Greetings--

I've got an '89 240 DL that I posted a question about last week, and now I've got a problem that I think could be related, but I don't know.

So, the problem then was the car died on the freeway and wouldn't start up again. It would turn over, but wouldn't do anything. I thought it was a fuel pump or filter problem, but I don't have the tools or the skills to properly diagnose the problem. I took it to a shop, and after a few hours they called me and told me that the fuel pump relay wasn't getting a ground from the computer any longer. My options were to replace the computer for around $700, or have them run a new ground to the frame for about $160, which included a diagnosis fee and labor.

I opted for the new ground wire, and a few hours later the car was done. I drove the car less than 30 miles the rest of the week. I was planning to go out on Saturday, and the car wouldn't start. It was dark, so decided to put off trying to find anything obvious until the morning. The next day, I checked all connections under the hood and checked all the fuses. All the connections were tight and the fuses good. I jacked up the car and checked out the fuel pump. I figured maybe there was a problem with the new ground wire or something, and maybe there would be an obvious issue I'd see. I couldn't find anything, and couldn't find anyplace where a new wire had been run anywhere. From the look of the fuel pump bracket, it didn't even look like it had been removed.

This morning, I called the same shop and explained the issue, and they told me to bring it in. I was about to call for a tow, and decided to try to turn it over one more time. This time it started right up. I took it in, and after turning it off it wouldn't start. They checked it out right away, and told me to leave it.

Five hours later they called me and told me the ignition module was bad and wasn't consistently delivering spark, and that it needed to be replaced. This is now running me about $240, parts and labor.

So I've got a couple of questions.
1) Should this problem have been found during last week's "diagnosis?"

2) Could the cheaper solution of running the ground have caused the ignition module to go bad?

Thanks for reading, and thanks in advance for any information.

jim.

ECUs rarely go bad. The first thing I would do is replace the crank position sensor, also known as an RPM sensor.

Agreed, start with the crank position sensor, $29 for FCP groton:
http://www.fcpgroton.com/images/271949.jpg