Well guys she came out after the long winter nap and started up no problem. So I pulled it in the garage and changed the oil and tried to start it afterwords. It just wont catch after cranking it a couple times. I charged the battery and it is charged no dimming lights or anything. there was snow on the hood and some fell onto the dist cover. Could this have melted and got into the distributor cap?? Would this be why it wont fire up? I havent tried it since last night and will try when I get home later today. If it is moisture how do you get rid of it on the ignition components? Any other advice would be appreciated, I have replaced the starter last year and the battery is 1 year old and charged?

 

you let it dry

 

Oh yeah! Sounds like you soaked her. Take off the cap and let it sit and dry out, or if you have a compressor blow the water out of the cap. Either or you have to remove the cap to let it dry in there. Just hope you didn't get a crack or arc now in the cap. Actually caps are cheap enough go buy one anyway, cause most likely you ruined the cap anyway when trying to start it. Might as well get a new rotor while you at it. Trust me. just buy some new ones. Once re installed it should start all most right away as long as you didn't flood it. Hold her right to the floor when you go to start it. If it is carbed and not FI that is.

 

If the distributor is soaked, compressed air won't necessarily help, but it might drive the water in deeper. You'd be better off removing the cap.

And if you have good spark, you might want to check the fuel pump relay. It may seem unrelated, but if the relay has failed, you have been running the pump on the auxilliary oil pressure switch. Draining the oil means there is no oil pressure until the pump primes and the system can hold at least 4-7 PSI to make the switch close. Just a guess, and only if it's a TPI.

 

Just so it be known, I meant for him to blow it off with a compressor with the cap OFF!

 

I knew that you knew what you meant, and I knew that I knew that you meant what you said, but I said what you meant that I knew that you said that he may not have known after you said it.

Know what I mean?

 

Hairdryer works to dry out the inside of the cap and the distributor. Just don't let your SO catch ya'.

(Like when I had the bath scale in the garage to weigh the tranny!!)

RBob.

 

LOL!!! LMAO Good one..I liked it! That was a real

 

I knew that you knew what you meant, and I knew that I knew what you meant from what you said, but I said what you meant that I knew from what you said that he may not have known after you said it.

Sorry, bad habit...

This is why I always have that electrical spray crap lying around somewhere in the house. In a pinch WD-40.

 

Well here is my next day update....

I have changed the cap, rotor, ignition module, and coil. I have dielectric greased everything. Battery is charged and 1 year old. Wires and plugs changed last year also. I hear fuel pump come on when I turn the key, and she cranks but still doesnt fire?? What else do I check?

Vader, if the fuel pump relay is bad how would I know, I changed it last year as well, it's the one in the middle right? Between the other two relays? Well I am really stumped and I just want to drive her to get new tires, I have never had a problem like this before? I think I saw a spot of gas on the ground near where the muffler sits, could this be related? Please help, I dont know what to do, looks like the weekend mechanic will have to give up and tow it somewhere. Thanks for any help at all!!!!!

 

ttt

 

Bimma,

Since you are hearing the fuel pump operate when the ignition is turned ON, you can forget about the pump power relay possibility. It's obviously working just fine.

Have you tested for spark at all? Check at the plugs instead of the distributor.

With all that snow pouring dow into the engine comparatment,it's difficult NOT to think that your problem is moisture related. Then again, maybe we're barking up the wrong tree entirely. Still, if the ESC module got soaked, you may have a timing problem. You could disconnect the EST bypass connector (as you would to set base timing) and try again. This basically takes the ESC out of the equation. If the ESC is shorted, it may get you started.

Let us know if you're getting spark at the plugs, please.

 

Vader, getting spark! Tried ether also, didnt do much. so the ESC what is this? let me know the steps to take and I'll try it?

 

Look along the firewall near and above the heater blower. There should be a single-conductor connector in a tan/black wire. Disconnecting that bypasses the EST. (The connector number is C146, but you won't find it labelled as such.)

 

Same thing happened to my car.
it was snowy out and i got the distributor snowy. started it ran it for a min to check somthing, turned it off and it would not run. I dryed out and tested the dist. It worked after i dryed it out. but it still would not start. It turned out that while the dist. was wet and not working the car got flooded because of the temporary no spark condition. I fixed it by taking the spark plugs out, turning it over without them in. I replaced the wet plugs with new ones and it fired up right away.

 

Plugs may be fuel fouled. Might try removing them and blasting them with some carb cleaner, then letting them dry; or just replace them..

If you try and blow the eng out like mentioned previously;
be sure not have the plug wires dangeling near the spark plug holes. If a wire arcs while gas is being spewed onto it, guess what?!?!

Caught my dirt bike on fire doing that once.

Probably be best to disable the ign all together.

 

gonna try diconnecting the EST... I will update and let you know what happens. I dont have any real time right now before work to try the spark plug thing. But maybe tonight when I get home.

 

tried disconnecting EST and starting it, I does the same thing just cranks but I did get a kick every now and then like it wants to fire, but it just wont?

So whats next, spark plug check? They are new, got replaced in August but hey if it will eliminate a step in the problem it's worth checking.... Oh yeah on a side note I checked all the ignition related and fuel pump related fuses, and all look to be in order. I am so stumped.

 

Are you smelling any fuel at all??? I am just curious as to wether you injectors are firing. It either sounds like it is flooded pretty good, or getting no fuel at all.

 

Cruzin Kaz: yes i did the first couple times i tried to start it, I was giving it gas just because I didnt think anything of it at the time.

Also, I remember now when I started it up before this happened that it smoked pretty good from the tailpipes and backfired when I hit the pedal and bigger clouds when I hit the pedal as well. They were pretty dark in color (the clouds of smoke). Could this be related? I will try to pull some plugs tonight when I get home. Thanks guys for the suggestions so far......

 

Yeah pull your plugs and clean them up some, use soem carb cleaner spray, or even a propane torch to burn off any gunk ans fuel, try to start it again and we'll go from there.

 

ok will do, but probably wont get to it until like 7pm tonight (EST). Thanks guys!!!!

 

Changed Plugs = Starting car! I thank all that helped and I didnt give into the tow truck monster. Thanks guys, this is the greatest site on the internet, THIRDGEN.ORG rocks!! Thanks for helping fix my ROC... :hail: :hail: :hail:

On a side note, since the plugs(AC Delco's) were changed in late August of last year, why were they all black and what looked to be like oil fouled? What causes this? I would like to know becuause I would hate to have to change my plugs every 6 months.

 

Glad you got her going! As for the plugs.. One year of driving will make em a bit cooked. Black and oilly you may need some valve seals or even rings! hard to say could be both. Being it is a TPI car most likely the valve seals could need replacing. Vader????