I have been attempting to diagnose my car for months now, and have been searching the fourms here the whole time. I've finally decide to ask for help.

Some details about my car:

1987 gta trans am
350 tpi auto

I bought the car a few months ago and the problem it had at the time was you had to prime the car with gas/starting fluid to get it started because the pump wouldn't prime the first 2 seconds. But it would run fine after starting. Since the I've fixed the pump problem and it primes for 2 seconds when turning the key on. But I've still never been able to get it running because now it won't even start with starting fluid. Fuel pressure is good at 45+, injectors are firing now, and there is good spark. The only thing I could think of is that it's out of time but I've checked it over and over, firing order is right, and the rotor button is pointing to #1 at tdc compression. Please help. Any help is appreciated.

 

Wow, I knew this would happen. I waited weeks before id post on here, because I knew in the back of my head it had to be so simple. I made a rookie mistake by trusting the previous owner, when he said he put new spark plugs in. I really believed it when I pulled number 1 to check timing, to find a brand new plug. Turns out that the "easy" plugs were changed, numbers 1,3,2,4 were new, the rest were killed. Put in new plugs, and changed the weak coil, and it started right up. Thanks anyway guys. BTW if your tpi starts with ether (starting fluid), and keeps running after that, make sure to check relays, and check part numbers. All my relays testing great, but they were not the right part numbers.

 

You bring up an interesting point about the relays. What part numbers did you find for them. I have an 87 TPI and assumed the 3 relays were the same and gave credence to a "click" from the relay to mean that its functioning. I know i have switched them in the past, but assumed they were all the same.

 

These are the gm part numbers

Fuel pump 14078914
MAF power 10067925
MAF burnoff 10094701


To my understanding the only difference is that there are some resistors in one of the relays, it was enough to keep my pump from priming the first 2 seconds, which prevented the injectors from firing.