When I bought my Firebird, It was not running. The previous owner said it was locked up. He said it was running in his driveway when he went inside to get something, came back out and it was not running. I tried to start the car and it seems to turn over but will not start. Does anyone know what is wrong?

 

if it turns over then its not locked.. before asking if we know what is wrong, check out a few more variables. if its a tbi, do you see gas shooting out of the injectors? have you tested your electrical system with a test light? take a spark plug out and is it black? or somewhat clean? is there alot of build up on the plugs, and are the prongs worn away on them? those kinds of things. also, before you run it, change the oil & coolant

 

82,

YES! More data! More DATA!

What EXACTLY does it do or not do?

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Later,
Vader
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"No matter how hard you try you can't stop us now..."
Adobe Acrobat Reader 4.0

 

I guess I should have said this more clearly. When I got the car home and tried to start it, the starter would just click. I then got underneath and turned the flywheel, it would only turn backwards. I then tried to start it and it fired up for a few seconds and shut off. I then tried to start it again and the starter would just click. I once again tried to turn the flywheel and the motor was locked up. The oil was clean, there were no shavings in it. I also losened the torque converter and tried to turn the flywheel and the engine was still locked up. Is there a chance that it could have spun a bearing and is bound up?

 

So it fired up... the engine is (or at least was for a time) not locked up. Did it have oil pressure? Did it make any terrible noises or anything like that while it was running? If not, put a known hot battery in it, make sure all the high current connections are good, spray a shot of ether into it, and try again. Does the starter go "click" like it runs out of electricity when the solenoid completes the circuit to the starter motor, or does is go "thunk" and make the whole car shake when it tries to start because the starter motor is doing locked-rotor torque into a rod up against the side of the block?

How long has it been sitting around? Was the oil changed right before you got it? That's a typical f***-the-buyer kind of thing, so that you're not supposed to know that the oil was burnt and full of metal, and it was 4 quarts low besides.

The previous owner's story is either pure BS, or the guy is as dumb as a bucket of concrete. Cars don't often quit running while idling in the driveway, and you don't sell a car because it does that. This smells sort of funny to me.

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"So many Mustangs, so little time..."
ICON Motorsports

 

if its clicking, are you breaking ground at the battery? check your battery terminal posts for corrosion. solved a problem of mine real quick like.

 

I had a mechanic look at it today and he said that something is internally wrong with the engine. He started by checking the starting system, from the battery to the starter and the ground connections, this is what you guys suggested also. Everything checked out fine. He had a flywheel wrench and tried to rock the motor in both directions, with no results. Thanks for everyone's help. When I take the engine apart, I will post the results.