My car won't start.

It was running fine on up until sunday morning when it would fire shortly and die. If I kept my foot on the gas pedal, the thing would still die.

Today I checked for fuel, spark and compression. I have spark out of the coil and at all the plugs.

I have about 39 psi fuel pressure with just the key on and it was holding for at least 30 minutes after the key was turned off. And I hear the pump running. ALso the injectors are working.

I have plenty of compression.

I did plugs and wires a month ago because two of the wires fell on the header tubes and burned away the insulation.

THe only thing that I saw that was fishy was while cranking the distributor cap was rocking around. I never noticed that before while the engine was running. When the #1 cylinder was put to TDC the rotor was not pointing directly at the #1 tower on the cap as per a mark made of its oriention, it was close but not right on it. I pulled the distributor and it looks okay. The gear is okay but it does not spin smoothly with the cap snuged down. My dad and friend think the shaft is bent. I don't know. I thought maybe the ignition module was bad but I have spark.

I even tried a new computer and there was no change in the condition.

I am wondering if anyone out there has experienced something similar to what I have here. Any suggestions are greatly appreciated. Thanks in advance.

 

The dist cap should not move, although if the engine as a whole is shaking, it might look like the dist is moving. Make sure of course that it's all as it should be, basically put it back like you found it.

The rotor rarely points at #1 when the timing is at its "static" value... most of the time that the engine is running (high-soeed cruise, for example) the timing is about 40° advanced beyond that static setting, and the system is designed so that the contacts line up under those conditions rather than at static. So, at static TDC, it will look like the rotor has almost completely gone past the contact in the cap.

Sounds to me like a fuel delivery issue.... check the fuel pressure with the engine running, to whatever extent it will run. I'd bet there is very little.

Distributor shafts rarely just up and bend. And if it was bent, the motor wouldn't start up and then die, it would be affected equally during starting as it is while running.

 

Thanks for the reply.

The distributor cap was shaking, not just the entire engine.

THe engine will not start. I have tried to use some TB cleaner and some starting spray with not so much as a belch. Nothing. I am pretty stumped.

It was fine the other day and then on Sunday morning it wouldn't stay running. Now, even before I started removing things to inspect them, it would not light off.

Thanks again.