Can't get er going. 88' Firebird

[Kurtdg19]

Hi everybody. I have an old 88' Firebird V6 2.8L that I like driving around every now and then. A few weeks ago, it died on me while driving. It was at speed about 40mph, I went to accelerate and the rpms just dropped and the engine cut out. After rolling into a parking lot, I tried starting her back up and she would rotate, but not start. I had it towed back to my house and (with my limited knowledge) made it a project of mine to get it going. I've posted every now and then on this board, and I respect everybody's input, so I would appreciate any thoughts on this.
Thanks!!

Ok, since I've brought it back, i'll tell you what I've done: (btw: it happened during the rain, so I was thinking that moisture may of seeped in and did some damage to the ignition system.)

First I checked for spark and fuel. I am getting fuel, but no spark. So I assumed it is ignition related. I pulled off the distributor cap and noticed a pretty bad looking rotor. Proceeded to the ignition module to have it checked at my local autozone.....passed with flying colors! I also had my coil checked and it was fine to. Bought a rotor and put it on. Turned the engine and it started up, but immidiatley after, it dies. So I am glad that I am getting spark and its actually turning over, but it doesn't seem to want to keep running. I then checked to see if maybe the timing jumped. This is where my knowledge becomes a little grayish. I checked the timming by the position of the rotor in relation to the first piston. When the #1 piston is at top the rotor points right by the first firing position each time I rotate the crank over. So I ruled out the possibility that it has skipped in timming. I also put on new plug wires (the old pair had one with many cranks and the rest were pretty shotty looking). I replaced the plugs because after trying to turn it over so much, they were very black with all the fuel.

It seems that it doesn't want to keep proper timing, but I'm really lost at this point as to what to check and pursue next. I rotated the distributor cap in hopes that maybe it would stay running, but no go. I was thinking maybe the distributor. My battery at this point is very low so I haven't had the chance to check my fuel pressure. Other than that what do you guys think about what I should check? Again my knowledge on the ignition system isn't the best, so I would appreciate any help!

Thanks, Kurt.

[Omega_5]

ok... is your car a 2.8L carb, or a 2.8L MPI?
i've worked on both before, and the engines act VERY different from each other.

[Kurtdg19]

Originally Posted by Omega_5

ok... is your car a 2.8L carb, or a 2.8L MPI?
i've worked on both before, and the engines act VERY different from each other.

Sry bout that, its a Multi-port.

[Omega_5]

ok... well i've never personally had that problem on a 2.8L, but my friend had that happen to his 3.1L cavvy. The problem was the ignition module, no spark or disribition of spark. He also ended up replacing the wires and plugs anyways, though.
I'd suggest getting the car scanned to be sure before replacing this pricey unit....lol

Hope that helps

[Kurtdg19]

Hey thanks for replying Omega, Yea I checked the ignition module, and everything else you mentioned is new or still working. I do have a code reader for it, but when I checked for codes after-the-fact it didnt' display any new codes (flashes twelve, three times, then displays no new codes). So at the moment, I'm pretty much open for any type of insight that may lead anywhere else?

I took the ECM out yesterday and looked for any noticable burns and didn't smell anything either. It visually looks alright, but I don't think it is the problem. Man, this is getting frustrating . It will probably end up being the last thing I check! haha