The car: 1989 firebird, 305, v8, TBI

Here's the story: So I was driving in a school zone doing 30km, no radio on, listening to my motor purr along. (The sound makes me happy at the end of a crappy day) and when out of the blue, the engine stopped. There was no "extra" drain on the car that I could tell, the battery is still fully charged, there was no check engine light on prior to stalling.

I pushed the car home, was all down hill from where I was. Parked it for the night and tried again in the morning. The engine sound was turning over, the belt was moving and it's tight. Checked the battery and it's still fully charged. I tried to boost it anyways, and still would not turn over.

I've replaced the distributor cap and distributor rotor, the alternator, and alternator positive wire(wire connector to the alternator had some minor corrosion on it.) The cap's center pin looked to be broken and the connector on the inside of the cap had green build up.

When I try to turn over the car, I can see the gas being poured in. And I can smell it. So the fuel pump is working.

So giving up on myself, I towed the car to the local garage and he did the coil test, to see if a spark would jump from the wire to the center pin on the cap and no love. He now wants to buy a alternator "complete" and a new computer for the car.

I've also checked all the fuses, even the one on the passenger side behind the light. All good.

Anyone else able to think of something else?

Any way to "test" the computer for health? Before getting it replaced?

Would dropping in a 350 be a better solution then fixing a 305 for over $1000.00 in parts? The body is in excellent shape, custom colour, no rust on the doors.. so the body is worth it. Bottom has always been rust proofed every year for the last 10 years that I've owned it.

250,000km on the 305 btw.

 

Sounds like you need a different mechanic. The alternator has nothing to do with it not starting. Unless it drains the battery, which the booster would have overcome when jumping it. And wanting to replace the computer without testing a bunch of other things says he just wants to get as much money from you as possible. If he didnt get any spark from the coil, then the coil probably went out. Id replace that before replacing the computer and alternator.

 

And if it turns out the computer is bad, Ive got a fully functional one for the 305 TBI sitting in my closet.

 

Ya, I'm pretty much done with this guy. I've told him more about how cars work and tired of him going for the blame on me. I replaced the distributor cap myself and labled the cables starting with (facing the front, front right side) with tape with 1 on it and continued in a clock wise direction and the center with a C.

He found some diagram that says 1, 3, 5, 7, 2, 4, 6, 8 pattern and he then started to tell me that I put them on wrong "Clearly!" Dude, It's my naming not GM numbering system..

Once the car is done here, I'm moving on. The guy who towed my truck told me about another guy that works on his 80s corvette and does excellent work. So I will check him out. I'm tired of being screwed.

Side Note of being screwed: I got my car painted 5 years ago and someone in a parking lot tapped my bumper, I mean tap lightly. The bumper shattered like a egg shell. I went back to the body shop and he told me he didn't use flex agent. Asking why wasn't there flex agent in the bumpers paint, he simply told me that I didn't ask for it and if I would have, it would of been a $10.00 add on. Now the dude wants to charge me $500.00 for stripping BOTH bumpers, colour matching and repainting/blending. ARRRG!!

 

The firing order should be 18436572. Id have your car towed to a different shop, or back home. That guy is a rip off from the sounds of it.

 

I brought it home and replaced the distributor coil.
Walla. Car started. Sure I had to set the timing again but it's alive again!!

 

Make sure you punch him in the face good and hard for me. Glad to see your car is running.

 

ya, that firing order that he gave you is bull. it would make the engine fire on one side then transfer to the other, ridiculous