this morning I drove it to school at it started and drove fine, then I went to lunch and home. this evening I go to start it up and the engine cranks strong but it won't fire up, I can smell fuel from the exhaust pipes but I don't know about spark. the plugs are all connected to the plugs as far as I can tell. I live in an apartment and there is no light for me to check other things right now. I was wondering if the opti can die that instantaneously, it ran strong this morning with no signs of going out or loss of power. the car has about 84k on it and as far as I know it is the original opti. any ideas what could be wrong?

 

my car is seeming to do the same time. My car will crank fully, fuel pump primes when the key is turned. But, it won't start. IT doesn't even try to start, it just cranks. Eventually, after letting it sit for a while, I tried to start it again and it sputtered a little bit, then I gave it a little gas and it started, but was blowing white smoke out exhaust (which i know would be either coolant or water, but could that have been from flooding it or something from it not starting before?) Coolant level is normal, so doesn't seem to be losing coolant. So, it seems as if it's a spark problem. Opti? Coil? 155k miles, on what I think is the original Opti. I was going to just get a cap and rotor for it, that is all that really needs replacing on the distributor, right? No need to replace the whole thing for no reason. I just need my car running. I've been having SES lights, steady for a while from emissions codes, but today it was flashing for a while. I'm guessing its an ignition problem that just happened to take place randomly?

All help is much apprecaited,
Nick

 

any help please?

 

Suppose you aren't getting enough fuel to "light up" but still getting some fuel. Even though you smell fuel, the fuel pump is the thing that goes like a light bulb without warning most often. Release the pressure in the fuel rails and cycle power 5 or 6 times then check the pressure again. Takes all of 2 minutes to do and doesn't even require tools. Don't even have to crank the engine to check it.

 

yeah, that was it, there was hardly any pressure at all when I opened it the first time, and none the second time. well, I've been wanting to get a performance pump in there for planned N2O, now I have an excuse to get one.

 

Here's a neat little trick to get the sucker to work if you have to move the car. While someone cranks the engine over, bang on the bottom of the fuel tank. It will usually jolt the pump motor to begin pumping.

 

well, now I need to know why when I pressed the shrader valve I barely got fuel to come out and when my buddy hooked up a fuel pressure gage it reads 43 psi.

and we checked for spark, none at the numbers one and four cylinders even with a brand new plug put on the plug wires.

so I'm again thinking Opti?

did the MSD 6a and coil I put on there fry the opti? someone on another board told me it happens a lot.

 

ordered a new opti from Jason Cromer, hopefully this plus new wires and plugs that I already had will get it going.