I have tested it by removing the filter lid and spraying gasoline directly into the TBI and nothing. It turns over just fine. I believe it could be the ignition control module ( I had a 90 with the same issue and that was the solution). Does anybody have an idea of how to confirm this is the issue before I start throwing parts at it. This is my daily driver so I am trying to get it fixed asap. Thanks in advance for the help.

 

Check for spark by taking one of the plug wires off and holding it near metal while having a friend crank it over. If you have an inductive timing light you could also use that and clip it over one of the wires and see if the light flashes.

 

And if there's no spark at the plugs check the coil,... if the coil isn't sending power, check if it's getting power. If getting and not sending power - replace coil. If it's not getting power, check the Module. If the module is getting power but not sending it,... replace Module. If it's not getting power, check Starter Enable Relay (if equipped) &/or wiring.

 

Get a can of starting fluid (ether), and spray a short burst into the TB, and have an assistant immediately try to start the engine. If it starts/runs for a few seconds on ether, you're missing fuel; if no start, you're missing spark.

You now have direction in which to begin basic troubleshooting of the two most-likely systems causing the no-start.

If you suspect the ICM, you can find troubleshooting steps here: https://easyautodiagnostics.com/gm/4...ed-icm-tests-1

 

Sounds like you have already confirmed that it's a no-spark: you found that it won't start if gasoline is given to it. Very good and logical.

Take off the dist cap and see what it looks like under there. If the cap & rotor haven't been changed out in awhile, try that first. They're hard to "troubleshoot" by any method other than substitution anyway.

If that doesn't do it, time for a whole new distributor. Don't bother with "testing" the module, doing that is notoriously unreliable.

It makes very little sense to try to piece together an ancient wore-out distributor. That particular type are NOTORIOUS for the reluctor cracking and falling apart, the connectors inside crumbling to dust, etc. etc. etc. as well of course as the ign module going bad. Problem is, you might well find the ICM is bad; you swap it out, but a week later the car does again; of course the IMMEDIATE response is, parts store gave me a bad one; but IN REALITY the problem is the reluctor has split in half; you try to take apart the dist and in the process the pickup coil falls to pieces; and so on. Before you know it, you have spent MORE THAN the cost of a whole new dist, you have a car that doesn't run or that runs for awhile then stops randomly and leaves you sitting by the side of the road; and … you STILL need a new dist.

The coil hardly ever goes bad. Note that I DID NOT say "never"; I DID NOT say "can't"; DID NOT say "yours is good"; NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT NOT. What I DID say was, "hardly ever". The probability that yours went bad this time, while still not quite ZERO, is fairly low.

Here is someone's similar experience. https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...off-while.html Learn from their pain and don't pretend that you're better and smarter and you're just gonna suffer the same thing the hard way instead of learning the lesson the eeeeezy way... from SOMEBODY ELSE'S pain.

If you haven't replaced the distributor, go ahead and JUST DO IT. Yeah I know, nobody likes to be "that guy" that just swaps parts out, BUTT, it's the quickest, eeeeziest, cheeeeeepest, least painful, most likely to succeed thing you can do in this case. Get one from the local parts store, order from rockauto, just not, the cheeeeeeepest chinesium POS you can find on ebay that somebody claims is a distributor that "fits" your car. JUST DO IT.

 

Thanks for the advice. I called my dad who helped me get the car running and we replaced the distributor about 4 years ago. He found a cheap ignition module from carparts.com for 10$ so I will try that and give an update.