My car is killing me!!!! Friday i tried to start her.....coil's bad...great. $45 later she still doesn't fire..only thing i can thinkof is the stinking timing being way off. Plugs are new, coil's new, wires are new, dist isone right out of the 305, only think could be timing. Anyone got any other ideas?? I'm tearing my hair out. Tomm. i'll re-check the timing but if that doesn't doit i'm gonn sell this thing for $5000...new motor, trans, brakelines, iroc wheels and all. HELP!!!!! PLEASE!?!?!?!?!

 

i'd be willing to help u fix this problem...i can get a scanner from my work also to hook up to the computer... i live in des plaines... not to far from schaumburg. email me and let me know what/when i can do what 4 u... always glad to help a third genner

 

i'm right by the elgin ohare exp. hopefully it'll fire tom. night, if not i'll let ya know cause i don't work tues. night but i'm supposed to go thrash a 96 ss that my buddy is picking up on mon. I'll let you know tom. night after it's either broken in or I've pulled my hair out and i turned bald.
thnx
chris

 

anytime..just let me know. i live like 15 mins. from the elgin- o'hare. camaroguy72@aol.com

 

How old is the distributor? Have you changed the ignition module in the distributor? What about the pickup coil in the distributor? Those two peices are cheap. They should cost $30-$35 for both parts. The pickup coil is a pain in the butt to replace though. You have to remove distributor from the block and dissassemble it. If you have no spark as you turn the motor there is a problem with the primary ignition. Ie. distributor, ignition module, and ignition switch. The pick up coil is probably the culprit. Try reading some service manuals. The haynes one has enough stuff in it to wing it. I know everyone hates those manuals, but if its all you've got then its all you've got. BTW did you know that the haynes manual does not have wiring diagrams for the TBI v8 ignition and engine wiring.

 

Double check all of the simple stuff first.

Sure battery has a charge?

Coil wire on?

etc

Good Luck

 

here's the deal...car didn't fire on tuesday. All wires connected. Stock dist, stock module. new coil wires and plugs...delco 44's for plugs(10:1 comp.) tests for today...compression and then the valve covers get pulled to verify tht everything with the cam is lined up....after that...the motor comes out(again) and i start over. everyting is hooked up correctly. and the dist has been alignd like 400 times(so it feels)....any other ideas let me know..

thanx guys

chris

 

What about the distributor pick up coil? You failed to mention anything about that. I just spent 4 days tracking that problem down (i work full time, so i work on my car after I get home from work. I also have a wife and child that need attending to on a regular basis. You married guys know what I'm talking about.). Look this problem started 4 days ago as it started running like crap. I wasnt tripping any codes so I didnt think it was the module. I actually thought it was a fuel problem, so I installed a fuel pressure gauge and rebuilt the TBI unit. Still nothing. I checked the fuel pressure and it was at 10lbs. I opened the throttle up to see if the fuel pressure would drop. The pressure was still running strong at 10lbs. Then next day the car wouldnt start. I really lost it in a big spat of cussing and swearing at my car. I then proceeded to check the ignition system. I tested the coil with a mulimeter. Test point one yeilded low resistance (under 800 ohms). Test point 2 tested high resistance (somewhere around 500-600k ohms). Test point 3 tested infinate resistance. The coil passed specifications according to haynes and my buddy that works for MSD. I tested the wires next. The wire that connects the coil to the dissy (remote coil) tested at 689 ohms(about seven in. wire). These are MSD blue wires and my buddy from msd said that blues wires are rated around 800 ohms per foot. The rest of the wires tested around 2.3k ohms (about 2½ ft wires.). So then I took the cap and rotor off. They looked like crap so I replaced them. By this time the old screwdriver in a plug boot trick yielded in little to no spark. I took the ignition module and had it tested at autozone (yes, I know flame away). I had also plugged in a multimeter to the pick up coil wires that plug into teminals P and N on the igintion module. I cranked the engine over with the multimeter set to read AC current (V~) and it read .5 VAC. So I checked for resistance between the coil on the same connector. The resistance was at 892 ohms. Haynes manual said that it should be between 500 and 1.5k ohms. So I then touched one connector with one probe and the dissy body with the other. No continuity (good). Then the other. Same result. Upon further inspection: I discovered that the wire shields (plastic covering) on the pick up coil had deteriorated so bad that there could be a possibility of those wires arcing as the engine was turning. I replaced the coil pick up it was $10.99. After an hour of stabbing the dissy back in the motor I had an epiphany. The reason that the dissy would not seat properly was because I had installed the cam gear backwards. So once that was installed properly I finished everything up. I double checked everything after the backward installation of the cam gear. I went to crank the car and guess what: dead battery. So i charged up the battery and turned the car over. Not only did the stumbling, ruff idle, and missing under engine load go away, my timing was only off by 2*. I had everything set up with the #1 cylinder set at 0*TDC and when I checked the timing it was at 2*ATDC. The point of my story is not to hijack your post but to remind you that just because something worked fine previously it doesnt mean it work fine again. 2nd double check or even triple check everything before you spend an hour stabbing a dissy only to find that you installed the gear backwards. 3rd remeber the M.O.F.E. (pronounced moe-fee). It stands for the Miracle of ****ing Electronics. Good luck I hope that helps in not then please disregard because it did fix my problem but may not apply to yours.

