Bah, I just bought this car a few days ago. Ran great until yesterday morning, it wouldn't start. At first I attributed it to being -10 degrees outside at night, but it's still not working, and sometimes the engine will make a clunking sound after a few tries.

I'm starting to think this is a little more complex than being cold, especially with the clunk. Someone said it might be the timing chain.... please someone tell me something different. Something that doesnt cost an arm and a leg to get fixed!!

 

you need to say what car and engine it is. might help if you would trouble shoot a little, have spark? have fuel? any codes?

 

It's a '91 Firebird 3.1L TBI.

I'm a newbie at these things. I know it has fuel, I put a full tank in it the day before. I don't know how to check the codes, but the "service engine soon light" will pop on sometimes.

 

Takes 3 things for an engine to run: fuel, spark at the right time, compression. All you have to do is figure out which one(s) is/are missing, then figure out why, then fix it.

First check for fuel. Try spraying some starting fluid into the TB; if it starts and runs for a second then dies, you have a fuel delivery problem. If it still doesn't start, disconnect a convenient plug wire from the plug, stick a plug in the end of it, and lay the plug somewhere that its shell can touch a metal part of the engine that's bolted directly to the block, and have somebody crank it while you watch to see if there's spark at that plug.