I made a post here a while ago: http://www.aussiemagna.com/forums/showthread.php?t=102159

And we did a few things since. The distributor cap and rotor arm are all new, the ignition coil is replaced and we eventually took it to our mechanic that found an error with the crank angle sensor. He replaced that and still had issues and did some digging around.

My ECU was covered in coolant from a leaking heater core and so the ECU was suspect. He dried it out and got the car running fine.

I get the car back and it runs very well for 2 days until the same problem happens, losing power to the engine and again the RAC come out. The engine can idle for a minute before cutting off, it does not seem to be a fuel issue and the RAC guy said that it feels like the engine is not firing enough cylinders.

So my next step was to buy another ECU.

This is where we are now. This new ECU does not fix the problem and the car is back to not starting at all (The starter engine works but the main engine never starts afterwards)

So I have replaced:
-Distributer cap.
-Ignition coil/pickup sensor unit.
-ECU.
-Crank angle sensor.

Does anyone have any other idea what could be the issue?

Thanks!

Did you ever read the codes?

Sounds like you have replaced most of the high voltage side of the ignition system, so the problem must lay in the low voltage side.
I would be looking at the relays that are associated with the ignition system. Try swapping them with other relays that are NOT ignition related (like wipers, headlights) and see if the problem follows, or remains.

Did you ever read the codes?

Sounds like you have replaced most of the high voltage side of the ignition system, so the problem must lay in the low voltage side.
I would be looking at the relays that are associated with the ignition system. Try swapping them with other relays that are NOT ignition related (like wipers, headlights) and see if the problem follows, or remains.

The mechanic read the codes and told us that the crank angle sensor was the thing wrong, unfortunately it seems that was not the problem.

When you say relays do you mean the fuses?

Thanks for your help :)

I assume the leaky heater core was replaced (ie. dashboard out)?

I assume the leaky heater core was replaced (ie. dashboard out)?

The mechanic simply disconnected it and drained it. I am unsure if I will have the heater core fixed, for now probably just leave it as now we are in summer.

Ok, rules out the new ECU being drowned again. Relays are the black boxy things or silver cylindrical things in the engine bay fuse/relay box. You haven't mentioned your high-tension leads or spark plugs themselves, are they old or oily? Oil leaking around the valve cover plug seals can be a problem. Assuming there are no error codes I would work backwards from the plugs, first determining if there is a spark by connecting a HT lead to a spare, earthed spark plug. If there is spark, your problem is probably fuel related (clogged injectors, fuel pump not running, etc.), if there is no spark you'll need to work backwards, seeing if there is power at the distributor. If so, I'd try swapping the HT leads and plugs and making sure the distributor has a good earth (I think it's the middle pin of the plug to the dist). If not, could be relays, ignition switch, inhibitor switch maybe (if it's an auto), or a dodgy/dirty connector somewhere. AFAIK if any of the many sensors providing input to the ECU were stuffed it would show up in an error code. Beyond all that, best move would be to take it back to your mechanic, since the crank angle sensor clearly wasn't the issue (or wasn't the only issue at least).

Thanks! That is a lot of information but I will work with that over the coming days. Cheers :)