Starts....doesn't start...starts

[kennycu]

I know there are a lot of posts of no starts...

My 94PA no SC starts right up when cold. I can run to the store hop back in and it's anybody's guess if it will start. Come back an hour later, it starts right up. Also related, I think, I can be traveling down the road and engine blanks out. All power is still there. It may restart immediately or an hour later. Check Engine lights up when this happens and light up irradically. Performance can be irratic as well before this "no start" event. But not always..

Also Autozone's code reader wouldn't connect. The guy was surprised that I had the newer plug thingy. Anyway, can I tell him anything to get the connection or just head to the local garage?

Thanks for any help.

[wrightz28]

Intermittents are a p.i.t.a to diagnose.

May be fuel related issue from the sound of it. I'd get the scan.

[kennycu]

PITA for sure. I try to talk my girlfriend into "it's kinda exciting".She'd prefer I just get it fixed.

If the Autozone guy couldn't get a connection is it best to just take it to the sdealer? I've never taken it to a mechanic and the 3.8s on my 2 PAs are great engines. 220k on one and 150k on the one I'm having trouble with. I'm counting on another couple of years on this baby!! Great cars.

[wrightz28]

The guy at autzone was probably trying to use an OBD II system scanner that may not be compatable with your cars PCM. Your PCM is one of the OBD I 'hybrids' as GM was converting to OBD II. The data link connectors are the same however the data transfer is different.

I think Actron makes a scanner that can read it is available @ Autozone of all places.

The only other possibilty is that there may be a poor gmain ground connection somewhere that is affecting the PCM?