I don't have any codes on my 89. I smell gas when it runs it just seems like it's not getting spark to a few cylinders. Think it might be the ESC?

 

Sounds like it may be time for a tune up. Air filter, plugs, wires, cap, rotor....etc

 

I did all that this spring and it ran great until now. It will barely start at this point.

 

Throwing any codes? What year model car and are the injectors original?

Whoops, shoulda read the first post a lil better.

 

You can put a timing gun pick up clamp on each of the plug wire to see if they are getting power from the coil. No codes - man does that sound familar...check your fuel rail pressure and bleed down times.

 

I'm sure it has some questionable injectors, they are original to the car, it just seems like some type of distributor/electronic ignition problem.

 

Ohm them out to know...each should be around 15 ohms.

 

I shorted/low ohm injector will make the ECM shut down that batch of injectors (they're fired in two batches - 4 injectors each).

Ask me how I know....

PS. Check 'em when they're hot - if they're bad, they'll be REALLY bad when warm.

 

If you have the original Multec injectors in your vette theres a good chance thats your problem.Mine went out on my 89 2 weeks after I got it and they went out fast. This new fuel with 10% ethanol is starting to kill these injectors in short order. Like mentioned above, put a ohm meter on them, and if they read much under 15 to 16 ohms change them out...WW

 

Well I finally got the time and money to try and get the vette up and running again. Still won't start. I have done the following:

Installed new injectors from Jon at FIC
Installed new fuel pump
Installed new fuel filter
I have 40lbs of fuel pressure at the rail
I have tested the injector plugs with noid light. It blinks when cranking
It will fire when I use Starting fluid but will not run.
There were no codes stored.
The Distributor cap, rotor, plugs, and wires are all under 1000 miles

Not sure what else to check.

 

Dude....if your 89 is like my 85, there is 2 fuses in the fuse box, INJ1 and INJ2...if one is bad or is not making a connection due to oxidation your car WILL run on 4 cylinders....check em out.

 

I checked the fuses they are ok. When I stick a test light in an injector plug on either side of the engine it will blink when I crank the engine. So that means the injectors are pulsing.

The car will not run now. It just ran really rough until I got it home. It would never start again after that.

I disconnected the Maf sensor and the TPS and still no luck.

I probably should have started a new thread. Since the car never ran again after I got it home. I didn't have the time, or funds, to work on it at the time and when I made the initial post, it was right after the problem started. I hadn't tried to restart the car at that point.

 

scott after all that it could be the ecm. No codes at all? have you checked the 3 ground wires coming out of the ecu. is the prom in right, Its got to be something stupid at this time. Did you check the ign module?

 

I haven't tested the ECM not sure how to go about that. There are no codes. And I haven't replaced the ignition module, is that in the distributor? I am hoping it's something like that. I don't really want to replace the injectors again

 

You said it would fire with the starting fluid, but would not run. Did it sound like all cylinders were firing when it caught? See if you can keep it running by spraying short bursts of fluid into the intake. You may try disabling your fuel pump during this test to take the injectors out of the experiment. This will help steer you towards ignition or fuel type problems by elimination.

 

does it have a crank senser?not sure what year they started those

 

I just came upon this thread and read everything you've done...just a quick observation either the spark is so poor/weak that the only thing it 's capable of lighting is starting fluid ?? OR All your new fuel system components and blinking noid light w/40 psi at the rail..are not really pumping good fuel, by that I mean lousy /crappy /stale fuel (I see the thread started in 2008)...water in fuel...diesel fuel...something like that. Personally I'm not much on smelling starting fluid for longer periods of time so I'd get some throttle/carb cleaner and spray in the throttle bore if it'll run on that and keep running as you continue to spray...then I'd pump out your fuel tank and put in some fresh fuel. Could be the injectors fixed your original problem and the fuel has just turned to crap over time. Anyway JMO

You know ..I just reread the thread/posts again and you just may have water in the fuel...a shame you didn't dump the fuel filter into a clear jar and see what it looked like after settling.

 

Seems you have tried a lot of things....and your situation sure sounds familiar to me. You've replaced most of the same parts I did. Only difference really is that my car would run, but bog down badly and miss intermittently. Drove me nuts! My car is a very nice street rod with a 90 L98 that re-taught me the importance of grounds and connections.

To make a VERY long story short (took 5 months and numerous conversations with Jon at FIC and others as well....thanks again, JON!), I found a loose ground wire at one of the plug-ins at the computer. Talk about a needle in a haystack!! I mean, I did everything you did and more! Mine is a Camaro IROC computer running my Corvette system that has 3plug-ins versus 4 on Corvettes....BUT the basic process is the same. One clue....my plugs were firing uneven. What I mean, one time I would run the car and pull the plugs, and 4-5 plugs would be dark....the next time 4-5 DIFFERENT plugs would be dark. Bizarre! And I had checked all my computer connections at least 4 times. Right before I installed a reman GM computer, I talked to JON again and did one last wire wiggle/pull test.....and there it was! The ground wire on the TPS/MAP circuit pulled right out of the back of the plastic connector at the computer. After repairs, the car now runs great!! By the way, this wire had been loose for some time and had been arching....the plasic around that connection had actually started to bubble!! One final little tug found the needle in the haystack. True!!

Lesson learned....check, double-check, triple-check those grounds and connections at the computer. I have learned too many times over 45+ years working on cars and m/cycles that poor grounds and connections can do some incredible things. Most experienced FI techs will tell you that the computers RARELY go haywire.....it is usually a bad connection or ground AT the computer. One other thing....I also had a marginal charging system that caused other drivealbility issues. You may want to make sure that you are getting enough voltage through the system to get the car to run....and don't ask me how I now know this as well. That's another long story....And, by the way, during this whole nightmare, the system NEVER through one code. There's a lesson learned there....

Good luck, and please let us know what you found....

 

the magnetic pickup coil will cause it to drop cylinders and reek of fuel

 

We have a winner. Bad gas the whole time. Should have started at the back of the car instead of the front.

Thanks for all the help.