ok here is a little story....driving car and it cuts out...put in neutral and it restarted fine, and ran fine. lets say, few hours pass, i drive it 10 miles, no problems, then few more hours, and drive it back 10 miles...and it cut out....i put in neutral and started it, but this time....

if i pressed the gas, no power...sounded like little backfires out exhaust or something, so i let i idled onto a side road, where it cut out again. this time, it would not start. (i dont know the proper terminology here, so explain it or correct me, but..) it will "fire" or "crank", but will not turn over/start.

what is wrong????

oh, and no codes.

ps: its a 91 w/ 3.1 and auto

 

maybe you have a melted CAT and it's plugging up the exhaust system. Sounds like what happened to me when mine melted out, except mine never made it to the "no start" zone becuase I had an exhaust leak that let out just enough exhaust the it would idle, but no more than that.

 

Coil
It restarted
Bad worn down coil
Bad coil
Send coil to room with no wires!

 

i knocked on the cat conv. , and hear no rattling or anything. pulled a wire and then tried pulling the wire from the coil to the cap, and i didnt notice any spark.

how do you take the coil out?? it appears to have two metal straps, one on each side, but they are riveted on, no screws or snaps or anything.

also, is there any other way to test the coil? thanks.

 

Reality is that by time ya get coil tested you have mounted the other coil & ya down the road.
I remote mounted my coil on the firewall in the back.
It's the Yellow Accel coil.
I removed my original coil by removing the bracket from engine & destroying that coil.
No love lost on that lousy old coil. Have at it.

 

The car never re-started? If it did re-start, I would've suggested the ignition module...

 

do you think it is the security thing on the key maby it is worn and cant see that the right key is in, i dont know thi just thinking fo stuff

 

tomp----it did restart....once, as i was still rolling, BUT when i would press the go pedal, instead of going there was no power and it sounded like little backfires out of the tailpipe.....so i idled/coasted onto a side road, where it died, and would not restart again.

here is where i stand now.....i used a screwdriver in wire, near or touching the coil, and saw a tiny tiny weak spark. didnt try this with the screwdriver at a plug until a day later, saw no spark at plug. pulled cap, seems like a little carbon or whatever (im sad, because the set was not old, and i paid for the brass terminal ones). went and picked up a new cap and rotor, and new coil tonight, will install them tomorrow, and tell you what happens.

still open to hear ideas from the senario i described above...

 

Install the coil FIRST, then try starting car.
After car starts (which it will), change the cap & rotor.
If none of this works, it's your ignition control module.
Reason I say it's not your ICM is that you get spark.
IF ICM is shot, you will have NO spark at all.
After you do all of this, check your alternator for proper operation. IT may also be giving out weak output.
I say new coil & you're on road again.

 

ya i agree with Tom on this . I had that happen to my car

 

you were right KED... i replaced the coil, thought about it, and decided to at least put the old rotor and cap back on to try it first, and it worked. im gonna return the new cap/rotor and get my 20 bucks back!

thanks for all the help guys! always nice when the a problem is solved without replacing a gazillion parts you didnt need!

 

GOOD GRASSHOPPER!!!
REALLY GLAD THIS WORKED SO WELL FOR YA!
REALLY!!
NOW Here's what ya do.
Search for my old thread on Distributor rebuilding.
Give that a shot.
After that, next do the timing chain swap.
Feel the new horsepower!
AND
All this stuff ya do, GAINS YA BACK GAS MILAGE & smoother idle! & lower emissions. And lower engine temps!
This is all part of a long trail, but so worth it in the end.
By doing these suggestions, ya can lengthen the engine life by maybe a good year or two. For little money outta pocket.
YOU ARE NOT MAKING A POCKET ROCKET, but a stronger Classic daily driver!
PS I THREW GAZILLION PARTS AT MY ENGINE NOT STARTING! Glad ya heard me before ya went down same path!
I love being lazy at my work too & have it turn out right first time!
Really GOOD FOR YA & GLAD this worked so well!
Makes my day go better hearing your good news, too!

 

Have you ever thought it might be flooded?

Possibly because the CFM of the carb (if you have one) is too high.

 

What an idiot ^^

First of all, 1991 3.1 is fuel injected.

Secondly, CFM refures to air flow, not how much fuel it dumps in. So if its CFM is to high, then its getting to much air.

Cant wait to see you get banned.

 

KED...already did the timing chain last spring break (a year ago). would love to do the distributor rebuild, and i am SURE it could help, but just dont have the time or patience right now.

as for honda boy, dale is right about the FI, and a couple posts up i respnded that THE PROBLEM IS SOLVED! haha enjoy the sight, try not to be a nuisance!

 

I hear ya.
The distributor rebuild is just plan on getting all new internal parts (coil pick up, magnetic band), new cap & rotor, pull everything apart, clean, re-check/adjust tolerences, slip back together.
This is a day job, with all parts planning.
Whileyou are parts shopping, mae sure you get a new Chevy Small Block distributor gasket (6 or 8 no matter nor no matter engine size) and a new "O" ring gasket.
Those two together gaskets together will give you a virtual leak free distributor base for engine life.

 

yup I had to get my dist rebuilt like 2 years ago. I tried everthing. nothing would start it. mI cecked the fires, amd sure enough, there was none. So I had it rebuilt.