Troubleshooting: car won't start

[99whitebeast]

Yesterday afternoon i drove the car around 2pm it drove fine running like normal. Around 4pm the car would not start, The car turns over but will not stay running. There is a white smoke coming from the exhaust and smells really rich. I'm just lost and have no clue what the problem could be, to me it seems like a fuel problem. The car is acting like it's getting no fuel, any help would be great. The car itself is a 99 w/130k w/ regular maintance.

[99whitebeast]

I just went to start the car and it started right up, It was idleing and running like normal. Yesterday when i tried starting it the motor was still warm/hot, what would cause the car not to start while still warm??

[DanGTP]

A failed ignition control module can cause the car to not start when hot, but start up when cold. Usually another sign of this is that the car just shuts off while running, just as if you had turned the key off.

Do you have a "Service Engine Soon" light on?

It could also be a failing mass air flow sensor.

[Liquifire]

MAF, IAC, Fuel pump, Fuel pump relay, ICM, etc..............codes would help if you have any. LIM gasket/head gasket could be going if you are seeing white smoke out of your exhaust. Does your coolant and oil look normal and are they both up to normal levels?

[99whitebeast]

All the fluid levels are normal, There is no check engine light on. When i start the car i don't notice any white smoke.

[99whitebeast]

Well today i decided to figure out what is wrong with this car, The car started right up just fine, idled great like it should. Drove the car for about 10 minutes and it started to run rough, Rpm's up and down, pulled into neighborhood and the car just shut off. I got the car restarted as i was pulling into driveway i noticed black smoke coming from exhaust and smelt like fireworks. I was doing some reading on here and read somewhere to check the spark on the plugs to determine if ICM is working correctly, The plugs have spark. So now i don't know where else to look. The car starts to run like crap when it's hot, so i was thinking ICM

[DanGTP]

I'm beginning to think that may be your problem, too. Take it into Auto Zone and have them test it like ten times back to back to get it hot and see if it passes all ten times.

Also, if you know have a temp gun, or know someone with one, check the temp of your cat after it gives you a fit again. It shouldn't be much hotter than the down pipe. It's possible that the cat is overheating and forcing the system to run rich to try and cool it down (hence the black smoke). A fuel and/or oil saturated cat can cause excessive heat and restriction, choking the car after it's gotten hot.

[99whitebeast]

After the car stalled i pulled a plug to check if the plug had spark and it did, Would the ICM still give spark to the plug if it were shot??

[DanGTP]

Not normally, but it's free to have it checked, so might as well to completely eliminate it as a possibility.

[99whitebeast]

Well i got it checked and it tested fine, I had them test it 10-12 times. I also cleaned the MAF and TB the car is running but it won't idle, it idles between 500-1500 rpms it won't stay constant. When my car dies about 2 sec after the trac off light comes on, Is that a sign of a bad CPS?? It's running rough like it's missing on a cylinder, The exhaust has a really bad smell it will make your eyes water

[DanGTP]

The exhaust has a really bad smell it will make your eyes water

You're definitely running rich. It could be a bad CKP or CMP sensor, but usually that throws an SES light. Just for sh*ts and giggles, see if you can have a code reader hooked up to the car and check for codes. There may be one or some present that don't cause the SES light to illuminate. The bulb could also be out. When you turn the ignition on, does the light come on, then turn off?

[99whitebeast]

I checked the SES light and it come's on then shuts off. It has been a few hours since i messed with the car, Went to the garage it started right up idled for about 5mins at 800-900 rpm's no problem then all a sudden rpm's went to 1300 them just stalled. No SES light coming on, Now I'm unsure what to try or do next. Thanks for all your help so far

[99whitebeast]

Well after all the reading and testing etc. Come to find out it was a faulty MAF, i replaced it the car runs great and starts everytime. Thanks for all the help.

[DanGTP]

Glad to hear you got it fixed!