Ugh -- what have I gotten myself into?

[ae1969]

THE MORE YOU KICK THE DME ...THE MORE DAMAGE YOU ARE CAUSING.

It could even be a loose broken wire in the harness.........

BUT start troubleshooting ...

You will be able to tell where the dme is causing the fault and you will be able to isolate it.

Have you checked voltage at the coil, injector pulses, fuel pressure.....

All these things can lead you to the culprit.... You have not given us any info to go on besides kicking the DME.

Does it start and stall........does it not start at all etc.....

Throw me a bone.....

If you troubleshoot all the possibilities then you will be left with the DME causing the fault. DONT ASSUME. (Although mostlikely the dme)

Although kicking the DME should really be in the factory manual as a diagnostic tool.

[Drover]

First of all, I'm typically not kicking the DME. I'm tapping it with my fingertips. On those occasions when I get lazy and use a foot, I'm not exactly trying to punt it through the uprights. I'm just tapping it. Second, I haven't done any of the aforementioned troubleshooting because, as I have tried to point out here, I possess all the mechanical prowess of a brussels sprout. When it comes to fixing cars (or much else for that matter) I'm not a DIY type of guy. Third, even if I were mechanically inclined, I don't have the tools to conduct these diagnoses. Fourth, I have at least figured out it's not the relay because I'm getting fuel. Fifth, it sometimes won't start, then I tap the DME, then it starts. Sometimes it starts right up without tapping. It seems to prefer cooler weather. Sometimes it will get me from point A to point B with no problems, sometimes it will stall every 10 minutes. When it stalls, a tap on the DME starts it back up. Suckage.

[vital-transform]

sensors...as soon as it cools it starts right? it is easy to confuse tapping and cool down as what is getting it to start again

your sensors are out of adjustment / dirty, or bracket is loose

[Drover]

Doesn't necessarily need to cool. Just needs a tap on the DME. Sometimes it won't start when it hasn't run for hours. Sometimes it's at operating temperatue and a tap on the DME starts it right back up.

[Drover]

Mostly I'm just trying to figure out what I'm up against repair-wise. I've already braced for the worst-case scenario DME replacement. The news can only get better from there. It's gonna go to a Porsche specialist this week so we can finally put an end to this nonsense.

[ae1969]

Well if thats as far as we are going to go....

Its not gonna get any worse than frying the dme at this point. Although if it is the dme someone already gave you the website on how to resolder the dme.....

It could just be a loose/cracked wire but if you can't pull out a multi-meter to check things you may as well take it in....

[Chris_924s]

resolder every connection on the DME. Add solder where necessary. If a component looks bad, test it OUT OF the board.

IF YOU CANT DO THIS with some level of expertise, PM me.

[Kekec944/84]

what is the URL for Danno's Racer-x Site?

[ur2slo]

I feel your pain, but I have to agree with the previous posters. This sort of thing is inevitable on most older vehicles. There are a lot of things that you can't tell will break until they do, as there is no way to know by looking that they will go. My car is in the shop right now having a fuel system/electrical problem fixed. The car has been in the shop twice since I bought it in February, but compared to some guys on this board (just ask poor Rammstein about his experiences ), I haven't done too badly. I figure another couple of months and a couple more grand and this sort of thing will cease for a while. Moral of the story, make sure you have the cash set aside, as at first, things WILL go wrong... If I get depressed about this sort of thing, I just think about twisty roads, top down, and sunny days, and I feel better immmediately. These cars are such a joy to drive, it's all worth it in the end...

[KLR]

I stand by my previous post. This is easy to fix. Either replace the DME with a known good one or reheat the joints on yours. This is not rocket science and there is no reason to be miserable about it.

[spuggy]

For the flakey DME, it's most likely the connector (although it sounds like it could easily also be a cracked solder connection or track inside).

I bought a fiber-glass pen from Schucks (of all places), supposed to be for spot-cleaning metal for touch-up painting. However, it's almost identical to the same tool commonly used for cleaning track/connectors for wire-wrap work (and just try walking into Radio Shack and asking for one).

These things are amazing for cleaning oxidization off electrical contacts and connectors without removing any metal at all (unlike anything actually abrasive). They'll also get down into a hole, unlike sandpaper or emery cloth...

You can make a 30-year old penny look like new in 10 minutes, and all the lettering is still there. About $5, with two propelling "heads".

And re-flowing the solder joints on the DME with a desolder pump and a $15 soldering iron isn't that challenging. Although some of the stuff on there is definately temperature sensitive...

[Drover]

Well, I had the connector diagnosed, the shop couldn't find anything wrong with it. So I had the DME rebuilt. And the problem persists. And now the odometer has stopped rolling. And it's overheating. Again. After being fixed for overheating already. Screw this thing. Can't wait to get it back out of the shop -- for the 6th time in a thousand miles -- and get the thing on eBay and out of my life for good before something else breaks.

[Mark_944S2]

Originally posted by Roger Hall
Keep the faith young padwon...may the force be with you.

As for British cars only three little words "Lucas Electrical System" British cars operate on several different planes of reality. Occaisionally a few of those planes converg. Then its quick go for a drive before the universe rights itself.

NB Lucas pulled out of auto electrics a few years ago, to concentrate on aviation electronics. Makes you think doesn't it......

Mark