'94 Acclaim stops running suddenly.......

Hi...

Code 11 = "No crank reference signal detected during engine cranking"

Take care.

Ken

Yes you are on the right track. BUT make sure the timing belt hasnt jumped. If the belt jumped you will get the same code if the distributor does not turn. If this is the original pick up plate replace it along with a good Mopar rotor button. Make sure the distributor reluctor is not falling aparty also.

Glenn Beasley Chrysler Tech

does that vehicle use a crank sensor or cam position sensor ?

Technically, it would be a crankshaft position sensor. The turbo engines used a dual pick-up that read both crankshaft position and camshaft position.

If that crank/cam sensor is bad, then he will get no spark.

I can't believe that engine still has a distributor- GM cars that year already had crank sensors and coil packs.

Yes, and?

Superior Chrysler engineering means that they don't have to resort to such things.

Do you think the code 11 came from something other than a failed distributor pick-up or its associated wiring?

Are you suggesting that all new Chryslers still use distributors ?

And are you suggesting that every code yields the exact diagnosis that code stands for ?

Ask him why his shop business in the Drums, PA area failed.

I'm with ya!

Oh horse hockey! If it has a distributor it is the 3.0 litre engine which is an INFERIOR Mitsubishi Engine. I had a 1994 Acclaim with one in it. It NEVER ran properly - escpecially during moist weather. It also PUKED oil everywhere. That engine, IMHO, is a Piece of CRAP.

I had a 1994 Grand Caravan with the 3.3 litre engine - FAR SUPERIOR design to the 3.0 mitsubishi! No "timing belt" to try and fuss with. No clunky distributor - an electronically controlled coil pack (just like GM). My 3.3 purred like a kitten - and it NEVER, I REPEAT NEVER let me down or left me stranded! EVER. It never ran "rough" - even when the O2 sensor went it still ran OK (just the occassional spit-back).

I also used to own a 1987 Cutlass Cruiser. That was the year GM introduced the electronics. That was a 2.8 litre MFI engine with a coil-pack. I was, quite frankly, SHOCKED when I opened the hood of the

I have NEVER seen an "It's-A-S***ty" engine pass 50-60K miles for durability, nor have I ever seen one that ran properly for any length of time. DC was quite wise in dumping their "It's-A-S***ty" holdings, another one of Iacocca's gaffes, along with misreading the quality of Honda products, which kicked his lousy Omni/Horizon subcompacts in the teeth.

whoa- there he goes folks, DeserTBob has just cranked up his troll-o-meter again !!

A 1994 Plymouth Acclaim is not a "new Chrysler."

In this case, yes.

I really don't care.

Step off the soap box, read the part near the top where the original poster mentions that the engine is a 2.5 liter.

That is NOT a 3.0 Mitsubishi engine. (believe it or not)

Welll, Charlie Nudo (aka Cholly Noodlez)'s brain problem is self-evident.

Was the pickup in the older ESC I and II systems which used the old distributor on the 318 a big failure item? I was debating changing mine out, given its age, but I've never heard of one fail on these.

Ick.

My wife's '92 Camaro 3.1 60° V6 had a distributor...and your point is? The 3.1 was a bore-stroke job on the 2.8.

Ron wrote: I believe the distributor pick-up has

Ron

I had two Chrysler products that lost the distributor pickup. The first one I replaced based on the code and the second I put an ohmeter on the leads to the distributor and wiggled the wire to the distributor. It jumped open sometimes when I wiggled the wire/cable. Replaced the pickup and no firther problems.

Bob AZ

But why the leap backwards??? I have owned many cars over the years. Only ONE of them had a relatively "trouble free" distributor - my 1979 Malibu Classic with a 305 V8. I believe it was the High Energy Ignition. Worked like a tank, and the only thing I ever had to do was replace the distributor cap - ONCE. 5 min job.

All other distributors I had direct experience with were problematic at best! The bottom line is that they damn things wear out, and they are not easy to replace and not cheap either!

Coil packs have no physical moving parts, and so no wear! And the ECM can control PRECISELY when the engine fires! Acceleration is MUCH better since there is no lag like with the vacuum advance. No hoses to leak either! I bet emmissions are lower as well.

When you KNOW that something is vastly superior, then why not ditch the old distributor for good and use the coil pack???

I'm tellin ya right now, if I went to buy a new car off the lot and I saw a distributor on the engine, I would walk away. It's that simple.

I had a 1995 Corsica with the 3.1 - and it had a coil pack. The main improvement there was that the coil pack was on the TOP of the engine

- easy to replace if need be. The 87 Cutlass was >>

I appreciate your help. Yes, everything in the distributor is original, so I'll give it a good going over.

The belt checks out OK (which is good because belt and head gasket were new about 6 months ago).