Went to drive the car, it started, went to pull it in gear and it died. The car will turn over but not start. At this point you can hear the fuel pump come on but no fuel gets to the plugs. Of course it would not matter becasue there is no fire at the plugs. The coil is good, there is current getting to the distributor but none to the plugs. Fuses have been checked and are good. In essence ideas are short and the problem persists...HELP!

Sounds like either the module or the pickup coil in the distributor has failed.

Module has been check and is OK. Pick up coil is within specs.

When the scanner is hooked to the computer we cannot get ANY reading. The question has come up could the computer have gone out? If so how can that be checked.

Thanks

Do you still have VATS?

Yes but the engine turns over. My understanding is vats prevents that.

nope, vats will let the engine rotate but not start. I think VATS interupts the pulse signal from the distributor to disable the engine, I may be wrong though.

When the scanner is hooked to the computer we cannot get ANY reading. The question has come up could the computer have gone out? If so how can that be checked.

Thanks[/quote]
Yea, I know you said the coil is good, bare with me, OK?
First, connect the coil HV wire to ground using a spark plug tester, or a handy friend to hold it close to ground and doesn't mind getting shocked. I use the tester cus' I don't have any friends left.
First, disconnect the Gray and Black connectors from the coil. connect a jumper wire from where the white wire should be on the coil to ground.
Then, momentarily jumper the pink wire from where it should be on the coil to 12v, if your coil and wiring is good it should produce a spark, or your friends expels profanities he didn't know he knew - either way you know it works. I pulled a spare gray connector with as much wire as I could get from the junk yard it really comes in handy.
Second, Reconnect the coil and disconnect the 4-wire distributor connector (ECM wiring.) Use starting fluid to prime the TB (I don't like to use that, I just prime it with a little fuel.) On TPIs I pour the fuel in via the brake booster vacuum port to keep from removing the MAF.
Now crank the engine - it should start and run for as long as there is fuel in the intake if it doesn't there's a wiring problem in the coil circuit which I doubt very much. Since I doubt wiring is as culprit the ECM is probably faulty - I said probably, as a armchair mechanic that's just to cover my arsse.

I don't EVEN want to know how you came up with that big of diagnostic wisdom.

Actually the coil has been changed and it yeilded the same result. Since we are not getting fuel either would that have a baring on your advice?

Well, I don't know how to interpet that "EVEN," anyhoo I'll exercise the 1st amendment - the answer is I've used the procedure to diagnose no starts and because that's the way it was done under the shade tree before the advent of CC. You guess it, I was watching Mighty Mouse in beautiful black and white when I was rudely interrupted by the news that JFK was shot. Ok I'm starting to digress.

The reason I give that advice is because the ECM isn't needed to start the engine and yes, without it you can't get the injectors and, or the fuel pump to work, but those can be bypassed with a swig of fuel down it's throat - OK use starting fluid if you want.

The distributor doesn't need the ECM to produce spark so you need to prove that it is sparking before you add fuel.
Once you get it running without the ECM you can turn you attention to the ECM itself and fuses relays...etc.

So, do I get another "EVEN" for those few lines of freedom..er, I mean wisdom? I hope you can see I'm just trying to add a little humor here an there. But, really I do believe my advice is sound.

Maybe a victim or your own sucess. Make no mistake concerning my intent. The picture of two guys standing in a driveway while one is probing with a wire until he gets the holy hell shocked out of him is rather amusing, well at least to me. Offense was not meant nor should any be taken. Nor do I question the accuracy of the method but merely the description and thought of HOW that method was discoved.

Would the fuel pump come on if VATS was involved? Can anything be made of the fact we cannot get any reading form the computer? We will try your "shocking" method a little later on.

Thanks for your help.

Have you checked to see if you are getting all the constant and switched 12v at the ECM?, The ECM grounds through the engine harness where it connects to the back of each cylinder head. maybe you lost a ground? I doubt the ECM itself is bad though.