I'm have a problem with my 84 GSL-SE

I was working on the car around the battery, I took the leading coil wire off the coil and I forgot to reconnect it. I started the car, the leading coil was arcing everywhere and I turned the car off right away.
Since connecting the leading coil my car won't start (it cranks but doesn't run).

I replaced both coils and ignitors with parts from my other SE. The car still doesn't start. I checked the coil (+) and it doesn't have any voltage when the ignition is in the on position.

I took a quick look at the fuse pannel and everything looked ok.

The car seems to have power to other accessories so I assume the fuseable links are working.

I tried putting the ignition in the on position and running a wire from the battery (+) to the coil (+) but it had no affect.

What connections before the coil should I check/replace?

Tomorrow I will run wires for both coils directly to the positive and negative terminals. I hope that works, it should only be a temporary solution that isolates the problem.

Does anyone have other solutions/suggestions?

 

Sounds like your ignitor is shot.. Try swapping them and see if it starts.

 

Ignitor? I have never experienced that, where and what is it?

 

Maybe the car flooded after the first problem, and now needs to be unflooded before trying to get it started again...

 

I'm not the best one to give advice on that. I've never had a SE, so my knowledge is limited. But, on my GSL, there are two ignitors on each side of the distributor (leading and trailing). If your coil wire was arcing, it may have caused that ignitor to short out. Ignitors are kind of like a GM Magnetic pick up and ignition module..

 

I would check your fusible links again. There is a seperate one for accessories, starting, and running.

 

Stock ignitors are kind of like GM HEI ignitors. The pickups are different, but similar.

 

if u haven't upgraded to FC fusable links yet, it will be hard journey for you to determine which of the wires popped.

 

All GS, GSL and GSL-SE from 81-85 use the J-109 ignitors,

 

I agree!

This is like a 1 minute upgrade, sounds like an excuse to do, just to get out of the way.

 

I have replaced the fuseable links and now the coils have power and are creating spark.

The car still won't run

I might swap the ignitors again, see if that helps.

Any suggestions now that I have spark?

 

Flooded?

You've been cranking without spark.

 

sounds like its flooded man. you might as well jump it off with another vehicle(thats the only way your gonna get enough juice to spin it enough)oh and be prepared for a lot of this

 

I thought it was flooded so I removed the plugs grounded the wires and cranked over the motor untill there was no smoke, then cleaned the plugs and reinstalled them. I have done this 7 times so far. It seems to almost start and then it dies and is flooded.
As I have done this so many times with little progress I think maybe something else is the problem...

 

are you just using the cars battery to turn the engine over?if so try jumping it off with another car or good battery charger. mine did the same thing, it seemed like it turning over fast enough i even used a good jump box(mac tools)and it wouldnt dtart. i jumped it off with my buddys ranger and fired up the first try.......................then proceded to smoke like cheech and chong for about 15 minutes

 

I have a good charger/starter, connected on the start setting, but i will hookup my deep cycle batteries and see if they help.

 

The extra batteries didn't help, i'm going to try the plug removal de-flooding procedure again. hopefully it helps

 

have you tried changing the plugs yet? if it was flooded, then they might be shot ...
also, how old are your cap and rotor?

 

I replaced the cap, and plug wires, i guess i'll do the rotor and plug next...

But it's weird because it's so close to starting sometimes and then it stalls...

If the plugs and rotor don't help i'm going to push start it down the street...

 

why don't you push-start it before you buy them then?

 

I have another good running GSL-SE, i'm just swaping parts I know work.

 

Ok so I swapped the plugs and now i can get it to run for afew secs and then it dies like it's out of gas, I have a fuel cut switch and 1/2 tank of gas... so this is really weird.

Also one time it started and sounded like it reved to 1500 and the tach was jumping all over the place!

I would push it right away, but we have about 1ft of snow...

 

sorry to state the obvious, but you did remember to flip the fuel switch on, right?

my tach used to do the same thing in the winter every once in a blue moon (on REALLY cold days, though) - never found out why it did that, but never cared enough to because it always got straightened out when the engine warmed up.

 

well i found the problem, I replaced the ignitors from my other 84 SE and i took them off again to check the model numbers and they are different! same year same motor, different ignitors, weird!

Anyways thanks for all your suggestions, i'm glad to have my car running again!