For the record...it was ME who hijacked this thread. And I also am wondering why it's backfiring and shutting down. Backfiring means ignition or spark at the wrong time and I know you already checked timing, so I wonder if the ignition control module is funky. As the car warms up it would also warm up. If the condenser inside is junk it could very well be the cause of both symptoms. And yes, you can run without one.

 

my coils definitely dont get hot. the amp doesnt seem to be an issue since my tach works. it has improved somewhat, once i repaired the signal wire. its not as hard to start and doesnt take about 10in/hg LESS loud on the ECU to get it started.

im gonn replace that wire as far back as i can and see if it helps anymore. the inner wires had a green tint, but wasnt super corroded.

 

Just because the tach is working doesn't mean the amp is good. Try doing something stupid like putting an ice pack on top of the amp then seeing if you can extend that run time by keeping it cold. Might be the easiest way to rule out the amp.

 

M90,

Going off something I just found on the JCNA forums - the next time you run the car, try running it and leaving a battery charger attached. A guy on JCNA seemed to be having a similar problem ("runs crappy for 5 minutes then dies") and he found his alternator was bad.

 

hmmm. well, the alternator charges pretty good. idk.

 

runs the same with a battery charger.


i just wish i knew what i was dealing with.

 

I know I mentioned this before, but I'll bring it up again because I think you dismissed it because it didnKt get hot. Try disconnecting the capacitor inside the amp. It may not get hot but if it's bad it could be messing with spark and injector signals. I believe Grant had a similar problem and that fixed it. Another thought is the half a million ground wires. The ecu will tell engine to run rich if any of the grounds are bad in the engine compartment. Kirby described one case whre 1 of the grounds on rad-support was corroded and caused engine to run rich.

 

do i take them amp apart and disconnect the cap, or bypass it?

 

Take it apart with the 4 screws on the back and disconnect it.