Early '44 DME Relay? (diagnosis help)

[curveto]

So. I just (as in a few weeks ago) got my well running / cared for early '85's starter changed (starter worked more or less fine but the bearing / bendix was old and making noise). Awesome new starter, btw. Mechanic seems solid (a new mechanic to me). No obvious problems. All seems good.

This week a "brand new" symptom started to happen (approx four times so far over a few weeks of daily use). Not sure if it's something associated with the starter change (e.g., loose cable??) or something wholly unrelated (she's got 150k on the clock so anything's game).

A few times this past week (say 5% of the time) I go to start her up (car runs flawlessly, btw). She fires (like clockwork) but IMMEDIATELY falls back to 0rpm instead of settling into a normal idle. When this happens it tends to stay happening for 5 to 10 start cycles (i.e., the car effectively won't start, err... stay running). No sputtering or roughness at all. Just won't "take." Then the problem goes away not to be seen again until, say, a few days later (with multiple flawless starts / operation in between).

It hasn't happened enough times (yet) where I can put two and two together to form a pattern. Everything (dash, etc.) lights up (and stays lit up) in ignition accessory and start positions. The starter will keep going if I ask it to (i.e., holding in starter position). The car will either start and run flawlessly OR ignite (once-ish but cleanly ... no sputter, roughness or cough) and then refuse to pull itself up (if I keep my foot in the throttle) or immediately drop past "normal" idle to 0rpm (and stop, of course). It's almost as if I start it and immediately turn the key off (but I'm not doing that and the gauges and radio and all that stay lit the entire time).

Is there a cable that could be loose related to the starter change? Perhaps related to the ignition switch? When they changed the starter nothing special happened they just dropped the old one out and put a R&R unit in, etc. No "interior" work.

DME relay starting to go? (I've always carried one but never had one fail so I don't know what that "feels" like).

I checked the coil / cap cable but that wasn't loose or anything (although the act of me getting out of the car, opening the hood, squooching each ignition related cable (none of which were loose), glaring and waving my finger at her and then returning to the driver's seat "solved" the problem ... I figured the solution was borne more in "waiting / time" than anything I actually did ... aside from maybe my glares).

Doesn't seem to be associated with hot vs. cold operation. Once it failed at the first morning (dead cold) start cycle. Twice it's failed after I drove it to work and then went to use it at lunch.

Ideas?

JR

[drew1]

Check wiring connections. First place probably should be VAF or airflow meter, next place the big white 9 pin plug by the fire wall. Next thing to look for is vacuum leaks, especially those hoses under the intake. That molded "Y" could be a problem on the old cars.

It never hurts to carry a spare DME relay. The old 944 was superceded by a 911 relay several years ago.

[bud9344]

DME relay !
my 83 944 did the same thing run good for about a week or two flawless. Sometimes driving on the highway at 75 mph start to cut out , like a miss. On the way home it just die in front off the house. And everytime it happen it will start again sometimes takes a while sometime right away.
I change the DME relay, and car is running good now no more dying out or cutting out on the Hwy.
Part # 944 615 113 01 (DME relay or Fuel Pump relay)

---------------------------------------
Bud

87 930 Black
86 951 Black
87 944S White
83 944 N/A White Auto
83 944 N/A Black
86 944 part car

[curveto]

Thanks!