t-bird sc shut off while driving wont turn back on

i was driving in town and went to go stop to make my turn wheni noticed the car SHUT OFF! i tired stating it several time this happened yesterday... we tried to replace the ingnition coill but it wasnt that and i dont have a fuse tester to check for that stuff... can someone give me any advise on what to do and yes it is the 3.8 superc`harged engine with factory 5spd!:banghead:

Well to me it sounds like either an EGR or IAC problem. It could easily be something else too since you say it will not turn back on, but you could check both of those to make sure they are working properly. Im not sure about the sc engine because i usually work with the 5.0L or the 4.6L engines, however:

1. Remove the vaccum line going to the EGR valve and instal a vaccum pump to it. Start the car and apply a vaccum of about 30 hg to the egr valve with the engine at idle. If the rpm's drop as you add the vaccum then your EGR is working properly.

2. If you take the IAC valve off the throttle body, spray some throttle body cleaner inside the two holes and watch the carbon (black) come out. The carbon build up sometimes makes the valve stick which in turn causes a poor or eradic idle and sometimes stalls the engine at a standstill. Some people say the brake cleaner in the red can can be used, however i stick with TB cleaner just to be safe. This is alternative to replacing the IAC however sometimes only works temporarily if at all.

Also, is the Check Engine light on and if so which codes come up.

Does your upshift light in the dash board flash while you are trying to start the motor? Have someone watch the crankshaft pulley when you crank the starter motor. Does it wobble? Grab it, is it loose? That is the first thing to check on no start, especially if no codes are present. The harmonic balancer can fail, allowing excess movement of the outer hub of the balancer or breaking of the retaining bolt in the end of the crankshaft. Either can cause the Crank Position Sensor to fail, or no longer accurately measure the position of the crankshaft. The EEC-IV (engine computer) will not allow the engine to start if it does not receive a valid Crankshaft Position Sensor.

when you figure it out let me know im having similar problems!thanks

Get a cheapo spark tester for like $3 at Harbor Freight. Do you have spark? If no spark, then I'd consider the hall effect sensor that determines the position of the crank shaft. If that goes out, then the engine never recognizes when to fire, nor when to send fuel.

In the '87 3.8L, the hall effect sensor only determines when to send fuel. The distributor has a rotor to determine when to fire.

--Mark

http://www.marksatterfield.com

Get a cheapo spark tester for like $3 at Harbor Freight. Do you have spark? If no spark, then I'd consider the hall effect sensor that determines the position of the crank shaft. If that goes out, then the engine never recognizes when to fire, nor when to send fuel.

In the '87 3.8L, the hall effect sensor only determines when to send fuel. The distributor has a rotor to determine when to fire.

--Mark

http://www.marksatterfield.com