help, car won't start

Your car cannot hate you. We need more info,

Did you check spark by USING THE KEY to crank the engine or by JUMPERING the starter relay? This is IMPORTANT.

HOW does the spark look, IE how long, how strong?

I always check spark by eliminating the coil wire first, IE use a grounded probe like a screwdriver with a clip lead to ground. Hold it near the top of the coil tower and crank the enigne USING THE KEY. Yes, you'll need two people. You should get a nice, snappy, blue spark at least 3/8 " long OR MORE. IT should be "rythmic" IE follow the cranking of the engine, and not be erratic and start / stop as the engine turns.

As above, if this does not produce a hot spark, hook up the jumper from coil+ to the starter relay battery stud.


If this looks OK, pull the cap / rotor and take a good look: Dirty? Moisture? Carbon tracks? Rotors have been known to "punch" through from the center contact to the shaft underneath, creating a grounded spark before it ever leaves the distributor.

Then check the spark using the coil wire to ground. Resistance wire will look a "little more yellow" than your grounded probe but it should still be a nice hot spark. Consider checking the coil wire with an ohmeter.

How do the plugs look? Black? White? Tan? Dry? Wet? Oily?

Pull the connectors off the ignition components, the ECU, the distributor, the ballast. Work them in/ out to scrub the contacts clean, and to "feel" for how tight they are. Inspect the pickup/ reluctor in the distributor. Any sign of strike damage? Foreign material, shavings, rust?

While you're "in there" twist the rotor CW (on small block) against the advance spring. It should "snap" back CCW showing the advance is not rusted up or otherwise damaged or stuck.