P0341 Code. Car would stall now won't even turn over and lights go dark when key tur
 

Hello all

So been experiencing a weird problem with my SL1. Car randomly lost power and stalled when driving the other day. Would start up for a bit, idle would be unstable then it would die. Got a P0341 code and the good old P0420. So I replaced the crankshaft sensor as is was original. That seemed to help for a bit. Didn't fix the problem though.

Drove it today. Stalled again and would die after unstable idle. Now when I turn the key, all the dash lights go out and it wont even turn over. When it did run, coils had healthy spark, 1/4 coil is almost brand new, plugs are almost new, wires are fairly new. I replaced the ignition module. Didn't work. Replaced the battery. Didn't work. New battery does not spark when terminals are connected to pos / neg wires like it normally would. Terminals are relatively clean.

Some weird stuff when it was running earlier. Car would stall extremely easily when going into reverse. When driving under 2k rpm, eg driving slow for 5th gear and gas peddle floored, engine would stutter a bit (it's a manual).

So I'm not sure what it could be. A bad ground somewhere? Bad ignition switch? I'm at a bit of a loss right now. Any ideas would be appreciated thanks!

What brand parts did you use?

PO341 is a camshaft position sensor which this car does not have. Hence replacing the crankshaft position sensor did nothing to solve the issue.

Trying to drive an SL1, year unknown, below 2000 RPM in 5th gear does exactly what you say. On all of them. Don't drive it that way in fifth gear if you don't want it to bog down.

PO341 is related to the ignition system. Are you using stock NGK copper plugs in the engine? The ignition system in these cars are finicky. Why people jam other plugs into it that actually cost three times as much I'll never understand.

It's amazing how many p0341s are cured by replacing improper/worn out plugs with stock NGK copper plugs at $2 a piece.

Inspect the ends of your plug wires to ensure there is no corrosion on the metal that clips to the plugs and coil packs, respectively. You can use emery cloth to wear off the corrosion and provide clean metal to metal contact. Some dielectric grease wouldn't hurt either. I suppose the issues described below with the battery might have contributed to the p0341. Won't know until you fix it.

The bolts that hold the coil packs to the bell housing do the grounding. Ensure they are not horribly corroded and that the whole state thread into are not horribly corroded. Since you just replaced a coil pack, you may want to check to make sure there was bolts were properly tightened.

Turning the key and having all the lights on the dash go out and everything goes silent is indicative of a dead or non/insufficiently-connected battery.

There is a chance the new battery is defective. It happens.

It is more likely that either the positive cable has been compromised by corrosion or the negative cable is no longer connected to chassis ground.

A compromised positive cable cannot carry the necessary current needed to crank the engine.
A disconnected negative battery cable leads to an open electrical circuit and pretty much nothing should happen.

Your battery cable terminals should be absolutely clean of all corrosion so that you get clean metal to clean metal contact. Reasonably clean does not count. Check the positive cable for crunchiness under the insulation. If it's crunchy, acid has gotten in and wrecked it. In that case replace it. Also examine where the positive cable connects to the under hood junction box to ensure the connection is clean and tight. Otherwise the car's computer and a whole bunch else will not receive the necessary current at the necessary voltage to operate properly.

As for the p0420, that's a catalyst below efficiency code. Which does not always mean the catalyst is actually below efficiency. Sometimes the rear oxygen sensor gets fouled which changes the reading to which the front O2 sensor is referenced.

Sometimes the front O2 sensor gets fouled, about once every hundred thousand miles, and does not sense the correct level of oxygen in the exhaust, causing the PCM to richen the mixture. This may cause the car to run rich, which can be a problem once the engine is warm.

Clogged cat? Not my first suspicion as people usually describe symptoms of the vehicle bogging down everywhere all the time especially going uphill.

Tackle the battery issue first, then the plugs.
Then report back with whatever's left and we can take it from there.

And never buy any electrical automotive parts from AutoZone or advanced. Half of them are DOA. The exception is the higher grades of car batteries. They are manufactured by Johnson controls, a well-known reputable and dependable manufacturer.

"Turning the key and having all the lights on the dash go out and everything goes silent is indicative of a dead or non/insufficiently-connected battery."
I agree with Derf and this should be the first order of business. Without a good battery and connections to said battery none of the rest matter.
I have dealt with issues like this and I've seen the following happen:
1. A battery can have a dead cell or high internal resistance. Check for voltage drop across the battery terminals when attempting to start or better yet, take it to a store or someone who can do a load test.
I would suggest taking back to the store you bought it from since failing a load test would be cause for replacement under warranty.
2. A battery cable can be bad internally even though it looks good. Test for voltage drop across the cable. (same can be said for a bad connection point.)
3. A bad starter can draw high amounts of current without turning the engine over. Checking the voltage drop can show this is the case. The starter can also be pulled to be tested at an auto-parts place.

Check for each of these issues in the order given.
Once you have confirmed that we have a good battery, cables, connections and starter, then is the time to move on with the rest of the tests.