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Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

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Old Jan 27, 2012 | 12:58 PM
  #1  
NW94Z's Avatar
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From: Mill Creek, WA
Car: See Sig
Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

Everyone's favorite type of automotive related problem. The intermittent one that you can never pin down.

So the car is a 91 RS with the 305 TBI motor. The fuel pump is less than a year old and I have also replaced the fuel pump relay in the last 3 months. Battery has juice and the engine will turn over and start up right away 99% of the time. However on occasion when going to start it it will turn over but simply not start. Not even try to start as in you can hear that it's not catching at all. Then a little while later you can go out to the car and try it and it fires right up no problems.

Any thoughts? I'm starting to think that maybe it's VATS. Is the VATS system a common problem with age? Is there a way to test it out?
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Old Jan 27, 2012 | 02:58 PM
  #2  
RFmaster's Avatar
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From: OC CA
Car: 75 Beast
Engine: 383 +EBL Flash
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: 4.11 with 33"
Re: Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

VATS should set of security light. It sounds like you may have an intermittent ICM in the dizzy or reluctor coil. During the 1% no start condition - pull a spark plug boot of the #1 cylinder and see if you have spark (while cranking). Also, if you have spark and injectors are NOT shooting fuel - check your EFI fuse - it just maybe intermittent (not seated fully or have been damaged before).

//RF
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Old Jan 27, 2012 | 03:57 PM
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Re: Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

When you say "not catching", do you mean its not cranking? As in the starter is spinning freely, or it just continually tries to crank, or the starter isn't even spinning?
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Old Jan 27, 2012 | 04:06 PM
  #4  
spotspot's Avatar
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From: California
Car: 90 RS Camaro
Engine: 305
Transmission: 700R4
Axle/Gears: stock
Re: Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

the map sensor could be letting to much fuel to the tbi and it wont start or cough or any thing pull a spark plug and see if its full of fuel if so change the map sensor its on the fire wall just left of the egr valve
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Old Jan 28, 2012 | 05:29 AM
  #5  
NW94Z's Avatar
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From: Mill Creek, WA
Car: See Sig
Re: Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

When it won't start it does turn over. The starter engages and spins the crank. It's turns over without ever any hint that it might fire up though. Then the next time it starts right up like everything is fine.
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Old Jan 28, 2012 | 07:57 PM
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Re: Intermittent start issue. 91 RS 305 TBI car.

So, it seems a lot of people have been having this issue lately. Read the reply I wrote to the guy on this thread: https://www.thirdgen.org/forums/tech...ta-cranks.html

I explained to him how to troubleshoot the ignition system, if you can verify it is an ignition problem, but not getting any spark.
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