Car won't start the quad driver module?

1991 OLDSMOBILE CIERA
212,000 MILES • 6 CYL • FWD • AUTOMATIC
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EINSELE
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We have a 93 Olds Ciera S, it ran rough and had a little vibration when we excelerated. It came out of it and ran fine for about 3 days, went to start it and it would not start. We had it hooked to a machine and it coded that it was the quad driver module. We messed with some wires and it started but ran bad, I think it was a fluke that it started by messing with wires but checked them all anyways and they checked out okay. We replaced the ecm and it is still doing the same thing! Ugh...It will turn over and backfires but not from exhaust, sounds terrible! We have checked everything we know to check, even replaced spark plugs getting fire ok. Any help would be so greatly appreciated.
Jan 1, 2011 at 9:45 PM
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RASMATAZ
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Check the fuel pressure if its within specs to rule out the fuel filter and fuel pump start here
Jan 1, 2011 at 9:48 PM
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EINSELE
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He will do that now. We do here the pump run will that matter?
Jan 1, 2011 at 9:56 PM
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EINSELE
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fuel pressure checked out ok.
Jan 1, 2011 at 10:17 PM
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RASMATAZ
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If in fact its within specs and injectors are pulsing -check for an ignition spark
Jan 1, 2011 at 10:27 PM
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EINSELE
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Sorry but is there a way to see if injectors are pulsing if the car will not start?
Jan 1, 2011 at 11:25 PM
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EINSELE
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still at a loss on this car, anyone have any ideas?
Jan 2, 2011 at 1:15 PM
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EINSELE
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could it be a bad crankshaft sensor?
Jan 2, 2011 at 2:44 PM
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EINSELE
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Would someone please try and give me so advice? Crankshaft sensor
Jan 2, 2011 at 5:16 PM
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CUT213
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Lets try very simple test. What does the engine need to run? AIR, SPARK, FUEL. Lets skip air for the moment okay. Get some Berrymens B12 from the auto supply. Remove the air hoses to gain access to the throttlebody. Lets confirm spark the simple way. Have somebody spin the engine over using the cars normal key switch, confirm START or NO START. If no START, then again, spin to engine over and spray a small amount the B12 into the throttlebody...START or NO START or attempted start. If it tried to run the we now know you have spark and you have some sort of fuel issues. Might be electrical or mechanical, got to determine which. You already said it had good fuelrail pressure so we know fuel delivery to the fuelrail is working, which means the fuel pump is working normally. So now we have to look at the fuel injectors. Now in this post I can not see which engine your car has, these cars have several different engines and they are built differently from each other. Access to the fuel injectors wiring may or may not be easily available to you. We need to check for the electrical pulse's from the ECM, that signal that tells each injector when to sent fuel into the cylidner that will have the spark to ignite the fuel. If you have access to any of the injectors wiring just unplug the wire and using a muilt-meter or electronical test lite to check for that pulse. Most wires terminals are two wire. One for grounding, the other for the pulse from the ECM. If you do not both funcitions the fuel will "NOT" be released from the fuelrail, thus no start!!! Since you already replace the ECM that almost eliminates the ECM...but not completely. NOW if...you can gain access to ALL the injectors wire termials yu need to check the OHM resistance on EACH injector. OHM resistance below 11 OHM's is a bad injector.Just connect the multimeter to the two termianls on to the injector where he wires were plugged in. ANY injector lower than 11 OHM's can affect "ALL" the other injectors and cause a total electrical shut down of the eletrical ground!!!! It can also cause the engine to "backfire" while trying to start at times. To me that backfire while trying to start is a major clue from my experience. These early OBD1 systems are very sensitive to the data input. A injector that is out of NORMAL OHM range will send conflicting data back to the ECM and this conflict can cause the ECM to totally shut down the electrical ground and TRAP the fuel in the fuelrail, and that puppy ain't going to start under those conditions. Usually you have two faulty OHM injectors to get a total shutdown. I found two on my car. Number 1 cylinder and Number two cylinder on my car were faulty, one on both side of the engine. Turns out that each side of the injector wiring has it's own separate ground in an attempt to pervent a complete shut while driving. Remember....one faulty injector can affect ALL the other injectors on that side of the engine. In my case I had #1 & #2 faulty injectors THAT caused a slow gradual shutdown of the ground system on both sides of the engine.
