Topaz help

[kirk]

My daughter has a 1987 Topaz with the 2.3 CFI that has been running ruff and stalling out. I did a visual inspection and then ran a quick test. I got a 78 from key-on engine-off, and a 21 & 52 from the engine-on. Code 21 has you check the TPS and ECT. If these check out OK (which they did) then repace the processor.

I cleared the codes and tried several more times between investigations. I consistantly got 21, 52, and then 99. On the last run I got a 15 (replace processor) in the engine-off quick test.

I do not have a breakout box so I can't say the harness is good. I was going to pull the processor connection and see if it is clean, but I can't find it. Anyone know where this processor is? Should I replace the processor or investigate further?

[marauder307]

WOW! You've actually kept one of those things running? Well....

When my maternal granddad passed away in '93, he left me his '86 Tempo. I drove it through the last little bit of my college years up until the summer of '94. During that time, I was coming back from a reserve duty weekend when the engine started surging badly, as much as +1000 rpm/down to nothing, and cutting out at speed. I made it back to Tuscaloosa (U of AL alumni), but the car went in the shop the very next day.

$650 dollars and a full day's worth of effort later, we discovered that the main brain box had effectively melted itself internally. I think those cars were EEC-II or -III vintage; those boxes didn't respond well to heat and at roughly 70k on the odo, it was fried. They replaced it and voila! No more problems...

Until a few years later, when my younger brother dropped the durn transmission out of it. THEN we got rid of it.

Perhaps this will help....:)

[grampaws]

keeping the throttle bodies clean,..
the ignition modules frequently failed-when the car got hot..
Tps sensors..and fuel pumps where
really common on those..
And Ditto on the "Wow!! It's still running!!!