Hi,
I've got a 92 base Firebird with the v6 engine. The car wont start and im out of ideas of what to look for. I'm hoping someone here has some suggestions.

Heres a brief history of what I know.

I acquired the car not running and essentially in this state. The PO was driving it when it just quit running in a parking lot. Never started again. He had another shop try to sort out the problem but was unsuccessful. the other shop supposedly put a new distributor in it and gave up. The car sat for 8 or 9 years until i got my hands on it.

The vacuum lines are a mess broken and not hooked up. but to my understanding that shouldn't prevent ignition.
I put a new ICM on the distributor.
Timing is 1-2-3-4-5-6
I checked compression. On the compression stroke at TDC the bug is pointing at #1.
The fuel pump was not working,, I replaced it. Now i have about 35-40 psi key on.
turning over i can hear it pop like its blowing out compression.
I did the spark plug grounded test and the spark was a weak orange,. it got a new coil.
So I know the plugs are sparking, but its like its not. if I spray starting fluid in the intake of the throttle body it does not change anything.
There was slop in the timing chain, so I replaced that.

I'm not overly familiar with fuel injection systems. I know some of the very basics but im wondering what else im overlooking/missing.
Any suggestions?

 

[president_skroob] Remind me to change the combination on my luggage [/president_skroob]

Seriously, your problem almost certainly resides right here:

and
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Not the "replace" part, butt rather, how it's lined up. When you installed it, no doubt you lined it up "dot to dot" (crank dot @ 12:00, cam dot @ 6:00) like we all do, because that's where it's easiest to see the alignment and get it right. However, this location is NOT #1 firing: it IS one of the 2 instances of #1 TDC during the complete 2-crank-revolution engine cycle, butt it is NOT the one that's #1 firing. It's the other one, where the #1 exh stroke is ending, and the int stroke is beginning. It is therefore the firing instance of the cyl halfway through the order from #1, which would be, #4. Therefore, if you lined up the dots like that, then put in the dist pointing to the #1 plug wire, it is now "180° out"; and sending spark to #1 when #4 is at firing position, and when #1 is at the valve "changeover" point.

Easy enough to verify: disconnect the pink wire to the coil so you don't get shocked, remove the #1 spark plug, put your finger over the hole, have your assistant bump the starter to turn the engine in small increments until you feel compression, then turn the engine slowly until the timing mark approaches the tab; then look at the dist, and see where the rotor is pointing. If it's pointing at the terminal where the #4 plug wire is plugged into, then it's put together wrong. You could either take all the plug wires out and move them around the dist halfway if they'll reach that far and not turn the whole thing into a bird's nest of steel wool looking mess, or, pop the dist out, turn the shaft exactly 180°, and drop it back in.

​​​​​​​"EFI" is not a factor in any of this.

 

Thanks for the tips.
Dont have an assistant so I put a compression tester on cyl 1. Started to bump the starter and when the compression tester started to rise the timing mark was still before 12 o'clock. so i finished turning the engine by hand until the mark was at 0. To my understanding that should be TDC compression stroke. At that point i took the distributor cap off and can see that the rotor is pointing at the #1 cyl. so my understanding is that should be correct.

For the sake of just in case i did it wrong, I went forward with putting plug 1 at 4 and then finishing the 1-2-3-4-5-6 firing order setting the wires 180 degree off from before. Now when i try to start the car the car does what i describe is a compression stall. it wont spin freely. it rotates, stalls, rotates, stall, etc.

Not sure whats left to look at.

 

Never had or worked on a 4 or 6 cylinder Camaro or Firebird except for 1989 Turbo TAs. So I can't be of much help. Below is the layout for your 3.1L 60 degree V6 engine.

 

For anyone who might be watching or come across this post, it was suggested to me that the distributor could have been placed a tooth off resulting in the inability to rotate the distributor in spec. This turned out to be the case. I pulled it and rotated the shaft a tooth and after that the car will now start.