1992 Z34 wont start

[mjtr21]

well today i was driving around and i went out to eat and when i was pulling into the parking spot and the car stalled. the car has been doing this since 2 weeks ago. when i come up to a stop the rpms would drop and then come up and do it again and sometimes stall. well today i came up to a traffic light and the car stalled out. i tried starting it and it was turning but wouldnt start. it seems like it's not getting any gas. i would think it would be the fuel pump but i can hear it humm when i turn to key to "on". so i have no clue what the problem is. please help as i need the car for work. any help is appreciated.

[mjtr21]

okay i just went out to the car and sprayed starting fluid in the air cleaner and nothing happened. it kept cranking but no start at all. it seems like it's not getting any gas at all. as i mentioned fuel pump is still good.

[john51md]

Originally Posted by mjtr21

okay i just went out to the car and sprayed starting fluid in the air cleaner and nothing happened. it kept cranking but no start at all. it seems like it's not getting any gas at all. as i mentioned fuel pump is still good.

if starting fluid wouldnt get it to least fire, then surely not a gas problem, have you checked for spark at a spark plug?
From all i have saw, no spark is more likely cause there are so many more things that can prevent it from sparking

[mjtr21]

well i tried starting fluid again and it almost started. a couple of hours ago i changed the fuel filter too but still wont start. i should add that there is spark and i can smell gas on the plugs. what does anyone think the problem could be?

[tblake]

can you start it with your foot on the gas pedal a little bit?

[Bluntz|]

I had a lumina that did this a few times no start. It ended up being a Crankshaft Sensor. Finding it is the hardest part. When you do get ahold of it just unplug and pull out no tools required. This is a easy place to start since the part is only 20 bucks or so. Hope this helps.

[mjtr21]

to bluntz: what would your car do when you sprayed starting fluid into the intake?

[mjtr21]

okay i just got done talking to a friend and they think it's the coils or the ignition module. if one of these parts were failing before would it cause wierd idle. because as i stated before when i approach a stop the rpm's would bounce between 500 and 1200. then when i come to a stop it would sit above 500, but once or twice it would stall. so would a faulty ignition module or bad coils cause the idling problems?

[richtazz]

First off, how long has it been since your last tune-up (plugs, wires, fuel filter, etc....)? Start simple, as worn out tune-up components will cause what you describe. If it's been recently tuned up, did you use good parts (no Bosch junk)? Has the CEL ever came on? If so, pull the codes and post them here. It will help immensely in diagnosis, as many components can cause a stall/no start situation.

Bluntz, there is an 8mm headed bolt that retains the crank sensor in the block on these cars, so how did you pull yours with no tools?

[Bluntz|]

Must have been to long ago my friend, the weed is gettin to me. So for the error the jist of what i was getting to is that it is a easy place to start, cheaper than coils and ign module. So yea nevertheless 8mm bolt and plug in is still a walk in the park and thats what i was trying to say.

[mjtr21]

well i had the ignition module checked and it was bad. also one of the coils went bad too. so i am going to replace these.

[mjtr21]

replaced the ignition module and coil packs. car started and backfired. i towed the car up to my repair man and had him check it out. he checked engine compression and i dont know what else but he said the timing was off on the engine. he described what went wrong but i didnt understand most of it. then he told me to fix it would be a waste. he did a job like it before and it was not fun and not worth the fix. i would be better off getting another engine or another car. i will get more details tomorrow.

[LMP]

CHeck with another repairman! What you have described so far can be indicative of slipped timing belt. THose belt driven over hear cam engines all end up needing timing belt replacement..what is your mileage and what mileage is on the belt? Changing the belt is a serious job but better than changing the whole engine.

[mjtr21]

the car has almost 130,000 miles and as far as i know the timing belt has never been changed. i have been wondering about this for a while. when i am sitting with the car in Park and i rev the engine it will rev up and when the rpms come back down the car jumps. even thought it's in park the car will jerk. could this be a syptom of the timing belt slipping? if it is the timing BELT that slipped then whats a timing CHAIN? so this is what could've cause the car to stall out and not start? please help. i dont wanna buy another car. thanks

[LMP]

Timing chain is generally used with push rod engines..some even use direct gear drive. Over head cams are way out and driven by belts..and after a while a belt can slip a cog or two...or simply breaks...the 3.4 uses a chain to intermediate sprocket then a belt to the cam sprockets...but the belt is more prone to be the culprit than chain..although chains can also slip a notch or two..or three with a former car...long time ago.
Anyway, at 130,000 miles, replacing the timing belt is "standard maintenance", be it the actual problem or not in your case.
I suggest you go to www.autozone.com to get complete details for this procedure specific to the z-34. This drawing www.avigex.ca/z34/timingbelt.gif is from them.
About the "car jumping"...not clear if related to this....may be some backfire due to unburned fuel or poor timing..
But yes, a timing belt that has jumped several cogs can be a non-starter...