95 buick Lasabre please help

oldkawdude · #1 03-22-2007, 05:15 PM

I was just given a 95 buick Lasabre by a lady who said the battery kept going dead on her when the car sat more than two days.After towing the car home i started it and backed it in my barn to change a break line.Jacked it up and changed it all fine..But when i re-hooked the battery up to start it,I noticed the light under the engine compartment flashes two times then goes out.It never did that before..The car and everything in it will work fine,But it just won't start now.All i did was un hook the battery and change a break line.Could i have screwed up the computer? Any help would be greatly appreciated..Point me in a direction please.I know nothing about the codes and all that stuff..I am from the old school.But i know what makes a car tick and have pretty good machanical skills.. Thanks Terry from seneca falls NY

HotZ28 · #2 03-22-2007, 05:35 PM

Do you have starter engagement, or is the engine turning over but will not start? Do you have a security light on when you turn the ignition to on position?

oldkawdude · #3 03-22-2007, 05:39 PM

Car turns over fine.Not sure what the security light is?? If you mean the dome light yes.

Mickey#1 · #4 03-22-2007, 07:11 PM

Check for fuel & spark. If you need info on how to check these then let us know.

BTW - where is Seneca Falls? I'm in WNY.

oldkawdude · #5 03-22-2007, 07:20 PM

Yes the security light does come on then goes off. Car turns over..Would i just pop off a plug wire to check for spark but i can't see it without a helping hand to turn it over for me.Would i just pull off the fuel line by the intake and turn the key on to check for it getting gas? Seneca Falls is between Syaracuse and Rochester in upstate New York...

HotZ28 · #6 03-22-2007, 08:18 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by oldkawdude

Yes the security light does come on then goes off. Car turns over..Would i just pop off a plug wire to check for spark but i can't see it without a helping hand to turn it over for me.Would i just pull off the fuel line by the intake and turn the key on to check for it getting gas? Seneca Falls is between Syaracuse and Rochester in upstate New York...

Ok, if the security light comes on and then goes off and the engine turns over, it is not a security problem. You need a fuel pressure test kit to check fuel pressure on the fuel rail. Should be 35-45 @ idle. You may need someone to help when checking spark. You can use a spark tester, or use an old plug gapped @ 0.200 and connected to the plug wire & grounded to the engine. You should see a bright blue flame across the electrodes. Be sure to check all fuses for the ignition & ECM!

oldkawdude · #7 03-23-2007, 05:42 PM

Well It is getting gas but it isn't getting spark.I don't understand the engine compartment light blinking twice then going out.It didn't do that before.I checked all the fuses before and found nothing wrong with them.There is a ton of huge ones too under the hood.I have never seen so many fuses.What should i do next??? As much as i don't like points,at least i would have some kinda clue what is wrong.The light under the hood should stay on.I'm confused..Is there any reset buttons or anything? ugh...Thanks for any help you can throw my way..

Mickey#1 · #8 03-23-2007, 07:19 PM

Not sure what's going on with the underhood light. Do you have a good connection between the battery & cables? Disconnect the cables, remove the bolts & rubber boots. Clean any corrosion off the cables with sandpaper or wire brush, apply dielectric grease and reassemble.

There are also fuses under the dash on the passenger side. Did you find/check those?

oldkawdude · #9 03-24-2007, 10:29 AM

Ok i will do an exstensive check of all the fuses again.If i find no bad fuses i just might have to call it quits..No that isn't going to happen..I have to get to the bottom of this.If it's one thing i have patience for it's figuring this out.It's to nice of a car to let die so soon..lol I did clean the terminals yesterday before i started.I remember the old cars when you could run a hot wire from the coil to the batter..UGH..Thanks I'll keep pushing forword..

Mickey#1 · #10 03-24-2007, 02:01 PM

Points were sure easy to diagnose but if given a choice I'd never go back.

The main components of the electronic ignition system are the crank sensor & ICM.
The ICM (ignition control module) is located underneath the coils.
The crank sensor is behind the harmonic balancer.

In order to rule out a bad coil you should check for spark at each of the three front cylinders or at each coil.

Next thing I like to do is confirm power is getting to the ICM. You can check for 12 volts (while the key is on) at the pink/black wire going to the ICM. Just connect a voltmeter or 12 volt light bulb between the negative battery terminal and the pink/black wire. The ICM & fuel pump get power from the same fuse so if you have fuel pressure you most likely have power going to the ICM. I still like to confirm this before spending money on parts.

The crank sensor seems to give out more than the ICM but either one could be the problem at this point. If the tach isn't moving while cranking this would also point towards the crank sensor being bad. Let us know what you find & we'll go on from there.

Kelhasfun · #11 06-12-2007, 01:36 AM

we have an 88 Buick that won't start and put a crankshaft sensor on and the darn thing started up -ran at the curb fine, turned it off started packing up the tools, went to start it again for my fiancee' and it just cranks but won't turn over? But the advice and step by step is nice and I love doing the research for him and understanding it myself after reading insightful tips from Mickey#1 that takes time to answer people's cry for help! I'll try to respond with the outcome. thanx again. have fun!

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