Thread: '90 Firebird - replaced lifter, now won't start - timing?

Tweet

Hi guys, I'm new here and I've got a problem.

I just picked up a '90 Formula Firebird 350 whose #2 lifter had exploded. I'm mostly into diesel Mercedes and as such am completely clueless when it comes to anything concerning spark and ignition.

Car ran well enough on seven cylinders and always started instantly. Pulled the intake and found that a lifter had disintegrated and the pushrod was just hanging loose. Replaced the lifter, put the distributor back in, put everything back together, and now the engine turns over but doesn't fire. It is definately getting gas.

The plug wires are in the correct spots on the cap and I've got spark at the coil. I don't seem to have spark at the #1 plug wire at the spark plug end, however I have verified a good electrical connection between the inside of the cap and the far end fo the wire.

The car has aftermarket exhaust manifolds on it making #1 plug removal impossible with available tools, so there's a 50% chance that the timing is off 180 degrees as I can't tell if I'm at TDC on the compression stroke or not, but I've tried rotating the distributor 180 degrees and there's no change.

If I've got juice to the coil going to the distributor, I should have spark to the #1 plug, even if timing is off 180, but I don't seem to. Any ideas?

I've tried starting the engine so much that I wonder if its flooded. If the engine is flooded and all the timing/ignition stuff is right, will it sound any different as it tries to fire? I've started trying to start it with the pedal floored and it sounds the same. Just curious - one more variable to eliminate.

Are there any "gotchas" to distributor installation or somesuch that I may have overlooked? By how much can the timing be off and still allow the engine to start?

I greatly appreciate any help you can offer. I'm afraid I'm in over my head here and have run out of ideas.

Thanks guys,
Tom

It sounds like your timing is off or you don't have something hooked up properly. Even if your distributor is out 180 degrees, you should still get spark at #1 at some point when you turn the engine over.

I'd double check your timing, starting at TDC, then make sure you have all the wires hooked back up.