Hello, I've been having trouble recently with my 85 Aries not starting while it's hot outside. I never have the problem restarting the engine on a cool day, it's always when the sun is shining or it's humid out. The car turns over but doesn't catch, leading me to think its a fuel pump problem. However the reading I have done on this forum lead me to think that it's the ASD relay (something I've never heard of) that malfunctions in the heat.

I have a 2.2L engine with the electronic fuel injection. I've had trouble finding the ASD using the diagrams I've found online and in the Hanes manual I use, as it's in a different place every time, and the diagrams don't always specify which year they're showing. The best advice I've found said that it'd be in the power module on the front left side under the hood. I found the circut board there, with a relay in it. The relay is soldered in. I tried bypassing the relay by soldering a wire between (not a permanent solution, just wanted to see if I could get it to start) but that made my fuel pump run constantly (I could hear it running) So I figured the relay I was working with was actually my fuel pump relay.

I plan to run a 12V charge from my battery to the ignition coil to try and start the fuel pump, thereby determining if my problem is in fact the ASD (as I saw posted here) I'm just waiting for another hot day, and another no start. But I still need to find the ASD, if that ends up being my problem. There are a couple small gadgets on that circut board that don't look like relays to me and everything is soldered in. My electrical knowledge is pretty limited.

So can anyone help me find the ASD? Or should I be looking at replacing the whole power module? My gut tells me that'll be expensive, or hard to track down from a wrecker.

Thanks much for any help.

 

Does this problem start after the car has been running for a while, or when the engine is stone cold on a hot day? If the engine is hot you could be getting vapor lock, or your coil might be getting hot and as a resulting in a loss ofspark.
When it wont start have you checked for spark?

 

Thanks for replying rare aries, I get the problem both for restarts and cold starts. I haven't had it for over a week now as the weather has gotten cool here,but I'm confident it'll come back. I did try the open the gas cap trick on a few occasions to relieve the vapour lock, but that never had an effect. I have also replaced the distributor cap, rotor, and the cables which run to my sparks, and have still had the problem.

How should I check for spark then? And if vapour lock were my problem how else could I treat it? Thanks alot.

 

To check for spark you are going to need some help. First you want to disconnect the coil wire from the distributor (with engine off) this is the wire in the center of the distributor cap. Place the end of the wire so that the metal contact in the wire is near something metal, have someone turn the engine over if the coil is working you should see a spark jump from the wire to the metal (DONT DO THIS IF YOU SMELL ANY GAS FUMES UNDER THE HOOD), I'd try this when the engine wont start. To cure the vapor lock, you're going to think this is strange, but I've done it to my 48 Studebaker, and many other of my friends have done it to their cars suffering from it, wrap the fuel lines near the engine in tin or aluminum foil this acts as a shield from the heat of the engine. It wont cure it immediately, meaning if it wont start and you wrap it, it will start right up. I'd do it now while the weather is cooler and you know its running and see what happens when the temps get hot again. you dont have to wrap the lines all the way just the part(s) are close to the engine or exhaust.