93 olds 88 wont start/ no spark

[james c]

hello, i have a problem with my 93 olds 88 royal 3.8 non-charged. it has been running like it has a miss so a few weeks ago i gave it a tune-up but i didnt seem to help. yeterday i switched the coil packs and then it wouldent even start. i switched them back and it still wont start, but now im not getting any spark and my fule pump seems to want to keep running after priming. i noticed gas coming out of the exhaust after cranking it. i checked the trouble codes and got; 17 spark ref. circuit, 18 cam/ crank error, 31 PRNDL switch circuit, 34 MAF sensor circuit, 41 cam sensor circuit, 42 electric spark timing circuit. also i checked the voltage at the spark control modual under the coils and found that only the far left wire was getting power. i read that the one next to that was also suposto get 10V, and the one next too that is suposto be under 100MV but neather have power. any help would be greatly appriciated, i dont know what happened but i dont want to throw a bunch of parts at. thanks, james.

[Tech II]

What did your tuneup consist of? Use OEM?

Does your engine have one coil with six terminals, or 3 individual coils with two terminals apiece?

I doubt that is gas dripping out of the tailpipe....

Remove the plugs.....if wet, let them dry out....

If you have the one coil with six terminals, remove the coil.... under coil you will find 4 wires.....one will have 3 terminal branches off it(all same color)....then there will be 3 different wires with one terminal(all different colors)....the three terminals off one wire(same color), should be battery voltage......the other single terminal wires(of different colors) are the triggers for each coil....


Disable fuel(pull fuse or disconnect injector harness).....attach a test light between between one of the battery terminals(the one wire with three terminals) and one of the single connector odd colored wires....crank engine.....should flash...now go to another single colored wire....crank.....should flash.....now the third one.....if it flashes on all three trigger wires, then crank sensor and the ICM are ok...... if it flashes on only one or two trigger wires, bad ICM.....if it doesn't flash at all, bad ICM OR bad crank sensor....

If it flashed on the three trigger circuits, and if you had no spark out of some of the coil terminals, bad coil......I know you replaced the coil, but was it a new one or used?

We will worry about the codes after we straighten out the spark question....

[james c]

hello, thanks for the reply. well to start with i just did plugs and wires,AC plugs not shure of wires. my car has the 3 seperat coils, i switched them off a running car so im pretty shure they arent the problem. oh yaw, gas was comeing out where the converter would be in the exhaust. so does that test only work withh the old coils, mine has the 14 pin conector. thanks again, james

[Tech II]

No, that test works for the single coil.....but yours is similar....

You remove the three coils(make sure you mark them to put them back in the same place).....

You have no spark? Disable fuel......

Each coil has two contacts coming up from the ICM.....attach a test light to the first pair of contacts that go to a coil....crank engine...does it flash? Now go to the next pair of contacts and test.....and then the third pair.....All three must flash...if only one or two flash, bad ICM.....If all three flash, the ICM should have had spark out of all the coils....

If none flash, either no power into the ICM, bad ICM, bad crank sensor, bad wiring, bad contacts in harness, etc.

How were the plugs? Wet?

Pull dipstick and smell oil, if you smell fuel, change oil and filter....

[james c]

hay i found an article that explained how my car doesent have a dedicated ground wire for the ICM as most do. so when the coil lost ground the crand sensor stays on constant besides pulse when it should, thus causing my fule pump and injectors to run constant. im going to try to hook one up. its the 5th pin in from the left on the ICM, and shure enough my car has no wire in the plug going to it. my plugs were wet so i took them all out yesterday to dry, and my oil does smell like gas a little bit so ill change it. hopefully i didnt hurt the motor letting that much fule get in there. thanks for the help and ill let you know how it goes.