Trans Am Wont Start All The Time....

[Zero4488]

I have a 1986 Trans Am TPI.....and yesterday out of no where....it wouldn't start....Fuel pump was primming and everthing....I need to use starter fluid just to get it back to my house...then last night I tried starting it and sure enough it worked....any one know what it could be cause I don't wanna take the car somewhere and not be able to get it home....

[90FormulaWS6]

was it cranking? or was it a dead key?

[Zero4488]

It cranked just fine....just wouldn't start....and it just did it again now....so I have no idea....

[90FormulaWS6]

it could be a multitude of things, first id check that your getting fuel, you could need a new fuel filter, have you ever replaced it? Are you geting sufficient spark? possible coil, rotor, cap problem? if your not getting enough fuel but you fuel filter is fine, then your fuel pump is on the way out.

[Tru2Chevy]

Once you got the car started with the starting fluid, did it run normally?

- Justin

[Zero4488]

I can now get the car started by keeping my foot on the gas and once it's started it runs fine...that why I don't know...I have the MSD cap, rotor, and coil at my house and the fuel filter is 3 months old....I don't get it....once the car is on it's fine....

[Tru2Chevy]

My 3.1 Lumina does that every once in a while. Haven't figured out why though. It won't start to save it's life, until I put the pedal to the floor and crank it. Then it starts right up.

- Justin

[90FormulaWS6]

sounds like an IAC problem then

[Zero4488]

Whats IAC?

[90FormulaWS6]

sensor that control the amount of AIR you engine gets at idle, could be sticking, i dont think this is your problem, i still think its a fuel issue

[Zero4488]

Now my car wont start at all....I don't know what to do....

[90FormulaWS6]

im sayin fuel pump man...

[Zero4488]

Well I ask this mechanic I know and he said it could be my pressuer regulater and it's letting the pressure back into the tank....luckily I have a BBK regulator at my house I was going to put on anyway....plus I can hear my fuel pump when I turn the key.....

[The Fixer]

I just saw a thread about this on www.thirdgen.org in the TPI section. A few members there had the same problem, and it turned out to be ignition-related. For most of them, it was the ignition control module in the distributor. For one or two others, it was the reluctor wheel (or whatever-the-hell it's called) inside the distributor; that thing is connected to the ignition module.

[V]

hmm, interesting. the monte takes some time cranking before it starts, i wonder if its the ignition issues you mentioned steve. The distributor is original out of the 88 iroc doner car, stock cap and rotor too, lol. Maybe i'll look into geting another distributor or at least gettign a new module, cap and rotor for the current one.

[Zero4488]

Well AAA is on it's way to take my car to the shop....I give up....Lets see what happens....I hope it's not gunna be there all weekend...but most likely it will be....I'm gunna have the shop do a couple things for me anyway....so I'll let everyone know what it turned out to be when I get it back...

[Zero4488]

Wow...it turns out that I had a loose wire on the distributor....It's wierd....and it cost me $60....so yea...I feel retarded

[Zero4488]

I just posted last week that my '86 T/A would crank but wouldn't start.....today....I was leaving McDonalds and the car died as I was driving and could not get it started....it wont crank.....now I was going to my friend's house and it stalled and I can't get it started at all....It wont crank at all.....please....I NEED HELP!!!!

[camaro2you]

my guess is the igniton switch or sumething in the dizzy is bad.

[Tsar]

wont crank? starter?

[V]

yea, if it died while driving and wont crank... its either a bad alternator or ignition switch IMO. Check to see the voltage at the battery, if its dead, then the alt is most likely the cause. To figure out why it wont start youll need to trouble shoot one system at a time till you find it, and eventually youll find the problem

[Zero4488]

Altenator is charging, but my battery is putting out 14volts instead of 12, so when I took it to the shop they said it might be my starter grounding out somewhere.....but I still don't know why it died on me.....

[V]

14 volts is fine if the car is running. if off, around 13.5 is possible sometimes and is fine. if the starter did ground out it may have burnt out some fuseable links as well and that would cut power to main power/ignition circuits..

[tastyle88]

also very possible ignition module had it go in my caddy would start sometimes other times not no codes for that it just went your car is doing the same thing mine did noone could figure it out. its worth a try its located under the cap on the distributer hope that helps bruce

[BigAls87Z28]

Do you get a check engine light on when it does run? You could always grab the code and narrow your search.

[BigAls87Z28]

That is a big ass TB you have on there BTW.

[Zero4488]

Well the check engine light doesn't always come on....

[Zero4488]

Well I just learned today....that practically every sensor in my car is throwing a code....so yea....great....no car for me.....I'll probablly get it back next week....time to break out the mountain bike.....

[camaro2you]

bad ecm or bad sensors do you know?

[Zero4488]

I'm next to positive it's an ignition problem....and I hope it's fixed tomorrow....

[Tru2Chevy]

I'm next to positive it's an ignition problem....and I hope it's fixed tomorrow....

It's highly doubtful that an ignition problem would be causing this: "practically every sensor in my car is throwing a code".

- Justin

[Zero4488]

Well I think that is why the car is cutting out....I sure all the sensor aren't shot....I think when he read the codes they were all old codes....and it's just so happened to have been in the ECM during my current problem.....

[Zero4488]

Wow...it turns out that I had a loose wire on the distributor....It's wierd....and it cost me $60....so yea...I feel retarded

Turns out the ECU needed to be replaced.....just thought I'd finish the story incase someone actually uses the search feature...