89-GTA Ragtop

Hey all. I hope I'm posting this in the right area. I have an '89 GTA 5.7 TPI I bought off a fellow Soldier getting ready to go to another duty station back in April. Back in early July my starter went out (due to oil & grime gumming up the starter. Most likely rear main seal is bad. Got the kit to change that & the trans filter), got a new starter from the auto parts store, put it on...no problems there. While under the car I noticed that the exhaust (not stock. It was the dual cat type of system.) had a shoddy welding job done to it...to the point that the exhaust was leaking through holes in the welds. The guy I bought the car off of gave me a set of headers & a stock style Y-Pipe. I removed the headers & duel cat system up to the mid pipe & replaced them with the headers & y-pipe I got with the car. The headers I have do not have the AIR system pipes on them, so I removed the pump & related parts (replaced the pump with a bracket & pulley from Summit Racing). While I was at it I replaced:

Fuel filter, Upper & Lower Radiator Hoses, Thermo Fan Switch, Coolant Temp. Sending Unit, Thermostat, O2 Sensor, Ignition Coil, Distributor Cap & Button, & Plug Wires (coil, cap & button, & wires from Taylor Vertex. Plugs were changed about 3 weeks before starter failure along with the belt).

Due to my busy schedule all of this took me from early July up until last weekend. When the starter died the vehicle had nearly a full tank of fuel (the needle was just below the full mark). I made sure everything was hooked up properly, no unhooked wires that I have noticed. I made sure the battery was charged since it had been sitting for almost 2 months. When I try to start the car, she acts like she wants to start...sputters a bit then shuts down, or backfires. I get the feeling that the fuel in the tank went bad during this time. Here is what I have tried:

1.) Added 4 bottles of Octane Booster, 1 bottle HEAT water remover, & 1 bottle of Fuel System Cleaner (Gunk Brand) -- no luck
2.) Drained the tank to approximately 1/4 tank & added approximately 6 gallons of high grade fuel plus 1 bottle of Octane Booster -- no luck

The only thing I can think of is one or more of the following:

1.) The fuel pump or fuel pump filter are gummed up by the degraded fuel in the tank.
2.) The fuel injectors are gummed up by degraded fuel in the lines & need pulled & cleaned.
3.) The oil pressure switch is bad.

Any other suggestions, or help y'all out there can give me would be great. I really need this car running because I'm tired of having to drive my wife's little turd of a car & driving her around. Plus I need to get the coolant circulating through the system since I drained it from the radiator & block. This is from y'all to me in advance --> Thanks.

kauboy

Recheck your firing order may have mixed up plug wires look for simple things first. My name is Howard I work for ILTK SERVICE IN WAHIAWA We work on a lot of army cars without ripping them off with unneeded repairs 808 621 1111

89-GTA Ragtop

Thanks Howard. When I replaced the distributor cap I had the Haynes manual out just to make sure I was putting the wires in the proper spots, but I could have misjudged it & shifted them to the left or right 1 spot. I'll also make sure I didn't accidentally switch 2 or more of the wires. I'll check it tomorrow & let you know.

karl's-92'-z28

iTrader: (5)

Yea double check your wires on the cap & from the plugs, also check your coil, making sure its connected the ryte way. 2 months of old gas shouldnt be an issue, that wouldnt give you a backfire. Sounds like somewhere along the ignition side.

89-GTA Ragtop

Ok...so here I am with my tail tucked between my legs shaking my head in shame. I went out this morning, double checked the wires on the cap & compared it to the Haynes manual. As I traced cylinder 1's wire it became apparent that I wasn't paying attention to detail at the time. When I installed the cap I leaned over the engine & marked with a Sharpie marker where cylinder 1's wire should go....I marked it in the spot to the left of the proper wire 1 should go. So, I shifted all the wires counter clockwise, & she fired right up. I didn't even realize it when I used my spark tester. I suppose I shouldn't feel so bad. I once had a reputable shop call me one time & ask me if there was a certain way my car ('96 Grand-AM) needed to be started. I told them insert the key & turn it...never had any problems with that in the past. Got off the phone with them, & they called me back 15 minutes later telling me they figured it out. They unplugged the oil pressure sensor & forgot to plug it back in. Who knows how long they were working to try & start that car before they called me on top of the 15 minutes it took them to call me back. But thank you very much....I love free easy fixes.