'91 firebird 3.1....just rebuilt the engine at roughly 300,000 miles and cannot get it to start.

It turns over, gets spark and gas, the timing should be damn close, but it just wont start. I thought maybe i need to adjust the timing...loosened the too-damn-hard-to-get-too bolt holding the distributor so i could turn it a little...and it wont budge!! Could it be stuck or something?? Should I force it?? I've rebuilt engines before and have never ran into either of these problems (the not starting and the distributor thing).

Any advice???

 

I'd pull the distributor out and re-stab it back in. I don't trust it being tight...

As for the no start but you have spark; I had a 90 3.1 that did that and the ignition coil had died on the operating table. I didn't find it until I had someone else cranking the engine over at night and I could see some of the spark leaving the side of the coil and going into the mounting bracket!! It really drove me crazy looking for that no start issue!! That "leaking" coil was throwing off the timing and not allowing the car to start...

Good luck!!

 

adjust the rocker arms... put them all at 3 threads, turn the engine on and tweak them so they don't rattle... unless you didn't mess with the arms. but i'm sure you did if you rebuilt it. you have to strip the intake off, take off valve covers, and put the intakes back on (2 hour job by itself)... then start it up after you have each around 3 threads (oh yeah, make sure you have plenty of oil in it)... and tighten them down with a ratchet so they don't rattle. now, if you don't think this is the problem... i dunno. this happened to me on my MPFI engine after i replaced the lower intake and the lower intake gaskets

 

Ok....I'm not sure what the rocker adjustment would have to do with the distributor being stuck....it's late, and maybe i'm just not understanding what you are saying....could the rockers being too tight keep it from starting or something?
But yeah, i rebuilt the heads too, valves, springs, lifters, the whole shot. I adjusted them by putting piston 1 @ TDC and then adjusted intake on 3 pistons, then put #4 @ TDC and did the same, and so forth...

 

what i'm trying to say is that after i replaced my lower intake and up, i had to take the rocker arms off... i tightened them too tight and the engine wouldn't start up. it would turn over just fine (rawr rawr rawr), just not start up. so i turned them back to 3 threads showing and then adjusted them from there... but i had to put all of the intakes back on, just keep the valve covers off.

you may have a totally different problem. if your solutions don't work... you only lose time this way

 

Hmm...I think I'll try that. Makes sense. Thanks for the input.

 

basically hes saying he tightened the rockers to far leaving the valves open so that it wouldnt get compression. I was lost on the first one as well.

 

Damn, we got snow this morning.

Will have to try it some other day. Brrrrrrrrrrrrrrrrr.