hello everyone i'm new to the boards here, first off let me tell you about the car. 1985 camaro, 2.8 sat for i'm not really sure how long but heres the lowdown. car ran fine on the way home from buying it, the next day replaced the exhaust donuts to quiet it down a bit, started car and it popped and banged for a couple seconds then shut down and hasnt started since. replaced ALL the vacum lines getting plenty of fuel, spark is a little weak but not too bad, pulled the distributor cap off and it was pretty corroded so i cleaned it up and spark stayed about the same. now for the big question , why wont this car start? spark, fuel and vacum all good, am i missing something electrical? do i need a new cap and rotor for a hotter spark? when you turn it over i acts like it wants to start but just wont. is there a reset somewhere? i have a 17 year old here who is just dying to drive this car. any help would be greatly appreciated.

 

I had the same problem and it was the ignition coil. It happenned the same way; I pulled in for some gas, went to re-start, and the same thing.

I spent a lot of time and money chasing the problem because I kept seeing spark; I only accidentaly found the problem because a friend and I were cranking it over at night and we saw some of the spark jumping through the side of the coil frame and into the bracket that it mounts to on the intake.

You should look really hard at your coil...

 

Jeeper,
Keep basics in mind. Check your fuel pressure and make sure it is up to specs. Check the pickup coil in the distributor. Chances are it is covered in green fuzz and may have a wire failing. Last but not least is the ignition module - they aren't too expensive & it may be worth your while to replace it.
Corky

 

just went out and cranked it over in the dark and didnt see any sparks jumping anywhere, got a new distributor cap and rotor kit and will put it on tommorow, like i said the old one was pretty corroded. another thing, spark plugs are wet with fuel. i will keep you posted on the results, thanks for the ideas.

 

Spark plugs wet with fuel DEFINITELY indicate lack of spark...

 

what about the celonoid?

 

put on new distributor cap and rotor and still nothing. ready to pull my hair out. has spark, has fuel, wont start. coil next i guess. spark must not be hot enough to burn the fuel.

 

Something else to consider; how's the timing? If the hold-down bolt on the distributor was loose, the dizzy could've spun just enough to be out of timing range on your last drive. You may be getting spark but just not at the right time to ignite any fuel. Had that happen to me when my first fuel pump died- 0 fuel pressure, changed the pump, car still wouldn't start. A few checks showed the distributor was loose too!

But if the timing's good then yeah, check the spark coil (replace w/junkyard one), then start looking at the spark module and pickup coil. You'll have to pull the dist to change the pickup coil- and if you do pull the dist, replace the o-ring on the distributor shaft to prevent an oil leak. The o-rings harden up over time and will feel (and look) like plastic- then you get a leak down the back of the motor that looks like a rear main seal leak. O ring is 1 inch inside diameter, 1/8th inch thick.

A bad Mass Air Flow sensor could cause a no-start, too. That's the large 3-wire sensor between your air filters and intake hose. Unplug the 3-wire connector, tie it up out of the way of the fan belts, and try starting the car again. (Car will go into fail-safe mode to start. If it does start, don't drive the car with the MAF unhooked, get a rebuilt one...)

 

but if its loose and i grab the cap wont it move?

 

Correct, you'd have to be twisting the cap though; you said you replaced the cap, but it would be possible to change the cap without noticing the dist was loose- or, if it had been loose at one time, thrown off the timing, and then someone tightened it back down again. If you've never checked the timing, now's a good time to do so...

 

got a new coil and coil pack havent put it on yet,(we've had a blizzard here in nw pennsylvania) hope to get to it later this week. i will definetly check the timing then, thanks.

 

ill second that!! my 87 had one of those stupid things & it was the cause of many things will that car.i had to have the one on that car replaced several times...i hate MAF sensors!!