89 Century 4 cyl - no spark

[davlys]

My 89 buick century will turn over but won't start. I tested for a spark by grounding a couple of spark plug wires against the engine block and there was no spark. This car does not have a distributor. The plug wires connect to a box, which I think is the ignition module. Whatever this box is, it is very difficult to access. It is on the rear of the engine (4 cyl) under the intake manifold and can barely be seen. From underneath, it is also barely visible. Does anyone know an easy way to get to this unit, or do I have to remove the carburetor and intake manifold?

Or, what other possible causes for no spark can I check out before getting into this task?

The Haynes manual is of no help because this manual is for a great number of older cars, and has no pictures of my particular engine.

Thanks.

[davlys]

Originally Posted by davlys

My 89 buick century will turn over but won't start. I tested for a spark by grounding a couple of spark plug wires against the engine block and there was no spark. This car does not have a distributor. The plug wires connect to a box, which I think is the ignition module. Whatever this box is, it is very difficult to access. It is on the rear of the engine (4 cyl) under the intake manifold and can barely be seen. From underneath, it is also barely visible. Does anyone know an easy way to get to this unit, or do I have to remove the carburetor and intake manifold?
Or, what other possible causes for no spark can I check out before getting into this task?

The Haynes manual is of no help because this manual is for a great number of older cars, and has no pictures of my particular engine.

Thanks.

2-26-09: I was able to get the coil packs off by rotating the engine forward. I am hoping that someone can test them to see if they are good.

[davlys]

I decided to start a new thread since I have gotten past my original problem, and no one had yet commented.

I was able to remove the ignition module and had it tested at Autozone, and it passed multiple tests. So now I need to look for other reasons for no spark.
The car has two coil packs, and I would like to test them. Can anyone help with this. I have no electrical background and my Haynes manual is very confusing regarding this.

Also, I have been told that a bad crankshaft sensor could cause a no spark situation. Is this true, and what else should I be testing.

Thanks.

2-28-09: It was the crankshaft position sensor. Just finished replacing it and the car runs again.