Hey guys. I have an 84 SE, and it exhibits a rather odd starting behavior. My car usually starts easily enough, but it won't start until the tach needle starts to shake. It sounds like it is cranking, but if the tach needle doesn't shake the car won't start. I usually stop cranking after about 4 cranks if the tach is still so I don't flood it. Is this normal?

It is taking longer than normal lately so I decided to try to figure out what is going on before I get stranded somewhere.

Thanks.

 

If the needle is not shaking, you're probable not getting spark. Make sure you have no loose connections/bad grounds in your ignition system (the parts that make spark)

 

If the needle is not shaking, you're probably not getting spark. Make sure you have no loose connections/bad grounds in your ignition system (the parts that make spark)

 

If the needle is not shaking, you're probably not getting spark. Make sure you have no loose connections/bad grounds in your ignition system (the parts that make spark)

 

If the needle is not shaking, you're probably not getting spark. Make sure you have no loose connections/bad grounds in your ignition system (the parts that make spark)

 

Bad trailing igniter? The tach runs off a signal from the trailing igniter, so if the tach only works intermittently you may have a failing igniter. Since you should be able to start the car w/o trailing ignition, it may be symptomatic of problems like Feds says. Check grounds carefully.

 

Thanks for the tips guys. I will check the grounds. I think I need new battery cables anyways.