Ok I have had some trouble starting my 91 corvette lately. It would start great, but it would not want to idle good at initial startup, and it only got worse from there. When I went to start it I would have to hold the gas down to keep the RPM's up so it wouldn't stall out, but the problem would go away after it started up. When I opened the hood to see what was wrong with it, I saw that the piping that goes to the air filter wasn't secured securely to the mass air sensor, and I live on a dirt road. Could this possibly be the problem?I went to give it a tune up, and when I was changing the distributor cap, The distributor moved on its own!! It looks like it wasn't tied down securely or broken or something like that. So I really dont know what I have to do to get it starting up good again w/ the idle problem, and don't know what I should do about the distributor either. I'm thinking that it might be broken, becuase I have never even heard of anything like that. When I go to time it, how would I go about doing that? I have no idea what I would do. What do you guys suggjest about a mass air sensor.

I know this is a lot of info so you need to bear with me, Im really confused about this.

Thanks for all the help in advance

 

Your distributor should be rock solid. It is held in position by a crowfoot clamp held with one bolt into the block. You need to see if you have this clamp and bolt. When you get the clamp set, get your timing light out and connect it, then disconnect the EST wire (electronic spark timing), start the engine and loosen the distributor hold down bolt and rotate the distributor until the timing mark on the damper is on the correct degrees for your engine, tighten the hold down bolt and reconnect the EST wire. There should be a sticker on the firewall near the battery telling you how many degrees of advance the timing should be set for. If you have any tubing lines not connected, find out where they are supposed to be connected and put them in place. Check your air filter, it might be totally clogged from driving on your dusty road.

 

what exactly is the EST, and where would I disconnect it? And what do you mean my tubing lines?

Let me see if I got this right.

I disconnect the est, then start the engine and rotate until the timing light comes on for the specific degree that is marked by my battery. Then I would tighten the distributor and connect the est.

I dont understand How i would check the timing on the damper with it running??

I just bought a new K&N filter for it, so that shoudln't be the problem, do you think this should solve my problem??


I thought this was funny :U haha


[Modified by DarkoStoj, 1:10 AM 3/15/2002]

 

You don't have a mass air sensor on a 91, it's a speed density system.

Explain what was loose on what you thought was the mass air sensor, you need to explain so we can try and help.

If you don't know how to time the engine we can try and help. Do you have a timing light? A shop manual from http://www.helminc.com would be a great investment if you intend to work on your car yourself. If you really don't want to learn these things, tell your mechanic you need the timing set.

Welcome to the forum.

Pete

 

I am going to borrow my neighbors timing light tommorow so I don't know what kind he has.

I am currently doing a frame up restoration on a older Jeep, so I have learned a lot (im 17) I just havent got to working on the engine yet, becuase I haven't got done with the body and chassi work.

I don't know why I said mass air sensor, I was thinking of the throttle body, I don't even know if that would matter though..

I didn't check to see if anything was loose yet, but you can twist the distributor freely, I do know that the screw and clamp are there, I checked that out but couldn't get a wrench in to see if it was tight.

Thanks for the welcome, and for all the help so far! :nono: haha

 

btt

 

any help?

 

Where you pick up a timing light at?

 

ok I figured out how to do the timing, and I just bought a timing light. I just need to know where the EST is so I can disconnect it. I need help on this pretty badly

Thanks :cheers:

 

Now the EST is the brown wire by the Master Cylinder area that is were mine is located on my 1991 vette?

 

I cant seem to find it, is it absolutely nescessary to disconnect this to do the timing? What does the wire look like , is it thick or thin, is there a connector on it? I found 2 brown wires by the mastercylinder that look like they go towards the distributor, but there are no connectors, and it appears as though it goes towards the bottom of the master cylinder to the distributor.

Never buy a Chiltons manual!!!! they are garbage, absolutely no help whatsoever

 

ok here is a update of what has happened. I tried to do the timing without disconnecting the EST. I had the distributer in the position that it was running best at, then i started the timing process and moved the distributor a lot! I got it to 6*BTDC becuase that is what the guy at murrays told me to set it at, and the closer I got to TDC the lower the idle got, when It was at 6* it ran like junk and idled really low. Is it possible that there is something messed up in the timing gears or the distributor gears to mess it up this much? I had to move the distriubor a lot to even get the timing mark visible!

I am stumped and need the help! Thanks a lot so far, couldn't of done it without you!

Darko

 

ok well its done, i figured it out on my own