I've been searching the boards, but I can't find my exact symptoms...

I just bought this car a few weeks ago, and I've been trying to revive it without dumping a whole lot of cash. It's an 88 camaro with the L03 and A4. It has approx. 175,000 on it, though it appears the engine has been gone through before. When I got it, it was not running and the guy told me someone told him it had a couple of burnt valves. So, the first thing I did was yank the heads and got a valve job. The only thing the machine shop found was a broken valve spring. So I thought I got lucky and put it back together. Then the fun began ...

After much struggling, I got it running and it ran like crap. I double-checked my valve adjustment, ok. I put in a new ignition module, pickup coil, rotor, cap, plugs, wires, O2 sensor, air filter and fuel filter. The idle is okay at fast idle (1500 on the dash, 1100 on WinALDL), but when it settles down to normal idle it will start stumbling and dies. Driving it, sometimes it will take wot, sometimes it will sputter and spit through the TBI or backfire. BTW, I've got the base timing set at 4*. Then the final insult... After driving it last night, I left it alone and went to bed, this morning, the starter spins the engine, but it won't even TRY to fire up. I pulled off the air cleaner and looked while starting, no fuel coming out of the injectors. I tested the pump at the ALDL connector and I can hear it running. Also, I pulled the coil wire and checked for spark... nothing. I do have 12V to the coil. Any suggestions? I love Camaros, but I'm about to push this one off a cliff...

 

you need to check your fuel pressure to see how that fuel pump is doing.just because you can hear it ,you don't know what kind of pressure is coming. you need about 13-15 psi I believe.

 

I haven't actually checked the fuel pressure, but when it was running, it was rich. Actually got a couple code 45's. It's acting like something just quit. I also don't understand why I lost spark at the exact same time.

BTW, it was taking WOT all the way to the redline with no problem...

 

If it's both no spark AND the injectors not firing...it's the ignition module. It's happened 2 me twice. Once w/an MSD dist. and this last time (about 3 days ago) in an accel. Just get a new module and buy seperately a thing of dielectric grease. Don't just use the 1 that comes w/the module, it's not enough to cover nice. I got a tube from smucks w/a lil thing of anti-seize. I think it was like $5. Lemme know if that works.