Engine Cuts Out randomly and wont restart for a while Options

[fokiohero]

Hi guys, I hope someone can help me as the UK forums haven't been too useful.

I'll describe the problem and symptoms as best I can, I've read up quite a lot on this over the past month or so on various forums and there are literally tonnes of different opinions and probable causes for sudden engine cut-outs.

I've got a ST205 GT-Four 3S-GTE twin entry turbo

This first happened about a month ago, started up the car then it just cut-out, started her up again & took a little longer to start (like a second or two) but after that it was fine for about a week and thought nothing of it.

A week later, after coming out of the cinema it just wouldn't start- the engine turned over but it just wouldn't fire up. This was a bit embarrassing because I was on a date at the time (- didn't make too good an impression!
After about 15 minutes of trying to fire up the car in the car park it started up, I waited for it to reach operating temperature and drove home without a hitch.

Since then it has been cutting out a lot more frequently, It's gotten to the point where I'm afraid to take it out incase it just suddenly dies on me.
Usually there's no warning it's about to cut out, I could be sitting at traffic lights or driving down the road in 4th gear and the engine will suddenly die, power steering goes and the dash lights come on, it almost always refuses to restart after it cuts out, or it might restart and run for a few seconds or minutes but then the revs will bounce up and down a bit and it will cut out again, refusing to restart.

Usually if I leave it long enough it will start up again (as if there was no problem to begin with), I guess this must be something to do with temperature change or something.
I only have trouble starting the car after it cuts out- otherwise I have no problem starting it up.

I'm pretty much at my wits end now- I've tried loads of things, I've checked all the fuses, checked all the vacuum hoses from the intake manifold and air intake, etc. I've changed the ignition module and ignitor coil, I've fitted a new fuel filter, I've changed the fuel pump relay, I've removed the throttle body, given it a good clean with carb cleaner, cleaned out the IAC valve, checked the TPS-looks clean, sprayed carb cleaner into the intake manifold whilst idling, checked the spark plugs - they're platnium long life plugs that look in good condition besides the carbon deposits (no doubt from all the cranking I've been doing), checked the dizzy cap and HT leads - they look okay but I've ordered a replacement set anyway. inspected and cleaned the EGR, inspected the TPS.

This is driving me nuts now- the only diagnostic code I'm getting is code 14 which basically tells me that there's been no ignition signal to the ECU- no s**t sherlock! That's really only the symptom and not the cause.

I might try disconnecting the lambada sensor next to see if that makes any difference,
Any help would be much appreciated- perhaps someone will recognise the same symptoms I've described and can help?

[808celica]

mine did this.......i dunno if its the same problem but did you check the distributor? my distributor coil melted on itself T__T
that and other things, the other things you dont have to worry about