No spark 3.2 - update

[Jeroen]

After lots of headscratching, the "no spark" trouble in my '87 Carrera 3.2 is traced back to the DME computer itself...

Trailered the car to my mechanic, (who will check my diagnosis) and will replace the DME with a new one.

The trouble started from the very moment I was hit (2 months ago and the car hasn't been driven since), so except for the damage to the rear fender, the insurance company will also have to pay for the new DME

While I was in there, I gutted was was left over from the interiour, scraped out all the tar isolation from the floorpanels and cut out over 5 miles of old alarm wiring and wiring that I no longer need (like for the electric adj.seats)
My best guesstimate is that the car lost another 40 or so pounds
The future will learn if I can live without the sound isolating materials

I also noticed that the damage to the rear fender was not repaired correctly , so when the car returns form my mechanic, it'll go back to the paintshop again...

cheers,

Jeroen

[88911coupe]

You probably don't have to replace the DME unit itself. This is very expensive and it's probably just a broken solder. That's what happened to me and Park Place Porsche wanted to replace mine for $1650 plus installation and "diagnostic" fees. There's a thread from the past that outlines exactly how to find it and fix it. I have little experience soldering and I fixed mine myself.

[Jeroen]

Hey Buck,

Yep, it's prolly a broken solder point, but since the insurance is paying, I may as well get me a brand spanking new DME

cheers,

Jeroen

[Wayne 962]

Originally posted by Jeroen
cut out over 5 miles of old alarm wiring and wiring that I no longer need (like for the electric adj.seats)

Hmm, am I the only one who thinks that cutting out all of this wiring, and getting no spark from the DME may be related? I'd bet a buck that the new DME doesn't work either - they are typically pretty robust...

-Wayne

[Jeroen]

Ok, I'll admit that I'm stoopid, but not that stoopid
Gimme some credit will ya

The wiring was cut after the DME quit, not the other way around

Like you say, the DME is pretty robust, so it was actually the very last thing I checked. Everything else checked out to be ok

I cut out the exess wiring while checking the wiring for breaks, rubs and other reasons why there could be a short...

The car runs from time to time (yes, even after I cut out all the wiring), but will quit for no apperent reason.
A couple of taps on the DME will make the car startable again, or it will make the engine die if it's running

cheers,

Jeroen