whodatdood

Thank ya'll so much, in advance, for taking the time to read the below!

The Car
2000 LS 400 (106k miles purchased last June with 80k)

The Short
Problem:
Intermittent cranks (beautifully) but won't start
Already Tried:
Replaced fuel pump and crank shaft position sensor
Red security light goes off when I place key into ignition

The Long
Car started, with no problems, from buying in June 2018 until late September 2018 when it first gave me the crank with no start problem.
The first time it occurred I "fixed" it by messing with the fuses (taking them out and blowing on them).
Started good for about a week until it happened again, and I couldn't "fix" it by tinkering again.
Towed it to mechanic. Mechanic calls me and says it started beautifully on first try.
Started good for a couple of months until it happened again, I was able to "fix" it again by random tinkering, mostly with the fuses.
Started good for a week until it happened again, and I had to tow it to the mechanic (different than first mechanic since I re-located).
Mechanic replaced fuel pump and crank shaft position sensors.
Started good for over a month until it happened again, and I towed it back to the same mechanic.
Mechanic calls me and says it started beautifully on first try.
In a week the problem occurred again, so I call the tow, but before we hook it up to the tow I decide to give it a try and of course it starts.
When I tried the above I just cranked it as soon as I put the key in instead of letting the wheel come down first like I normally did.
I then made a change:
Before, I'd to put my key in, turn a couple clicks, wait for wheel to come down, then I'd crank.
I changed the above to put my key in, wait for wheel to come down, then crank.
For no reason at all I felt/feel like this has something to do with the problem.
Car starts great with my new change for 3 whole months with just a few hiccups.
Those hiccups were "fixed" by me waiting for the wheel to come back up after I failed a first crank, then I'd crank as soon as I put the key in, and this worked on the first try for each hiccup.
Now today the problem is back again, and I couldn't "fix" it the same way I "fixed the few hiccups in the past 3 months. Only notable recent event was an oil change yesterday.

I'd really appreciate the hell out of anyone taking the time to offer any comments/opinions/advice.

Thanks guys!

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

intermittent issues like this would drive me nuts so I empathize with you.
are you in LA Louisiana or LA Los Angeles?
I ask bc it's been humid in so cal lately (or in Louisiana I suppose all the time) and that tends to cause havoc with old electronics, primarily the solder joints.

my older Hondas suffer from this problem, mid-late 90s models which is vastly covered in those circles - cold solder joint.
It could very well be a possibility in your case.
of course there are hundreds if not thousands of solder joints all over the car!

replacing the ECU might sound overkill but it could be worth a shot as it can eliminate a big chunk of the probability the bad joint is in there!

whodatdood

Yeah, it's been a helluva roller coaster and waste of $.
I'm in Louisiana. Yesterday wasn't as hot as normal.
Problem has occurred at different temperatures throughout the seasons so far.

Current plan is to tow car back to mechanic (a different one) tomorrow and grab a rental.
I'll keep this thread updated on what the mechanic says.

Thanks!!

whodatdood

Wire harness going to crank shaft sensor was in bad shape.
Mechanic repaired wire harness, and now it's starting good again.
Finger crossed that issue is fixed now!