[donutdan4114]

Okay, so I have a 1988 Dodge Daytona shelby-z 2.2 turbo with an AUTOMATIC transmission... I have been having some major issues with this car, and unfortunately, my mechanic and I have been unable to determine what's going on... If you can solve the problem than you ARE MY GOD!!!
Anyway, so I'll start from the very beginning.
The first problem happened when I was turning onto a street. The street is a very steep hill. I started to go pretty fast up the hill (Yea, i was gunning it) and suddenly the car began to jerk around violently! It felt like it was shifting back and forth into gears very quickly. Then, the car stalled.
That's my problem, my car's been stalling, and I'm thinking its something to do with this incident, and my transmission... Okay, more facts.
It doesn't seem to matter if the car is hot, cold, been running for a while or just started up, idling, driving slow, driving fast, or shifting gears, it stalls completely randomly!
Another thing I noticed is that when I come to a stop sometimes, my car won't shift back into first gear. I know this because if I use the manual override in the center console (The P-R-D-2-1) and set it to 1, the car will go into first gear... But sometimes, it won't do it on its own...
Okay, so what could be doing this??? Any help would be super appreciated, and all info will most likely be going to my mechanic.
Remember, the car stalls randomly, even when idling... I should say when the car is idling in Drive, I haven't stalled it while idling in Park yet. If you solve this case of who-dunnit, I will bestow upon you 1000 good virgins!!!

 

[NAJ]

I am not a trans expert by any means but 2 things I have seen,
Lock up torque converter(if equipped) not disengaging and even though it is a different trans the Jeep Grand Cherokees (99-04,I am a Jeep tech) had a governor issue and the vehicle will start off in 2nd gear unless you shift manually as you did.
Did you check the throttle rod/cable and adjustment? The TV cable attaches to the valve body and may have become disconnected/broken.
Were any engine fault codes set?

 

[4Daytonas]

Turbo Autos don't have lockup.Stalling? sounds like engine problem.

 

[speeduphoria]

sounds like engine problem.

I would agree, check the fuel filter, spark plugs, HEP, AIS motor/wiring, I had a prob with bad grounds killing my v6 spirit and/or leaving it in 2nd gear.

 

[donutdan4114]

Okay, so.... I talked with my mechanic... He's never heard of AIS motor, and spark plugs are good. Fuel filter just replaced. New oil also...
Also, today the car stalled as i was driving, but I kept my foot on the gas as the car rolled forward, and the car started back up like 3 seconds later and ran fine! Could this be a bad engine ground? I can see the ground wire, and its not placed very well on the car... Um... No error codes, and I'm trying to figure out what would cause this stuff to happen RANDOMLY...

Also, due to my complete lack of vehicular knowledge, what does the RPM meter ACTUALLY measure? Because I notice that when the engine shuts off, the RPM goes down to zero, but all the other electronics are working... But, if my car was still moving, and engine still going (to the point that it could restart itself WHILE im driving, without me having to turn the key again) doesn't that mean it must be an electrical problem, because its killing the RPM meter... that's why I'm wondering what the tachometer actually measures... Thanks for the help guys!

 

[NAJ]

What do you mean he never heard of AIS(Automatic Idle Speed)? Chrysler has been using AIS motors since 1984 and still use them to this day, GM calls it an IAC Valve(Idle Air Control), they are on every fuel injected vehicle made in one form or another.(import and domestic)
The tach is electric and measures engine speed, (crankshaft revolutions), when the vehicle stalls all signals are lost,that is why the tach drops to 0, it would be the same as you just turning the key on without starting the engine.
You need to see if any fault codes are set in memory, the procedure is simple.
Without starting the engine turn the key on/off, on/off/ on and the "check engine light will start to flash. count the flashes, all codes are 2 digits, the first digit will be longer and slower, the second digit will be shorter and quicker.
Example, Code 23 would be 2 long slow flashes followed by 3 shorter quicker flashes.
The light will flash all codes and end with code 55 meaning the controller is done communicating with you. Repeat the process until you get the hang of reading the flashes.
Write them down and post what you find.

 

[donutdan4114]

Ah NAJ, you always reply to my problems! haha! Anyway, no fault codes to speak of (except for 12 and 55) and he's just kind of the local mechanic... He's probably used to IAC or some other name for the device. So anyway, I've been trying to find out what this problem is for ages now! I'm trying to find an answer that would solve the transmission having problems shifting into first gear SOMETIMES, and the car stalling at RANDOM times... Well, if anyone knows where to locate the AIS or test it, it'd be much appreciated! Thanks again for your help guys... Im hoping to solve this stupid problem eventually...

 

[speeduphoria]

the AIS is a small motor mounted on the throttle body, I suggest you take the throttle body off and inspect the wires and clean the crap our of it and the AIS passage

 

[NAJ]

AIS will not create random stalling while driving, it will cause driveway dieout, stalling on decel etc. The procedure for cleaning the throttle body and AIS, setting base idle and resetting the AIS is posted in a "sticky" in the "help" section titled "help with poor idle".
Your random stalling may be electrical, perform a wiggle test on all wiring harnesses especially at the HEP connectors (hall effect pickup) and where the wiring exits the distributor in an attempt to duplicate the condition. Be sure the HEP connectors are clean of corrosion, tight and secure.

 

[donutdan4114]

Many thanks for the pics, I'll forward them to my mechanic and tell him to test that stuff... I'll also get him to test the fuel pump, ignition coil, and everything else I suppose... This problem is a hassle! Anyway, my distributor doesn't have a "shield" around it, is that really bad? Also, Im starting to wonder if its just stalling when it trys to shift gears... Im thinking that it may be stalling when downshifting. Does anyone know of anything that would cause a car to stall on downshift? Im hoping its something simple that I can tell my mechanic.. Im thinking it has to do something with the tranny, only because when the car FIRST stalled, the transmission was being strained a lot (going up hill really fast) Maybe like a blown seal, gasket or something?

 

[NAJ]

I left my water shield off when I replaced the distributor because it interfered with the HEP wiring. It has been off for 4 years now with absolutly no problems.
Like I said earlier the only time I have seen a trans create a stalling problem on a non electronic trans is due to the lock up torque converter and you do not have one, but, anything is possible.
Have your mechanic check and adjust the Throttle Valve Cable and perform the wiggle test to see if he can duplicate the condition.

 

[bfarroo]

A few things to check, First the stalling, I'd bet the HEP is the culprit as they are a common problem with these cars. For that you have two options. Go to the dealer and but a new one for about 90 bucks (Parts store units are crap and last 6 months if your lucky), This is a pretty expensive part so if you have a friend that has a TD and you can barrow one to test with it may be worth while. If you don't want to fork out a huge butt load of cash for one hit a local junkyard and pick up a few. Usually they only charge 5-10 bucks ea. Other things that come to mind would be loose battery connections, shorted wiring(check the fuel injector harness and the oxygen sensor wiring. Bad or missing ground cables(one across the passenger side engine mount and one from the firewall to the fuel rain bolt.)

Now the trans could be a few things, the most likely is the govenor is sticking, I've recently been having this issue with my spirit. I dumped in a can of seafoam trans cleaner and ran that around for a few miles and then dropped the pan and changed the filter and fluid. It's seems to be getting better but still occasionally acts up. In another car I had issues with the kickdown cable getting sticky where it attaches to the trans and that would cause the same problem but when it did that I could feel it in the pedal. it would be really hard to push down the first time and then after that it would be really easy because the lever was stuck forward on the trans and you didn't have to move it.