hi guys

i am looking at buying an 88 IROC with a 350 TPI


we tried to start it today
and the engine would not crank


what happned was this: we tried to crank it and all that turned was the serpentine belt

it seemed as though no spark was getting to the engine

the car has a fibergalss cowl hood and weather around here has been damp

could the distributor have gotten wet and cauzed no spark to the cylinders???

i need a way to run the engine b4 i buy the car so i can tell if it runs half way decent

first thing, if the belt was turning, the engine was cranking. it didnt fire, but it did crank and turn over. pull a spark plug out and attatch the wire, then try to crank over the engine. that will tell you if you are gettin spark or not. also check the fuel pressure to make sure the engine is getting fuel.

[This message has been edited by u r sofa king we tah did (edited October 23, 2001).]

ok but i will need a fuel pressure gauge then huh?

where would i hook it 2?

actually some kid tested to see if the engine was getting fuel

he sprayed starter fluid into the intake(?) and tried to crank it but still nothing happened

No,no, it tried to fire. It did crank and then it tried to fire. Cranking is when the engine moves due to the action of the starter. Firing is when there is compression and the spark plug blows stuff up in the cylinder bore. When the engine fires enough times, the car "runs."

Like the sofa king says, check for spark. He is, admittedly, a lot smarter than me ... he told me so, so listen to what he says. If it were me, I would take the wire off #1, shove a screwdriver inside the contact, hold it close to a bare metal spot on the block and then crank the engine. It should throw a healthy blue spark to the block. If the engine tried to run on ether, it might not be spark. I've got my money on fuel pressure.

There is a cap on the passenger side fuel rail for taking fuel pressure. Get yoursef a fuel pressure gauge and have at it. Does the fuel pump kick on when you go to key on position? You should be able to hear the relay click and the fuel pump come on before you crank the engine. If not, either you have a bad relay or you toasted your pump. Pray for a bad relay.

ok, i know how to check relays cuz i just learned that in school


if it is a bad relay, how much do they normally go for? (approx)

where is the fuel pump relay on a 350 TPI and which color wires shoud i jump together to get it to (hopefully) run?

per say it does not work, then i will just guess it is the fuel pump and search another IROC-Z

cuz it kinda sucks cuz the car has a GREAT new paint job

all thats hairy is the interior

it could use a few new parts, but nuthing i cant handle doing myself

guy is willing to give me a good deal 2
$2500

and i also have a spark plug tester that came with my $4k Snap-On tool set my parents got me for tech school

gotta luv your folks!!

dumb question: does the fuel pump also have a fuse ???

You should just be able to hear the relay click on. Most of them are located on the firewall near the master cylinder. The fuel pump relay should be there. I bought a 30 amp relay the other day for 7 bucks, but you'll want something that will plug right in, so I couldn't really say. The fuel pump is fused. Should be a 30 Amp fuse I believe ...

lmao, sorry but you took a slam at me and i took offense to it. sorry for getting heated, but ive been working on cars for 20+ years so i believe i know what im doing. if you dont have a fuel pressure gauge, uncap the schrader valve on the passenger side of the fuel rail, right underneath where the vacuum hookups are on the plenum. then turn the key to the run position and go press down on the middle of the valve. its like a valve stem you put air into your tire with. if it squirts fuel then it is atleast getting SOME kind of pressure up there, but this method alone wont show you if it has enough pressure. autozone sells fuel pressure gauges for efi for like 35 bucks. when you check with a gauge, it should show ~42psi when you first turn the key. the fuel pump fuse is located on the firewall right next to the master cylinder. you cant miss it.

well, i talked to some VERY experienced people at school (professors who are/ were GM techs)


they said it is most likely getting fuel and but no spark

i told them about the one kid who sprayed starter fluid into the throttle body as i cranked it..........and nothing happened......hence there was no spark

i mite go back with my spark plug tester and fire them suckas up

the guy who is selling the car is a foreigner who speaks broken english and is not 2 good with cars

he is selling it for his nephew

he said that the last time they started the car was about 2 monthes ago to drop it off where it currently is

i feel that this 2 month period of no-starts is also contributing to the problem

plus when we were crankin' it, we smelled gas...........sorry but i forget to mention that detail b4