Expert: Roland Finston - 7/27/2011

Question
QUESTION: Have 95 LeBaron with similar no spark problem you addressed before.
After reading your reply, I performed the ON-OFF; ON-OFF; On key
trick. Received the following check engine flashes. . . 1-2-3-5-5
flashes. What does this indicate?

Thanks for your help.

Rod

ANSWER: Hi Rod,
Try it again and see if their might be a 'pause' in either the 2 count or the 3 count. The codes are 2-digit numbers so we need to have 4 or 6 total counts. The 55 means 'end of readout.
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roland:

I goofed, sorry.. Correct code is 12 - 32 - 55.

Tx again for your quick response.

Rod

ANSWER: Hi Rod,
The 12 is to say that the battery power to the engine controller was recently disconnected (possibly because you took one of the battery clamps (- post) off recently) and we tend to overlook that unless definitely not the case.
32 says the egr isn't apparently responding as it should to changes in the rpm/engine vacuum such as to minimize pollution. This might be simply that the valve itself is sticking open or ajar or closed. You could spray some WD-40 on the stem of the valve where it enters the valve body and then work them stem back and forth to free up its action by means of a screwdriver inserted in stem's slot. The valve is located along a small branch-off pipe from the front exhaust manifold that runs across the front of the engine.
The no spark might be that the rotor in the distributor is 'open', so check for continuity, or the cap could be cracked and leaking the spark to ground.  Otherwise it might be the distributor rotational position sensor, but that should cause a code 54 in most circumstances. Unfortunately the common solution if so is to replace the distributor but that is a multi-hunderd dollar part (depending upon source) so I would not encourate you to do that without code evidence.
Any history to the problem before you detected no spark?
Roland

---------- FOLLOW-UP ----------

QUESTION: Roland

Am now getting two additional fault codes 12-32-42-41-55.
Don't know how I missed these before,(maybe been working in sun too long)

Checking for spark on center wire on distributor, coming from coil- no spark.Sorry for taking so much of your time and thanks for your patience.

Rod
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Answer
Hi Rod,
The 41 and 42 codes are relevant to your situation. The 41 says the alternator/generator field is not modulating properly to produce a voltage output needed by the system. And that modulation depends upon there being a 12v supply voltage to the field coil of the generator.
Interestingly, the 42 says the autoshutdown relay is not putting out its 12v which are needed both by the alternator/generator field coil AND by the distributor spark coil and thus this would explain your no spark situation. So the issue is why isn't the ASD circuit working.
The possibilities are that the mini-fuse in the front/inboard corner of the power distribution box in the engine compartment is blown (it may have pins numbered 42 and 43, and is 20 amp) OR the relay itself may be bad (you could try substituting another relay from the box if it has the same number as a test of this, say the fan/ac compressor/windshield washer pump) OR once again it could be that the ASD control circuit is not getting signals from the rotational sensor(s) but that would have caused a code 11 or 54.
So check out these several possibilities to get the ASD relay going again.
Roland