SYMPTOMS: In the begining, slightly rough idle, maybe stalling but always starting back up quickly, decreased engine performance, later, engine wont restart after shut off for a few minutes, later still, more frequent stalling and longer restart times, this keeps up until you reach the point where you are now, NO START at all. A mechanical faulty injector only affects that cylinder, a OHM faulty one injector can ans will affect ALL the injectors. Once I replaced all my injectors MY CAR NEVER stalled again, never again. and it ran much better than before!!! Good Luck.
May 10, 2026 at 3:55 PM
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STRAILER
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I have seen the ignition module go out and cause this issue as well, nice addition to the thread, CUT213!
May 10, 2026 at 5:19 PM
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CUT213
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If the ignition module fails the engine would not try to run on the B12 being sprayed into the throttlebody. No spark No start right? This info is a very plausible shortcut to help eliminate wasted time and money spent on things that are still actually working. Everything I wrote in this post comes from MY actual experience on my 1989 Ciera 2.8L MPFI. It took me almost three years to track down all the various problems in this car. I now FULLY understand how that car functions and what causes different symtoms to occurr. I wasted lots of time and spent lots of money that was wasted replacing good functioning parts. Most things I can now go straight to the problem source. I was a tractor repair mechanic for almost 50 years but never worked on any of the motor vehicles with emission controls until after I retired. I am very very observant person about symptoms on equipment. The OBD1 vehicles are very hard to work on because 95% of those old guys are now gone. It took me a long time to find good info that could actually help me. Now I understand how they work and thanks to my car for having so many different issues at the same time, I can quickly hear a symptom and relate it to the actual problem. Believe me...I have been down a trail of errors on my car that is simply amazing that it could be repair by somebody like me without proper knowledge and reliable information. But I have the patience of a Buzzard, I can wait for something to die!!! I also have a strong desire to learn from each event I encounter. My car is Fully functional and has been turn back into a Peppy and Sassy little car much strong than it was before all these things happen to it. Just trying to pass on some solid info that can help these poor fellows out, thats all I'm trying to do. Anytime you have fuel trapped in the fuelrail with good pressure MOST likely you have some faulty injectors, so OHM test the injectors before you replace them. If they all OHM out within spec then move on to possible issues with faulty wires or ECM issues or even the so called sim card in the ECM. I have done ALL of these things, ALL OF THEM. I know this car and these symptoms very well now. Hope you have a good day my friend!!!
May 10, 2026 at 6:43 PM
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STRAILER
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Good to hear and I agree with everything you said, nice work. This is the site to help others, I have been here for a while now and it helps to get people back on the road. I always liked the older GM products except for the cadi 4.1 liter engine :/
May 11, 2026 at 4:43 PM
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CUT213
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Thanks Strailer!! Very kind of you sir!! Most people will get stumped when the vehicle wont start. They dont know if the issue is mechanical or electrical and if it's an ignition promblem or a fuel problem. The Berrymens B12 is a cheap cost effective tool to determine where you need to start looking. Now people....don't empty the can into the throttlebody for gosh sakes!! Just a quick tap on the push button will do it. If the engine attempts to start or actully does start & run after you spray the B12 into the intake/throttlebody, you now know to check out the fuel system first. If it does not affect the ability of the engine to run, then you need to concentrate on the ignition issues first. Now thats not to say you don't have any fuel issues beyond the ignition issues, but you got to have ignition first, then fuel, right? It's a very quick and simple test and can reveal direction or path to follow for repairs!! To me, thats the first thing you need to determine before any real money is spent. Berrymens B12 16OZ can about $8.00 and you can use it to clean up oil spills and mess's afterwards. Money well spent and not wasted. I try to make these post as simple as I can so they confuse anybody.
May 11, 2026 at 8:30 PM
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STRAILER
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Yep good call, this video goes over that point exactly.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lXLJbuAZ4CE&pp=0gcJCQQLAYcqIYzv

May 12, 2026 at 3:17 PM
Repair Safety Notice: This information is for general instructional purposes only. Vehicle repair can be dangerous. Verify all information, follow manufacturer service procedures, use proper tools and safety equipment, and consult a qualified repair shop when needed.