Well, guess I'm screwed: Off-topic discussion forum: Grassroots Motorsports Magazine

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Sept. 9, 2009 10:43 a.m. Teqnyck New Reader

You know when something happens to you and there is not a thing that you can do?

So I have a race to go to this weekend, it's a three day event, I've paid my non-refundable entry fee for myself and my wife. The problem is my car. About a month ago, it died on the freeway and wouldn't start. It sat for a week before I decided to take it to a shop (I don't do electrical work), sat at the shop for a week before the mechanics there decided that they don't want to do electrical work either. Now it's at another shop that assured me that they could fix it in record time, which is good since I need the car right away.

Guess what, it's Wednesday, race is on Friday, car still hasn't started. What pisses me off is how calm they are about it, I go in there yesterday and the shop manager is like "Oh yeah, I'm gonna have a guy work on it a little later." Wow, that instills a lot of confidence in me. They were suppose to call me last night for an update, I guess I shouldn't be surprised that they didn't. And hey, I understand that they're a performance shop, and yes there are cars there that they need to work on, but come on!! How hard can it be for these guys, they're suppose to have a "240sx expert" working there, that's the reason I went there!!!

/rant
Sept. 9, 2009 10:50 a.m. iceracer HalfDork

What kind of "mechanic" doesn't do electrical work ? He is not a mechanic, he is a parts replacer. It bugs me when people call themselves mechanics. A true mechanic can do any repair on a motor vehicle. That is because I was one for many years.
Sept. 9, 2009 10:56 a.m. Strizzo SuperDork

whats so complicated about a 240sx that you can't track down the no-start issue? air, fuel, spark. it needs all three, figure out which one it doesn't have.
Sept. 9, 2009 12:14 p.m. andrave Reader

I'm a 240sx expert. What seems to be the problem?
Sept. 9, 2009 12:36 p.m. Teqnyck New Reader

ECU isn't getting any power. I've checked every fuse and relay in the damn thing, none of them are blown, I even changed a few of the older ones just in case. The oddest part is that it just suddenly happened one day while I was driving down the freeway. Died while I was going 60, hasn't started since.
Sept. 9, 2009 12:39 p.m. poopshovel SuperDork

So I have a race to go to this weekend, it's a three day event, I've paid my non-refundable entry fee for myself and my wife.

I'd be on the phone with the event organizer NOW!!! I have "policies" in my shop too. These "policies" are in place for the douche-canoes of the world who can't be respectful of their fellow humans, not the responsible, considerate people.

Call the organizer/sanctioning body, whatever, NOW. Explain your situation, tell them you're aware of the "non-refundable" part, tell them how much you really appreciate what they do, and ask them if, given the circumstances, they'd cut you a break and refund your dough.

Regarding the 240 and the shops: I've made this mistake too. "Well, the tow vehicle needs "X" before the race in 2 weeks. I could do it myself, but I'd rather not fool with it right now..." Drop off truck, explain that they have 2 weeks to work on it, but I NEED to have it BEFORE "X" date. Take a wild guess how that worked out.

The lesson is "I can let the vehicle sit for two weeks, and then proceed to f*&k it up myself. Why would I pay someone else to f*%k it up for me?"
Sept. 9, 2009 12:39 p.m. andrave Reader

use a multimeter to test every fuse and relay, don't just visually inspect them. Might also help to try unplugging the ECU and plugging it back in- I had one that wasn't getting power once and that mysteriously cured it.
Sept. 9, 2009 1:09 p.m. Teqnyck New Reader

poopshovel wrote:

So I have a race to go to this weekend, it's a three day event, I've paid my non-refundable entry fee for myself and my wife.

I'd be on the phone with the event organizer NOW!!! I have "policies" in my shop too. These "policies" are in place for the douche-canoes of the world who can't be respectful of their fellow humans, not the responsible, considerate people.

Call the organizer/sanctioning body, whatever, NOW. Explain your situation, tell them you're aware of the "non-refundable" part, tell them how much you really appreciate what they do, and ask them if, given the circumstances, they'd cut you a break and refund your dough.

I've been on the phone with them since last week, if I can borrow a car I can still race, but refunds aren't happening.

Andrave, I've tested every terminal with my multimeter, that's how I narrowed it down to the ECU not getting power. At first I thought it was just the ECU, but I tried two others and neither had power, so it's something in the wires.
Sept. 9, 2009 1:13 p.m. Chebbie_SB HalfDork

Ask if you can get a "Credit" for a future event ? a little smoozing/ suckup/ praise goes a long way

Chebbie
Sept. 9, 2009 1:29 p.m. Autolex Reader

check all grounds too... especially the ecu and motor grounds... is the car from the rust belt? does it crank?

I know this is basic, but does it have fuel? does the fuel pump turn on?
Sept. 9, 2009 1:38 p.m. Teqnyck New Reader

Motor cranks and the fuel pump comes on, but I got no spark and it doesn't seem like the injectors are doing anything. I haven't checked all the grounds, I just didn't feel comfortable diving into it myself which is why it's at the shop.
Sept. 9, 2009 1:44 p.m. andrave Reader

are you near any of the hertz that rent out shelby's???
Sept. 9, 2009 1:51 p.m. Autolex Reader

Hertz rents vettes now too!
Sept. 9, 2009 1:54 p.m. Teqnyck New Reader

I've lined up an S2k, but since it's in a different class, no points for me this race :(
Sept. 9, 2009 6:45 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

1.) At least you're getting out on the track. And you're doing it in a pretty fly little car!

2.) I second that grounding issue. Check every single chassis ground. Make sure the fastener is tight. Also, check for rust around any of the contact points. There are probably multiple grounds throughout the car. Some will be under the hood, some might be in the trunk, and you might find one on the bottom of the car.

3.) I hate electrical issues too, but you might have to do this. Tear all the interior out of the car, find ALL of the wiring connections, unplug them, and plug them all back in. One may have come loose. Check them for corrosion while you're at it. There aren't as many as you think.

4.) If none of the above nonsense works, grab something heavy and blunt. A hammer works well, but a club may be substituted if the hammer is too far away, too small, or currently in use by another member of the shop who is currently experiencing similar issues. Proceed to hit the offending part or parts repeatedly with said blunt object. If that doesn't make it work, nothing will. Give the car away. To me.
Sept. 9, 2009 8:36 p.m. andrave Reader

emergency switch to strombergs would be advisable if you employ the hammer strategy on your ECU.
Sept. 9, 2009 8:43 p.m. dan_efi New Reader

If your Nissan follows most EFI conventions, then a working fuel pump when you turn the key on means the ECU is at least doing something.
Sept. 9, 2009 8:58 p.m. confuZion3 SuperDork

dan_efi wrote:

If your Nissan follows most EFI conventions, then a working fuel pump when you turn the key on means the ECU is at least doing something.

Yeah, but since it follows Michael's Law of Electronic Component Failure, this otherwise rational statement will likely lead to more puzzled questions than answers.

My law states:

If an electronic device functions at all, then it should function at 100%. If something is wrong, it shouldn't work at all. Unless you're you (or me). Then it will sort of work intermittently at 80% and then fail inexplicably and randomly. When you finally do fix it, you won't be 100% sure why it works or how, exactly, you fixed it, but you won't question the fix or try to tweak it anymore.
Sept. 9, 2009 9:05 p.m. andrave Reader

when my ecu wasn't getting power it was still turned the fuel pump on. in my 240sx.
Sept. 9, 2009 9:29 p.m. dan_efi New Reader

In that case +1 for the strombergs