91 tracker no spark or fuel

[ROSE BUD]

ok guys i have searched the forum relating to my problem and have come close but not same as what i have going on.

here it is, i have a 91 geo tracker 1.6L 8v. i bought it about 2 months ago and got it running good enough to drive. it has really poor bottom end power (below 2,500 rpm). friday i drive it to town and back (about 15mi round trip) come home shut it off go inside for 5 min come back out and go to leave turn the key to start it, and it will turn over and will not start.

what i have done so far is, pulled #1 plug grounded it while turning it over to see if i am getting spark. I am not getting spark. thinking that i might be getting spark but just can't see it i spray starting fluid in th tb, still nothing. So from there i look to see if i am getting gas, it does not look like it.

I am not a total idiot when it comes to working on vehicles. My first thought on the no spark was ok i have a bad coil. well a real good friend of mine has the same tracker his is just a 5 speed mine is auto. I take his working running coil off of his and put it on mine. Squat nothing new no fuel no fire. Not sure still if mine was good or bad i put my coil and module on his, and his fired right up.

After i put mine back the way it was before we started i checked all fuses that i could see. They are all good that i can see (under the dash and in front of the bettery). I also disconnected the battery to maybe reset the computer if that is possiable. Like i said i am not a total idiot when it comes to working vehicles, its just the ones i am use to working on has 4 barrels and headers (old chevy 350s and junk with a carb).

When i get this figured out i hope to figure out why it has really poor low end power.

Any and all help will be greatly appreciated.

Thanks in advance guys

[GumbyCT]

Is the CEL on with key? If so check for any codes, you can search here to locate the connector to jump and check the ECM is putting out code 12 (flashing the CEL). It does sound as if the ECM has the famous capacitor problem.

Ask your friend if he has another ECM - it control the spark and fuel.

[Snap-On Aficionado]

+1 on Gumby's opinion ! I would have said same thing.

[ROSE BUD]

I forgot to mention the cel has always been on and still is. Also I did pull out the ecm from under the dash I did not open it but it did not smell like smoke.

[GumbyCT]

Originally Posted by ROSE BUD

I forgot to mention the cel has always been on and still is.

That does not make it OK. So you need to find out why then. It should not be always on and doesn't have to smell like smoke. Read up on it here using the search, it is a common failure.

[Bex]

First, you should have checked to see if you can get the code 12 from the ECU, prior to pulling all apart. If you cannot, check to make sure that your nag switch (under the steering column) is not on - you will not get the code 12 unless the nag function is turned off.
Are your dash lights on or off when you are cranking? The ig-coil fuse, if blown, will prevent the car from starting, but the dash lights work off this as well. If the dash lights are off, then it's the fuse.
Check Engine Light
There are certain things you need to check prior to assuming its the caps. If you can get the code 12 off the CEL, then the caps are not your problem.

[ROSE BUD]

Originally Posted by Bex

First, you should have checked to see if you can get the code 12 from the ECU, prior to pulling all apart. If you cannot, check to make sure that your nag switch (under the steering column) is not on - you will not get the code 12 unless the nag function is turned off.
Are your dash lights on or off when you are cranking? The ig-coil fuse, if blown, will prevent the car from starting, but the dash lights work off this as well. If the dash lights are off, then it's the fuse.
Check Engine Light
There are certain things you need to check prior to assuming its the caps. If you can get the code 12 off the CEL, then the caps are not your problem.

ok, how do i go about getting the code 12? also this may be a dumb question, but what is a nag switch?

[Bex]

Sorry!! The 'nag' switch is the service engine soon function, which goes on when the odometer hits certain mileages. Once that function is set, you can't pull codes from the ECU until the 'nag' is turned off. Your car is the same as mine - you will see a little door just under the steering column, remove it and stick your hand down about 3 inches or so, and feel toward you. There will be a sliding switch on the dash just under that door - slide it from whatever side it is currently on, to the other side. That will turn off the nag. Of course, we don't know if the nag is on at the moment or not, so you can try to check for codes first, if you want. You need a metal paperclip. Just in front of your battery in the engine compartment is a small white connector with a black locking top on it, dangling on 4 wires. Depress the locking tab on the black top, remove the black top and you will see 4 pins inside. Take your metal paperclip and jump the top right pin to the bottom left (the tab would be on the top of the connector - or just confirm that you are jumping the pins from the blue/yellow wire to the purple wire). Then put the key to the on position, and the CEL should start flashing. Flash, pause, flash flash means code 12. There will be a longer pause in between codes, and the codes will repeat. Try it and see what you get. Look at the link in the post above - it may be explained better for you, and there are diagrams, etc.

[ROSE BUD]

Update, I looked for hours for the nag switch by the driver's speaker. No luck, read on here that pulling the 3 wire connector on the backside of the instrument cluster would do the trick to reset.

I tried to read the CEL flashes by jumping the 4 wire connecter by the battery.
No luck. Check engine light is off. Cannot get any pulses/flashes with the jumper in place.
What should be my next action or test?

[Bex]

Originally Posted by ROSE BUD

Update, I looked for hours for the nag switch by the driver's speaker.

Your car is just like mine - did you not read my post above? Your nag switch will NOT be by the driver's speaker, but will be directly under the little door under the steering column. Remove the door, stick your hand down, and feel on the dash area that is closest to you (directly under the door). If the nag is on, you will be unable to pull codes.
If the nag is not on, your CEL is not on, your car is only cranking, check the fuses (ig-coil fuse - do your dash lights work at all??) If none of these things are your problem, then your caps have dried up in the ECU and need to be replaced. Three Rubycon capacitors - a $5 fix if you know how to solder. If not, your local computer geek can do this for you. Search the forum for this - the specs for the caps and info on replacement are on the forum.