96 Probe GT need help

[Maria S]

I am new to this board and am having a problem with my Probe. I have a 96 Probe GT I love my car but the parts are expensive. November 05 I put in a brand new distributor and the starting problems seemed to be fixed. All of a sudden it's not starting again. I am going to take the distributor back because it is under warranty but what causes this to happen or could it be that this part is a problem and will continue to have to be replaced. Thanks for any help you can give me.

[MischievousOne]

The distys are famous for failing in our cars. They were redesigned in 95 but they are still crap. Where did you get the distributor from? I have replaced mine twice since I've owned the car in the last 3.5 years.

Do you have a CEL (Check Engine Light)? I would suggest pulling the codes anyway just to see if there is anythign stored in there. You can take your car to Autozone if it will start and have them connect an OBD II scanner to it and retrieve the codes for free.

The problem isn't always the disty though, either. I have also had to replace my CKP (Crankshaft Position Sensor) twice. The first time I replaced it with one from Advance Auto and in less than 3 months it failed. The second time I got one from Mazda (they are cheaper than Ford) and havne't had any other problems with it.

[Maria S]

I got the distributor from Autozone and everything seemed fine. Then about 3 weeks ago the car stopped again. Starting fliud got it started once then that was it. I have not tried the other things you have listed so I will have to look into that also.

The dealer told me they wanted $900.00 for the distributor, Autozone had it for about $300.00

Thanks
Maria

[MischievousOne]

The dealership is trying to take advantage of you. Swapping out the disty only takes a half hour even if you take your time doing it. Their cost for the part will be less than $300 as that is what they sell them for on a regular basis.

You said starting fluid got it started once. Are you sure the car is getting fuel? Take a piece of wire and jumper the F/P and GND in the diagnostics box under the hood. Turn the key on but don't attempt to start the car. This will force the fuel pump to activate (it normally doesn't unless the engine is turning). Listen for a hissing noise from the engine to find out if it's circulating fuel. Try to start the car again and remove the jumper wire when you're done.

If it still doesn't start then check for spark. Make sure the jumper wire is removed from your diagnostics connector. Remove the FP/INJ Fuse (30A) in the Main Fuse Panel to prevent fuel from flowing. Remove one of the spark plug wires from the plug itself. Then remove the spark plug and reconnect it to the plug wire. Hold it to the engine block to where the threads of the plug are touching it to ground it. Hold the rubber insulator boot or else you will get shocked. Have some one try to start the car. You should see a blue spark. If it is yellow, orange, or not present at all then your disty or CKP has failed.

You can test the CKP sensor with an OHM meter if you're have any knowledge with wiring. It should read between 520-580 ohms at room temperature.