86 SE Will not Crank then loses all power for a few minutes (Page 1/1) huntingburger MAR 02, 10:00 AM I have an 86 SE with the 2.8 and 4 speed. I replaced the gas tank , sending unit, and fuel pump. When I tried to start the car for the first time after this, it cranked and started for a few seconds then died. When I tried to start it again, it would not crank and all the gauges and interior lights went dead. After a few minutes, the electric will come back on. If I try to start it, it repeats the sequence. Has anyone ever had an issue like this? Thanks for your help! sleek fiero MAR 02, 10:16 AM sounds like loose ground cable at the battery. sleek 1985 Fiero GT MAR 02, 11:51 AM Yeah either a loose cable at the battery, or your battery significantly discharged while you were working on the fuel, the lights and gauges won't work after a certain voltage, possibly turning the car over used up the last bit of energy, causing a big voltage drop, which then recovered just enough to light the gauges after a few minutes. Check your battery connections, and check the voltage with a reliable multimeter. Also when it was cranking, did it crank normal speed or was it turning over really really slowly. huntingburger MAR 02, 05:41 PM Thanks for the help. I removed and cleaned the battery leads and terminals. I also cleaned the chassis ground. It fired right up. I never anticipated it was going to be that easy. Now if I can get it to idle properly...oh well that is for tomorrow. 1985 Fiero GT MAR 02, 06:46 PM quote Originally posted by huntingburger: Thanks for the help. I removed and cleaned the battery leads and terminals. I also cleaned the chassis ground. It fired right up. I never anticipated it was going to be that easy. Now if I can get it to idle properly...oh well that is for tomorrow. does it idle high (2-3000 rpm) or does the idle "hunt" (bounce up and down around 1000rpm) or both? also remember to drive it up to highway speeds and let it warm up before looking at the idle, with the battery removed, the ecm was reset and needs to relearn the idle, only does that after driving at highway speeds and warming up. if you have a high idle, 9 times out of 10, it will be the egr tube, they crack easily, and allow a massive vacuum leak, can test with some carb cleaner or something, spray it around the upper part where it bolts to the bottom of the intake. if your idle is 1000rpm but "hunts", then it can be a lot of things, small vacuum leaks, sensors reading incorrectly, anything really, replacing 1/2 my sensors, the egr tube and cleaning the pcv valve got my idle right on 950 on the tach, almost no variation.