hinchcliffe

Went to put the car up for winter and backed it into the garage and it died. Tried to start and its just turning over but no start. I'm thinking the battery was low (5 years old) and I was getting 12.3v across it. Charged it to 14.5v and same, turning over but no start. I pulled a couple plugs and they have fuel on them and otherwise look clean. Cleaned the distibutor points and still the same. New battery, still the same. I assume its getting no spark, next test is to hold the plug on the block and see if its getting spark.

Just kind of wierd that it was running fine and now it won't start. Any other ideas?

worf928

Yep - next check is spark.

If the battery is good and you've good voltage to the fuse panel and you have no spark then the likely culprits would be the EZK relay or the speed/impulse sender. Less likely culprits are both ignition amps (at the same time?).

no doubt

Any different starting up behavior with the electronic plug to your MAF disconnected?

SteveG

Other ground points??? The '85 would turn, but not fire b/c of corrosion on ground from driver coil to engine. At least that is what I concluded. At first it would fire and run when Seafoam was applied to intake. And it would run with FP relay jumped. This ground must have prevented signals from getting to EZK/LH and thence to FP relay.....whatever. When I cleaned the ground, problem solved.

hinchcliffe

What's the best place/plug to ground for spark on an '87?

Does that question make sense?

Better: Which plug and where should I gound it to check for spark?

hinchcliffe

If I check for spark on both distributors, would that negate a bad ground to one of the ignition coils?

ew928

Would an old fashioned timing light show spark?
If you had a timing light handy.

worf928

Yep.

Mrmerlin

pull off both of the coil wires looking for corroded ends and also looking for a corroded CE panel relay connection, hot post ( did you wash it first)

LeoDioxide

Out of newbish curiousity, how does one put the spark plug on the block to check for spark? Hold it sideways and crank?

John Speake

If the plugs were wet with fuel, then the EZK must have been sending rpm pulses to the LH.

Of course that doesn't mean that there is a spark, so check out coil leads etc.

It is possible the car has just flooded. Try starting it with foot to the floor with fuel pump fuse removed. When it fires, replace the fuse and start agian with foot to the flooor until it starts.

hinchcliffe

Car was washed days earlier. I had a corroded coil wire a while ago and it ran in limp mode. Cleaned it up and it ran fine for the last two years. I'll check for any loose wires and clean all of the contacts and see. I have a timing light so I'll try that first.

Hold the spark plug and gound the threads against a spot on the block and see if it sparks. But I timing light would be faster and I can check each wire easier.

WallyP

"Hold the spark plug and gound the threads against a spot on the block and see if it sparks. But I timing light would be faster and I can check each wire easier. "


It's also safer - the 928 ignition system is powerful enough to actually cause physical harm to an unwary mechanic...

Mrmerlin

Death

hinchcliffe

Update:

I went out today to try working on it, it was cranking and almost starting. Put my foot to the floor and it started catching, and stayed on, with a rough idle. I revved it a few times and it settled down nicely. I let it run for a bit. Shut her down and she started right back up. Blew some condensation out the tail pipe and she runs good. Maybe she wasn't getting the fuel she needed? I threw in a bit of Stabil and let it idle for a good long while. We'll see what happens come Spring.

I did replace the fuel filter, but that was back in August?