I have a 88 2.8l firebird that will start and run when cold I can drive it around and sounds good but when I shut it off and try to start it 10 min later it won't start. It will fire and try to start but that is it. I can have someone push me and I drop the clutch and it fires right up and runs good. I'm thinking its the performance coil I bought going bad or in my steering column bc I have to use vicegrips to start it. Other than no starting when warm I have hardly any problems out of it.

 

First, get a replacement stock coil and crap-can the one you have now. Those performance coils were designed to be run 1/4 mile at a time and then be shut off, to cool. They overheat quick. Then, if the problem persists, we can look at other issues.

Also, check the resistance of each bank of fuel injectors when they're hot by disconnecting the 4-wire connector by the thermostat housing and probing the first and third and then the second and 4th terminals with a multimeter. Should come out around 5 ohms or so (assuming increased resistance when hot, otherwise it's going to be closer to 4 ohms).

What do you mean you use pliers to start the car?

 

To answer the pliers is the key cyl locked up so I took the plastic around the Ignition Switch and have vice grip hooked to the shaft that when u would turn the key it would pull the shaft I elminted the key.

Ill check the ohams in the morning be for I go get a new Ignition Switch. I found the old coil put it on and it didn't help but I think its to the 91 gmc sonoma my dad has with 4.3l.

The test drive I did it ran better than be for I changed the lower intake and cleaned the gunk under the intake it speed up faster than be for.

 

check the tach wire for sign of quick connector use for aftermarket tach.....

gotta say ive had oppsite experience as of late, 10-12yr old accell coil still working even with flaky tach wire, stock replacement didnt last but a few 100 miles. when i can walk n shift again a sum g5215 can type is going on for built in cooling. see my 4 wire to 2 wire thread. [same coil used on my v8 car with msd]

 

If you want a coil I have an MSD replacement coil, damn thing is practically new still, but I am switching to DIS so I have no use for it now. I'd part with it relatively cheap, drove all of like 2 weeks with it before fuel pump and or a valve spring took went...

 

I think I found the problem some how I put to much oil in the oil pan causing oil to get in the cylinder and foiling out the plugs and I noticed a fuel leak I'm getting ready to find and fix the fuel leak drain some oil out and let it set for a few days to let the oil drain out of the cylinder.