Brandon1990RS

ok i am new to this site and the camaro scene both so take it easy one me Umm ok i just bought this 1990 RS, its crankin over but not gettin any fire, i put a new ignition coil on it, and then a rotor button, neither one helped. Is it possible that the computer is causing this problem, and where is the computer located? Thanks

1988CamaroSC

iTrader: (2)

can you confirm that you are getting spark and fuel first? take the spark plug out hold it by the wire close to something metal, and have someone turn the car over for a second, you should see a bright spark, just be careful, it will shock the s*** out of you if you hold the plug. if youve got spark. try pouring a little bit of fuel in the cylinders, then crank it, if it fires for a few seconds then you have a fuel problem...

Brandon1990RS

ok how would i pour fuel into the cylinders? ive never worked on anything this new before lol

91 v6

before the pouring of fuel, there is a shrader valve on the back of the fuel rail.(behind the intake plenum). take the cap off(looks like a cap for a valve on your tire) and give it a push down with a small screwdriver of wire. just make sure your face is back cause it should squirt fuel pretty good. do this with the key off. if there is no fuel coming out check for the fuel pump to be working. if there is fuel then try putting a small amount of fuel in the cylinders by removing the spark plugs and going through the spark plug hole.

DMcRacer

Just open the butterfly on the trottle body and spray a bunch of 40W0 in it. Then crank it over, it would probably be better to hold the pedal to the floor. If it starts briefly then dies its a fuel problem.

Was there a lot of brown rust looking stuff under the rotor button ? Thats a good indication the pick up coil is bad.

Brandon1990RS

no there was no rust looking stuff, we sprayed starter fluid in the throttle body, nothing happened, so now here i sit, new coil, new rotor button, and the computer seems to be in good shape, any other suggestions? throw em on the table lol

91 v6

did you try the pull a plug and check for spark if none try the ignition control module and the pick up coil

Brandon1990RS

ok another question, does the fuel gauge work from the computer?

2_point8_boy

No, it's a seperate circuit that the sender and guage use.

TomP

Wow, good thing nothing happened. My friend's brother blew the intake manifold apart on his 2.8 by doing that- then he swapped a v8 in.

A few EZ checks...

1. Have you checked all the intake ducting yet? A squirrel could've made a nest in the air cleaner...

2. Check the exhaust pipes for blockages, too... that'd be a good place for a mouse nest (or a potato if someone was playing a trick they forgot about). Tap on the catalytic convertor; if you hear rattling, the catalyst may have broken up and is blocking the exhaust pipe.

3. When you turn the key from "off" to "on/run" (but not starting it), does the Service Engine Soon light turn on? If not, check the ECM fuse under the dash. In fact... check ALL the fuses!

4. If the car was sitting for along time before you bought it, the gas may be "dead". My car sat for a month with the needle almost on "E", and it wouldn't start until I got a few gallons of "new" gas in it.

5. Let the car "rest" for 10 minutes or so, then have someone put their ear near the gas tank door. Get in the car and turn the key from "off" to "on/run" - DON'T start the engine. Your friend should hear a "hummm" from the gas tank. (You should be able to hear the hummm too but if there's a lot of traffic or noise, you might not hear it) The hum is the fuel pump priming the injectors; if there's no hum (or if it sounds like a gurgle) then the pump may be busted.

6. Does the car have an alarm in it? The starter kill might be the problem- especially if the previous owner REMOVED the alarm brain but left the starter kill relay in the circuit!

7. Like 1988CamaroSC and 91v6 said, did you check for spark yet? If you're by yourself you can take a plug wire off a spark plug and put a screwdriver into it. Lay the screwdriver handle down on the fender so the metal shaft of the screwdriver is "close to" the fender metal. Then crank the motor and you should see a spark. (This is a great way to avoid getting shocked, too!)

8. Check the ground strap going from the rear of the passenger-side-head to the firewall; make sure it's there and not too damaged/corroded. New ones are cheap, sold in the battery cable section of auto stores.

The Haynes 82-92 Camaro manual has a whole "engine rotates but does not start" troubleshooting section in the front- now might be the time to pick up one of those manuals from Pep Boys/Advance Auto/etc, and while you're in there, you might want to buy the following tools too (especially if you got the car for a great price):

- Fuel pressure gauge ("high pressure", gauge reads to 80 psi) from Advance Auto/Pep Boys/etc = $40
- Digital multimeter, can find cheap ones from Radio Shack for $15, auto parts stores probably want $25-up for one, Home Depot or Sears/Craftsman may have some budget ones too.

Follow the directions to put the pressure gauge onto the shraeder valve (looks like a thick tire valve) at the back top of the engine, by the distributor. Pressure should be above 35 PSI with the key on but engine off.

Put the multimeter on "ohms" and check each plug wire (put a probe to each end). If these are stock wires (and not Accel or MSD or Taylor or etc), resistance should be 15,000 ohms per foot. So a wire that's 2.5 feet long should show up as around 37,500 ohms (or 37.5 K ohms depending on how your meter displays it). If two or three wires are way out of spec, replace them (or just buy the cheapest set you can as a "testing" set).

The timing could also be off. If the timing's off, you'll have fuel and spark but the engine won't fire up.

Brandon1990RS

just in case it is the fuel pump, is there any way i can rig a new fuel pump somewhere other than on top of the tank, so that way if it ever goes out again i can access it easier?