one of these yet so I don't know for sure. Canadian tire says Iginition mod but with everything I have read I would be leaning towards the crankshaft sensor. as well while I'm underthere I'm going to check all the wires ect .

Remove the ICM as suggested earlier and have it tested. Make sure when they test it, they run the test enough times to get the ICM warm, as they can fail from heat. The crank sensor is the cheapest of the possible causes, but can be a bear to change. Sometimes they come right out and it's a 10min job. If they stick and break off, it's a MAJOR job. Also check your ECM (located in the Passenger side fenderwell under a plastic cover) for the service #1227727. This service number is a high failure part due to water intrusion issues. It will also cause a random stall/no start situation. Since it's failing at colder temps, it could be condensation/moisture in the ECM. ICM's and crank sensors usually fail as they get warm.

This is all good to know , boy you guys know your cars or what.

I may have given you a wrong location for the ECM. In the Beretta, the ECM may be under the dash behind the glove box. Another bad GM service number is 1227730. I had a 91 Cavalier 3.1 that had an ECM issue where the engine would just shut off like you flicked a light switch. Sometimes as you drove, it would go on and off, and you'd go jerking down the road like a 16 year old learning to drive a stick shift. Changing the ECM fixed the issue, after following others advice and changing the CKPS and ICM to no avail. Still test the ICM as suggested, as I would hate to mislead you and make you spend the money on an ECM and have it not be the issue.

thanks once again ,
This morning I went out to start the car before I started working on it . and no go ,
I went ahead removed the fan and the Coil pack mess. I installed the new one , and I went ahead to go replace the crank shaft sensor but for the life of me I could not find it.
I was looking at autozone and they have it listed as rear of motor passenger side under exguast manifold. drivers side of knock sensor. all of this make sence , untill I go out and look.
on the passenger side there are three things there , two on the block.
I assume one would be the knock sensor and the other being the crank shaft sensor . but when I had a better look at it (before trying to remove it)
It didn't look like the one I bought .
any idea's on where it is on a 3.1....
thanks
chimera
oh and after spending a good hour trying to find it , I gave up ..for now (a few hours maybe)
so I put it all back together tried to start the car and behold it started ,
Now I don't know if it happens to be warm enough out there for it maybe a fluke , or it was the IC mod .

The crank sensor is located just above the oil pan rail in the back of the block, slightly toward the passenger side. It mounts with an 8mm headed bolt and has a two wire (purple and yellow) connector.

Gentlemen, maybe I shouldn't even be butting in here. I saw the title of the thread as I was going by. I know nothing about your vehicle in question, but I have dealt with Fords '88-'91 with these ignition components that die and revive themselves. If you have these components tested and they are in a live state when tested, they will probably test good. I came to the conclusion, you just have to replace the suspect parts taking into account cost of the part and how hard it is to replace. (which one to replace first) Unless of course you can catch the component in a dead state and test it then. Just my 2 cents. Take it for what it's worth.

Mech, it can get expensive changing all the parts in a given system (the ICM is $120+ by itself for this car). Having the ICM tested until it gets warm virtually eliminates it as a cause (about 98%). Since it is the most expensive part, eliminating it first will save money. I understand your comment, and don't want to discourage suggestions, but your approach is an expensive one.