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SVT dead, no power to PCM/ECU

D

dion

CEG'er
Joined
May 31, 2000
Messages
177
Location
Upland, Ca.
The car in question is a 1998 SVT Contour. The car is modified, see my sig. Basically, the car will crank, but no spark noted, no CEL upon turning the ignition to the "ON" position, and attempted to scan the car for codes, but my scan tool will not connect to the car since the ECU has no power. I need help, I'm not an electrical guy at all.
 
Check Pin 70 and Pin 97 at PCM (Both Green/Yellow wires for vehicle power). In addition, check Pin 103 (Black/Yellow for vehicle ground). The 1995 to 1998 are prone to wiring harness issues.
 
Tony2005 said:
Check Pin 70 and Pin 97 at PCM (Both Green/Yellow wires for vehicle power). In addition, check Pin 103 (Black/Yellow for vehicle ground). The 1995 to 1998 are prone to wiring harness issues.
Click to expand...

I noticed the sheaths of the exposed wires around the engine compartment are starting to crack/become brittle, is this a possibility with the harness for the PCM at the firewall?

What am I looking for? For actual voltage values or just to make sure there is power going to those two pins/wires?

Ray said:
also check your PCM fuses in the underhood fuse box..
Click to expand...

Fuses all check out okay. Is there another fuse box somewhere I don't know about besides the engine compartment and under dash?
 
dion said:
I noticed the sheaths of the exposed wires around the engine compartment are starting to crack/become brittle, is this a possibility with the harness for the PCM at the firewall?

What am I looking for? For actual voltage values or just to make sure there is power going to those two pins/wires?
...
Click to expand...

Yes, power, any voltage to those two pins
 
as mentioned before check all relevant fuses/relays

The actual wiring harness for the pcm may or may not be the problem, also its worth checking all the wires heading into/out of the fuse boxes to see if theres shorting. (One way to check that might work is simply to wiggle things around in one area, and then try and start the car, if your lucky it will start or at least try to when you jiggle the right set of wires)

One last possibility is that the pcm is indeed dead, but thats unlikely.

When this happened to me it turned out that a wire had been corroded clean in two under the fusebox/battery.
 
Tony2005 said:
Check Pin 70 and Pin 97 at PCM (Both Green/Yellow wires for vehicle power). In addition, check Pin 103 (Black/Yellow for vehicle ground). The 1995 to 1998 are prone to wiring harness issues.
Click to expand...

Tony2005 said:
Yes, power, any voltage to those two pins
Click to expand...

If I checked the two pins correctly, i just used a light probe, and it appears that there is no power to those, as I checked 78 and there was power there.

catfish said:
as mentioned before check all relevant fuses/relays

The actual wiring harness for the pcm may or may not be the problem, also its worth checking all the wires heading into/out of the fuse boxes to see if theres shorting. (One way to check that might work is simply to wiggle things around in one area, and then try and start the car, if your lucky it will start or at least try to when you jiggle the right set of wires)

One last possibility is that the pcm is indeed dead, but thats unlikely.

When this happened to me it turned out that a wire had been corroded clean in two under the fusebox/battery.
Click to expand...

I just changed the battery less than a month ago, I'll pull the battery and tray to check there as well.

todras said:
I have a 98 SVT PCM if you end up needing one Dion.
Click to expand...

What PCM code? Mine is RJL1...the only reason I ask is so I can put Chris' (Keyser) chip back in...LOL.

Thanks for the help so far guys..like I said, I'm not an electrical guy at all!
 
I also forgot to mention...

I also forgot to mention...

I forgot that the security/PATS light flashes normally, but after I crank the motor, it flashes quickly. Does this enlighten anyone?
 
NORMAL PATS operation is as follows


Keys out: one flash per second

keys in, ignition turned to ON: steady illumination for about 2 seconds (self test), then NO illumination period

Started: no illumination period.

If you are getting rapid flashes when you turn the key, your PATS is having a problem. Start at the ignition cylinder itself and check that the little green plug is plugged in to the black PATS signal receiver around the ignition.
 
Ray said:
NORMAL PATS operation is as follows


Keys out: one flash per second

keys in, ignition turned to ON: steady illumination for about 2 seconds (self test), then NO illumination period

Started: no illumination period.

If you are getting rapid flashes when you turn the key, your PATS is having a problem. Start at the ignition cylinder itself and check that the little green plug is plugged in to the black PATS signal receiver around the ignition.
Click to expand...

I'll check around there when I get a chance, I'm thinking it's got to be the cylinder. Do the keys have a "life?" Meaning, is there sometype of battery or charge or magnetic thing about the key that will eventually fail or is the problem in the cylinder itself? The reason I ask is because I've always used one key and it's worn to hell, but the other key is virtually "brand new" and has been used maybe one month total in the 10.5 years I've owned my car. Neither key works at this point.

todras said:
Yes Dion I have an RJL1. Also check the connection of the chip in the PCM. Can wiggle loose.
Click to expand...

I pulled the chip completely, because I figured if the chip is causing a problem, it would be better to pull it completely. When I got my first Superchip, we added extra solder to the board so the chip would sit more snugly, so it's actually difficult to remove the chip and both chips have always had good connections.

Maybe this is my cars way of telling me to let her go now...it's time to move on.
 
additional problem now

additional problem now

todras said:
:shocked: :nonono:
Click to expand...

It's not going anywhere, unless someone offered me a pretty nice amount. I do plan on putting on my 96 trunk sometime. I need to get it painted of course.

Noticed something new today..went outside to open up car to look at the ignition cylinder, except the battery is completely dead now. The battery is brand new, barely a month old now.

Is this truly a PATS problem now? Most likely the "alarm" or security system has been operating this entire time and draining the battery?
 
Fun w/ 98's

Fun w/ 98's

FWIW:

When my 98 SVT showed similar symptoms (no start, cranks, no CEL, code reader can't read) it was rub-through on a harness. Just outboard of the coil pack the main brain harness gets squeezed behind the lift hook and lays on top an AC line. That nice, conductive aluminum tube eventually wore through the abrasion sleeve, tape wrap, and wire insulation. Hidden underneath, out of sight out of mind.

After traveling many dead ends, I got some good leads from this website, found the faulty circuits, swapped out the fried the ECU, and was back in business.

Simple but a bit pricey. Hope you nail down your problem.
 
update...

update...

We've had some good rains here in So. Cal, which produced a wierd, rust like stain on my concrete underneath my car. The stain happens to be below where the battery sits, so I decide to pull the new battery I just bought and low and behold, the wiring harness from the fusebox is totally corroded away. Apparently, the new battery was leaking and happened to drop acid all over that portion of the harness.

So now the new question is...can I just repair those wires from the fusebox or do I need to purchase a new/used fusebox?
 
dion said:
...So now the new question is...can I just repair those wires from the fusebox or do I need to purchase a new/used fusebox?
Click to expand...

"All" broken or exposed wiring can be repaired. Splice or Liquid Rubber (tape) which can be bought from Home Depot or Lowes.
 
If you see cracked wire insulation and everything is still intact, consider putting "Goop" sealant liberally all around the affected area. It will probably make the area permanently ok. Use it from a fresh tube when it is liquid-like. Tubes that have been around a while even sealed tight, get to be more viscous and don't stick to stuff so well.

Mike
 
One more update!

One more update!

Thanks to everyone here that gave suggestions and help. I finally got around to fixing the wires, put in a new battery, and voila', it started on it's first crank! Drove it around the block and everything is okay!

Thanks again to everyone!
 
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