1987 Trans Am 305 Cranking/Stalling Issue
 

First time posting but i can't think of anywhere else to turn. I am the original owner of a 1987 305 TPI Pontiac Trans Am. The car is all factory. The car was drove for a long time and was eventually parked a few years ago. I recently decided to start restoring it back to factory condition and everything was going good but I have recently ran into a few bumps. About a year ago I decided to start this little project and at the time all that was wrong with the car was the water pump and thermostat. I changed the thermostat and started changing the water pump but the project got interrupted and the car ended up sitting for another year until now. So I ended up finishing the water pump and went to crank the car and it wouldn't start. I done some testing and figured out that it was the fuel pump that went out. So I had the car towed to a automotive shop to have it replaced, got it back and it cranked right up but there was one problem, the car was running real rough and tried to stall a lot. So I brought it home and gave it a tune up, new spark plugs, wires, distributor, and rotor button and the car ran seemingly better but still had a hesitation between 1000-2000 rpm so I went ahead and changed the ignition coil and still no luck. Than recently I was installing the factory radio back into the car and when I was plugging the antenna back into the radio it slipped and arc'd. When that happened my door locks locked, my car alarm went off and my courtesy lights stopped working. So I decided to crank the car and now it takes noticeably longer to start. My main problem is not so much the longer start time but why since the fuel pump was changed it hesitates between 1000-2000 rpm and dies out when in idle sometimes than will no longer crank for a while. I am at a total loss. I have checked about everything I can think of to making sure there was spark to vacuum leaks. Checked all lines wires and connections and still at a loss as to why its doing that. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

Re: 1987 Trans Am 305 Cranking/Stalling Issue
 

I had an issue like this on my 89 305 tpi about a year ago after replacing the lower end with a new short block. Turned out I had several bad injectors. Have you ohm checked your injectors? I think each injector should read about 16.5 ohms. I also had some injectors that read ok but the nozzles were completely destroyed. As of two weeks ago all my problems were solved but now I have a new issue and can even keep the car running long enough to check the timing. Mine only revs when you let off the throttle and dies when you push on it. I posted my problem a few days ago and have yet to have any responses. So I thought I would share my experiences. Good luck.

Re: 1987 Trans Am 305 Cranking/Stalling Issue
 

Hmm....when the car was first parked years ago before gasoline contained ethanol it sat for a year or so and when it was finally cranked and moved to be worked on, it ran just fine other than the mechanical problems, the water pump and thermostat. During the process of changing the water pump I had put fresh gas into the car but it contained ethanol, which sadly is in almost all gas now, which old cars and ethanol gas don't mix to well when the sit for more than 6 months. It is possible that the ethanol sat inside my injectors and clogged them or well at least some of them anyway. I have ran a can of seafoam through the gas tank which did help some but still didn't fully cure it. I have a volt meter with an ohm tester so when I get a chance on a day that I am off work I will check the injectors for voltage and ohms and see what its reading and if everything checks out ok than I will pull each injector, inspect them and also pull them one at a time while the engine is running to see which one least affects the motor and that will tell me which ones are for sure bad. I am hoping that its an injector and not a stuck valve because I have noticed the car is running a little rich but I am getting no code or SEL light from the dash so that tells me that its at least mechanical related rather than electronic related.