Car just died!

[kcobean]

I was out with a co-worker/fellow car enthusiast for a drive in my 01 ACR. We had a great drive, stopped and got gas, etc. We were nearing the office, and I was running up the gears. At around 5K in 2nd, I shifted into 3rd and let the clutch out, the engine died. I put the clutch back in, tried to start the car, but it wouldn't start. It would crank, but wouldn't fire. I was able to coast back into the office parking lot, but the car will not start. Any thoughts? The car has 8K miles on the clock, and has run like a champ for the 200 or so miles I've put on it so far (I've only owned the car for a few weeks.) I checked all the fluids just last week and they were fine. Any things I should check for?

Thanks for your help guys!

 

[Bill B]

My guess is a crank or cam sensor. Can you here the fuel pump come on when you turn the key?

 

[Wild Bill]

It could battery related-it's probably original and a weak battery can cause some strange problems.

Unfortunately it's a PIA to change

JMHO

B

 

[big-n-italian]

*DELETED*

 

[v10kingsnake]

check your fuses bro. my fuel solnoid fuse popped as i was doing a burnout on the strip and that was the cause.

 

[kcobean]

check your fuses bro. my fuel solnoid fuse popped as i was doing a burnout on the strip and that was the cause.

Replied on VA as well....You were right on the money v10. The relay fuse was blown. Borrowed the 10A fuse from the turn signals and she fires right up. The bad part of this is that I've discovered a very conspicuously aftermarket black wire jammed into that fuse slot. I have no idea where it goes, but I'll be finding out this weekend.

Thanks again!

 

[v10kingsnake]

as i said on the alley, you sir are very welcome. glad i could help.

 

[BradH]

kco, your original post was surprisingly calm considering your new Viper had just *died.* I would have been going *******! That's exactly the kind of event that scares the hell out of me with buying an expensive, used, out of warranty sports car. Anyhow, glad it turned out to be something simple.

 

[KepRght]

looks like this board is better then a warranty

i can only imagine how many days it would have sat at the dealer

 

[Jeff Torrey]

looks like this board is better then a warranty.

Smart guy.

 

[PatentLaw]

The battery is also a good idea here and don't dismiss it. There have been alot of 2001 owners whose batteries have died recently. It is just time to do it. You have been having some issues. Spend the 80 bucks, plunk in the battery and you won't have to worry about it.

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

Glad it was an easy fix. Maybe your Viper luck is turning around

 

[VENOMAHOLIC]

Glad it was jsut a fuse. Hope that black wire will not open up a can of worms. Good luck.

 

[Vic]

kcobean-
Do you have any empty fuse recesses in the fuse box?? If so, you might be able to put an appropriately sized fuse in it for that aftermarket device, and use a proper connector for the load wire.

Could stop a potential fire......

 

[kcobean]

BradH: Believe me, internally, I was freakin' out when I made this post. I just had to keep reminding myself that it's a machine, and these things are bound to happen. It was more embarassing than anything, but I was thankful it waited until I could get it back to our office.

PatentLaw: I was able to rule out the battery for a number of reasons. One was the fact that the car was running fine in 2nd gear, died completely in 3rd but the starter would still crank it over at a normal rate. 12V on the gauge. Lastly, the battery was replaced by the dealer in FL about 6 weeks ago.

Chad: God I hope so!

Vic: Tonight when I got home, I disconnected this mystery wire and the car starts/runs fine. Everything in the car is OEM, so not sure what it was for, but I believe it was for something that was removed from the car prior to sale. That raises some scary questions, for sure. I was only able to trace the wire as far as down the inside of the carpet next to the clutch, but there was too much heat behind the carpet/insulation to go any further. This weekend, I'm going to peel the carpet back further and find out where that thing goes and remove it if it's not connected to anything, which I believe is the case. Right now it's just coiled up inside the dash (with the exposed wire taped off).

 

[V10SpeedLuvr]

For your sake, I hope the wire was running to a big amp or something stereo related that prob didnt damage the car any. Good luck!

 

[kcobean]

For your sake, I hope the wire was running to a big amp or something stereo related that prob didnt damage the car any. Good luck!

yeah, I don't think so. Everything on this car is OEM with the exception of a pair of little tweeters mounted in the trunk. If there was something non-OEM at one time, it's since been removed. v10kingsnake has a solid theory, I guess we'll see.