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  #1  
Old 01-16-2017, 01:48 AM
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1991 560SEL stalls and would not start then starts right up after a few days

My car stalled while waiting for a green light. I had to have it towed. While waiting for the tow truck for about 2 hours I tried to start it sevetal times but would not start. It cranks normally but no start. Car was towed to my house. After a few days when I had the chance to work on it I thought I would try and start it before doing anything further. Well, it started right up.

How do you go about troubleshooting in a situation like this.

Suggestions are appreciated. Thank you.

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Old 01-16-2017, 07:49 AM
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I have no experience with your model, but the symptoms are classic "bad crankshaft position sensor". It tends to fail when warm, engine cranks and cranks but won't start, and it works again after cool down.
It's a straightforward swap out BUT the sensor can be stuck in the bellhousing after so many years, so be prepared or let the shop do it.
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Old 01-16-2017, 08:18 AM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirnbeiss View Post
I have no experience with your model, but the symptoms are classic "bad crankshaft position sensor". It tends to fail when warm, engine cranks and cranks but won't start, and it works again after cool down.
It's a straightforward swap out BUT the sensor can be stuck in the bellhousing after so many years, so be prepared or let the shop do it.
Also a symptom of the distributor rotor arm going o/c or high resistance when hot. A cheap easy fix if that's the case.

RayH
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Old 01-16-2017, 08:34 AM
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The most common problem would be the fuel pump relay.
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Old 01-16-2017, 02:44 PM
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Quote:
Originally Posted by Hirnbeiss View Post
I have no experience with your model, but the symptoms are classic "bad crankshaft position sensor". It tends to fail when warm, engine cranks and cranks but won't start, and it works again after cool down.
It's a straightforward swap out BUT the sensor can be stuck in the bellhousing after so many years, so be prepared or let the shop do it.
any suggestion on where to get this sensor? I looked on ebay and looks like this is an expensive part
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Old 01-16-2017, 04:25 PM
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Originally Posted by emmydotnet View Post
any suggestion on where to get this sensor? I looked on ebay and looks like this is an expensive part
If the crankshaft position sensor fails you still be able to hear the fuel pump prime when you cycle the key in the ignition but it will not run when you crank the engine with the starter and there will be no spark from the ignition coil when cranking.
If the fuel pump relay fails you will not be able to hear the fuel pump prime when you cycle the key in the ignition and you will have spark from the ignition coil when cranking the engine.
The key to isolating the fault is in determining if the engine fails to start due to lack of fuel or lack of spark. This is easily accomplished by carefully spraying a dose of brake cleaner in the airflow sensor plate with the air filter housing removed. If the engine pops off like its trying to start, then youre not getting any or enough fuel to start the engine, hence "fuel delivery problem", such as, possible fuel pump relay faulty.
If the engine doesnt even try to pop off or start after you spray it then you check for spark. The easiest place to check this is at the coil wire in the center of the distributor cap. Twist the connector and then pull up on it to remove it, stick a spark plug in the wire and lay it on the top of the engine, have someone get in the car and crank it over while you watch for ignition sparks at the spark plug. If there is no spark then you have an ignition issue such as crankshaft position sensor faulty or ignition coil faulty. There are easy ways to determine which is at fault.
Note: If you are going to try to diagnose the car, be very careful when handling fuel and ignition components as they can hurt you, badly, and there are many precautionary measures which should be followed.

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