won't fire!

Hey i'm new to this site but i hope you can help me! Well i was driving my car down the road 1 night and it just died with no warning.So after trying to start it,I realized it was not firing or getting fuel ,so i towed it home and went to work on it.I changed the module and coil system,Still nothing ,So i then changed the cranksensor,still nothing i checked all the wiring and didn't find anything wrong.My car is a 3.1 Sunbird (91) BTW..Any advice i can get will be GREATLY appreaciated!! thanks.

Well you said you messed with the ignition part of it. But did you do anything with the fuel pump? injectors? Anything fuel related? Did you have codes checked? Did the engine turn over when you tryed to start it or did it just click, or did nothing happen? We need some more information...

It will turn over and turn over. I got it to run after i changed the cranksensor( which required the use of tourches to burn it out) For 30 seconds then the same thing.So i went and bought another cranksensor thinking the 1 i bought was bad.Still nothing with the new sensor.i've also changed the computer.I can hear the fuel pump working and a mechanic did a test and it is getting fuel to the injectors but no farther than that.I was told to change my knocksensor as a shot in the dark ,since we did alot of hammering trying to get the cranksensor out that a guy i know told me to try that.I don't know if that'll help anymore.

I would change the fuel pump. Just because you can hear it running you may not be getting enough fuel pressure for your injectors to work. Leave the ignition system alone at this point and check the fuel system which is where you should have started since you opening statement said it wasn't getting any fuel.

my buddy has a grand am, same thing was going on with him, he didnt do as much as u did ...he just went straight to the fueld pump and it worked just fine afterwars ....im going with DTP Dad and say u should change it

But wouldn't i be getting fire if the fuel pump was faulty? I mean i will try any thing but that was the first thing ruled out by the mechanic!! I ' will get it tested just to be sure!

Well i got the fuel pump tested and its fine ..i guess i'm just gonna have to drop it off to the auto-electrical rebuilders.I'm done messing around i guess but thanks for the help i appreciate it.

Have you even tried to get any error code from the computer? It might have some stored error and pinpoint directly which part has failed.

Just because you hear the fuel pump does not mean it still provides the right PSI. A typical fuel pump provides around 48 PSI more or less when you turn the Ignition Switch to ON (just before the cranking position). As the engine is turned over, the PSI should drop by 10 PSI or so.

A clogged catalytic converter will prevent the exhaust gases from moving and so it will greatly strain the engine. As the pistons move up and down, it takes in air mixture but it also has to expel the exhaust gas. If the catalytic converter is clogged up then that would prevent the engine from starting. I have encountered the problem before. I tested by removing the Oxygen Sensor temporarily and the engine started and running. It was loud though as the exhaust is coming out of the Oxygen sensor hole.

A failed fuel pressure regulator can't maintain the proper amount of fuel and it will flood the engine will fuel and so it can't start. One way to check for a failed fuel pressure regulator is by starting the vehicle a couple of times and then remove the vacuum hose going to the fuel pressure regulator. A fuel inside the vacuum hose means that the fuel pressure regulator diaphragm has been ruptured and time for a new fuel pressure regulator.

Well unfortunatly for me it's not the fuel pump everything checked out in that department ....so i guess it's got to be electrical...I don't know i give up...I'm stumped and so is my mechanic!

Did you check the ignition module. Usually located under the coil pack. If it went bad the car will not run at all. They are fairly expensive and if you have changed the CPS twice and the fuel pump checks out then that would be the place to look next. If the module is bad you will not get any spark from the coils and therefore it will not start. Also make sure there are no shorts or broken wires in the injector harness, if you have a bad wire it could short out the injectors.
Just some other thoughts.

The ignition module and all the coil packs were replaced twice .then when that didn't work i moved on to the cranksensor...which it did start and ran for 30 secs and died again.Just turning over and over.So i'm just wondering is it possible that the ESC ( knocksensor) could possibly be the culprit ?? I've tryed EVERYTHING!!(i think).

With these cars anything is possible. Is there a possibility that the computer you put in was bad too. Not unheard of but always a possibility. When you say you are not getting fire, is there no spark going to the plugs? Or is it just not starting due to fuel not entering the combustion chambers? Just trying to see if there is anything that I forgot.

Nope,No fire to the plugs.I can't understand why the car did start that 1 time! I do know quite a bit about cars but this has got me the first thing i suspected was the module.But nope.next was the cranksensor and it did start but only ran for 30 secs and started first crack and ran without a miss then died again.So i imediatly assumed the cranksensor i bought might have been bad...but nope bought another new 1.And still nothing.I'm stumped.

Final couple of ideas. Did you check the ECM to insure you are getting proper voltage to the computer. It is possible that there is a fusable link in the hot wire that may have gone bad and not allowing you to get proper voltage and therefore a no run condition. Secondly, did you check to make sure that the car is properly timed. If the timing chain jumped it may not be allowing the ignition to fire and therefore you are not getting spark to the ignition since the CPS is not reading the crank properly and therefore not allowing it to fire. These are the last two items I can think of other than checking all the grounds and making sure there is power to the ignition system from the battery. I even looked at a wiring diagram and there aren't any glaring items that would cause such a no fire condition as you indicated. Good Luck!

What Engine is It a 3100 V6?


Did you check to make sure you had a good ground on the module plate bracket as they do corrode and also that you had a good ground going to the module (check harness wires that plug into module), I know this from experience I had one 3 weeks ago that was a pain in the butt!


Good Luck

Mr.Rob

Lic Mech Auto/Truck/Trailer Ect....

i never actually checked that but i will 1st thing tomorrow.Thanks.the engine is a 3.1 mutiport FI

Have you checked all of your fuses pertaining to the ignition system? A bad MAP/MAF sensor can cause strange things to happen...

Marc

I have checked every fuse and the fuseable links in the car.