Today I just put a new fuel filter in my car and was out driving it, I put it away and a few hours later I went to drive it and it didn't even turn over. The car has also been starting very hard and been missing particularly in the lower RPM's, are these problems related. I have tried to fix it by putting in a new starter, plugs, wires, fuel filter, checked the fuel pump, replaced the fuel pump relay, the battery is fine. The only thing I can think of is to replace the distributor. Any suggestions--PLEASE! I am all out of ideas.

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88 Iroc, 305 TPI, Hypertech chip, K&N's, Airfoil, Flowmaster American Thunder, High-Flow cat, 160 therm. Bosch Platinum +4's, American Racing Rims, Partially gutted airboxes, removed screens from MAF sensor, more mods soon.

 

Not to insult you or anything, but did you put the fuel filter on in the right direction?

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89 iroc-z 305 tbi
k&n filtercharger, open element air filter. nuffin' else

 

Check your battery cables for a bad connection. If you have an ohmmeter, use that to test the resistance of the cables. Test your grounds too. A bad battery ground can cause all kinds of wierd problems, I've been told. My car wouldn't crank once; but I wiggled the battery cable terminals a bit and then it fired right up.

Will the engine still not turn over after you replaced all those parts? Is it an intermittant problem? If it only happens after you've driven the car a while then I would tend to think that it's heat related...

 

I don't really think that not turning over is related to changing the fuel filter. It's probably just coincidence. It's strange when that stuff happens though. The other day I had my kick panels out because I was building pods for my speakers. When i was done, the car wouldn't start. So there I was looking for some relay or wire I screwed up down by the computer. Turned out the pickup coil in the distributor went bad, which is completley unrealated. So don't just assume your new problem comes from what you just did to your car ~Arnold

 

If you put the fuel filter on the wrong way, it would still start because of fuel in the lines. It would probably die pretty quickly, though.

I guess you have a starter problem. Did you check that fuse by the battery? Fusible links to the starter? Loose/clean/frayed connections to starter? It is entirely possible that your new starter was a POS and died on you.

Don't replace the distributor just yet--check the cap and rotor, firing order, etc. Get it cranking before you change anything else.

 

Thanks for the suggestions and yes I did put the fuel filter on the right way. I got the car running again-turns out it was the starter solenoid. It still starts very hard and runs really rough though, I think that I am going to take it to the shop to have them figure it out. I still think it is something with the distributor though.

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88 Iroc, 305 TPI, Hypertech chip, K&N's, Airfoil, Flowmaster American Thunder, High-Flow cat, 160 therm. Bosch Platinum +4's, American Racing Rims, Partially gutted airboxes, removed screens from MAF sensor, more mods soon.