 

LoL, happens more then u think. I have learned that u all ways check the simple stuff before u get to deep into the engine. The ole' dead battery has played its trick on me before. Yank my hair out wondering what is going on, it ran fine before and my battery had died on me without me knowing it. It was just its time to go and it never said goodbye.

 

unfortunately..it's rainng out and i don't want to run a compresson test and get water in the motor so it's on hold...if compresson is good i'm going to look into a dist( tha stock one is old and tired) and maybe get an accel or msd unit....other than that i'm stumped.....

on another note i officially converted a honda boy to a domestic man. He's selling his prelude sh for a 99 firehawk(with a dinged front end) that he's getting for $6K. Just thought i'd say that...i'm so proud......

 

I know how you feel. After I finished doing my heads, cam, and intake I was having lots of ignition problems. I went back through all the wiring a few times. I replaced the coil, ignition module, ignition switch, new plug wires, and cut out my old alarm and rewired it, all of which did not help. Took me forever to finally find the problem, a lose ground wire on the back of my passenger side cylinder head. Tightened it up and no more problems. Electrical problems are a major pain, you just have to keep at it.

 

well gentlemen the verdict is out.....

No compression.

#1 cyl has 0 psi.....i hear air coming out of the tbi.....I'm gona go crazy onthe guy that put the short block together....

i'm going to bed.

chris


jr305 i'll see you in a year...My girlfriend and i are moving out to the mesa area...I'll keep you updated.

 

ah man that sucks sorry to hear that.

 

Why? More than likely either the cam isnt oriented correctly , you have a valve issue or some other issue. But assuming that you did the compression test correctly air bleeding off through the TBI means that you have an intake valve hanging open.

 

check the valve adjustment if the rockers are to tight they will hold the valves open

 

the rockers are fine....i think i'm on the point where te exhaust and intake valves are both open(read the cam is 180 off). I've had fire out the intake and a small backfire out of the exhaust. No matter the motor is coming out again and i'm going to tear it down to the block and start all overso if it doesn't work it'll be my fault this time.

anyone got a 350 tpi setup???

I wanna convert...sorry, they flow better.

chris

 

Are you sure that the distributor is installed correctly? Double check all of the little things first. And I dont see what your are pulling the engine again for anyway , everything you might need to do to correct your problem can be done with the engine in the car. Double check all of your sparkplug wires , make sure that the distibutor isnt 180 degrees off and if the problem still hasnt surfaced pukk the front cover and check that the can is oriented correctly.

 

the dist has been all the way around, the wires are right. I'm going to pull it and delete the a/c box and put a tpi in it, since that was my original plan any way. I can aso ge the headers and misc. other junk I should have done first anyway....I've got another car if i need it.

Still a mjor bummer after 2 months of blood, sweat, and migranes.

chris

 

Well as much as I think TBI is a waste of metal , it is alot more simple than TPI and maybe you should think about leaving it on the car until you get all of your problems sorted out and get the rings seated. IMHO

 

it's easier to do the swap while the motor is out so i'm gonna do it then. It'll break-in he motor fine and rings will seat fine.