F355 CEL/SDL after storage for nine months

Update: Normally the cables circled in red and yellow below are locked in place with a metal contraption(photo below). Securing them in this way keeps them away from the belts etc. But it puts a lot of pressure on both cables. I am 98% sure that the cable/connector circled in yellow below is my problem. If the cables are allowed to hang loose, as photographed below, the car will start fine. If, I lock them in place with the metal contraption, the car will not start. If the cables are allowed to hang loose, and I start the car, and gently push on the cable circled in yellow, the engine will stall and stop.

The schematic from Ricambi does not show a part number for this connector/cable. I guess it is part of the huge cable coming from the ECU. So…not sure what my next step is. I need to rebuild this last connection, that connects to my new crank sensor/crank sensor cable, highlighted in yellow in the Ricambi schematic.

Housekeeping: Qavion, I checked my gap between the crank sensor and the teeth, and made sure it was within spec, seemed like it was about 0.6mm. And I wanted to show you the shim that was installed in my car. It is at the very bottom. See how mangled it is? Bad. But anyway, I did not use it with the new Ricambi crank sensor. No shim was needed to have the sensor within spec.

Any ideas appreciated. Thank you all for your help so far.

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Thank you all for your ideas. Sincerely appreciated. I would be sunk if not for you guys. johnk, yelcab, qavion, thank you.

I will play with the connector later today. I just spoke with Daniel at Ricambi. He thought he might be able to come up with the correct part number for that connector if I send him a photo, he felt it was probably from the company AMP. He doesn’t stock such connectors, but if he got me the part number, I might be able to find it somewhere, order it, and splice in a new connector.

Yeah Qavion, the setup on my car, which I think was stock, was the crank sensor has a trapezoidal shaped bit of plastic on the connector end. That trapezoid is locked into that metal piece I showed you guys. But! It is a very tight fit. So on my old crank sensor that plastic trapezoid had a crack, you can see that photo a couple posts above. I think because it is forced into this trapezoid holder. But more importantly, that mounting solution forces a lot of pressure on both sides of the connector. I could feel it as I was putting it all back together. It is secure, looks tidy, but it puts a lot of pressure on both connectors. If, if, I get everything working, I want to think about whether to use that sort of mounting contraption. The plastic trapezoid on the new crank sensor, it has to be forced to get it into the mounting metal piece, not good for longevity/recipe for future problems. Even if I filed a little plastic off the new crank sensor, which would allow it to fit into the metal mount, there still is a lot of pressure on the connectors.

Side point, when the car was not starting, I checked my fuel pump fuse, and I checked the relay. Both seemed fine.

 

Thank you, you, you guys, have made my day.

 

Yes. Today, I carefully peeled back the rubber boot and looked at wires, and the three pins of the connector. I can not see that any of the three are loose, or damaged, or wire damaged. I tried pulling on each with some needle nose pliers, but they all seem locked in place. But I did not try to remove the pins.

When the connector is connected, but hanging free. The car runs perfect. I had it up to >7000rpms today. The first time it has run 100% this year. No lights, no codes, no stalls. Ran perfect.

But, when I try to lock the connector in place, or even straighten this connecting wire/when there is any pressure on the connection, the car will not even start. It just cranks.
I need to take the pins out of the connector and see if there is anything going on.
Very strange.
Observation: There is a wire coming off the alternator, it is a ground wire, and it is chafing the connector wire we are talking about, the rubber layer of this connector wire was chafed away, and there was a “fabric” layer visible, in an area about half an inch long. I would think if there was any damage, it would go beyond this fabric layer, and I would be seeing bare wire.
Bottom line, there is a 8 inch or so piece of wire and the connector, that is somehow responsible for this problem. Just need to find where in this 8 inches or so, there is the issue. It seems like it should be the connector, but everything “looks” fine with the connector.

 

Yes. The car has the new crank position sensor from Ricambi, installed earlier this week, and I made sure the gap on that was correct.
In the photo below, the new crank sensor/cable is on the right. When it hangs like this, the car starts fine and runs 100%.
So I feel the problem is with the connector/cable on the left below, circled in yellow.
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Thank you Qavion. I will think. For now, I will pull the three pins from the female connector we are talking about, and see if I can see any problems. If no problems there, maybe where I saw some chafing further toward the ecu of this same cable, I will cut away the insulation and make sure the wires underneath are fine?
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Thank you for the ideas. I will try them. Yeah, I’ve been hesitant to cut the wire coming from the ECU.

 

Wanted to update. Turned out that two of three ECU wires that connect to the crankshaft position sensor had serious damage. One was almost completely severed. One was significantly damaged.

90% chance this wire damage was caused by two belts that came off last summer. We have repaired these wires and the car is running well.

I want to thank you guys for all your advice. With your help I was able to identify the damaged area.