Here's the situation.

I have started the car frequently throughout the winter with no problems, mainly because it has been dry I guess. I put gas in about a month ago.

I started the car fine Sunday. It was above freezing, dry and sunny. It ran fine, started no problem at all several times.

I went to start it yesterday (VERY moist outside in southern ontario) to take it for an emissions test and it turned over and would not start at all. Cranked and cranked. I called to cancel the E-test, went inside, waited about 1/2 hour, and just for kicks I squirted some WD40 in to the intake elbow. It started, so I called the place back, told them I was on the way, and drove up there, no problem. I drove it into the bay, shut it off, they drove it to the E-test machine, tested it, it passed, no problem. They parked it out in the parking lot, I paid, and went to leave, and it wouldnt start again!

This time, it started, and as I went to pull away, it ran very rough, the idle kept going up and down, then it stalled. I couldnt start it again.

Later that night, I went and got some gas in a can, went back to the E-test facility, and poured new gas in, it started great, and ran well all the way home.

I started it several times that night, and this morning, and it was all good. Bad gas, right? Wrong.

It stalled and refused to start this afternoon. It started momentarily then died.

I am thinking:

Fuel Pump (not likely, since the problem seems intermittent and weather based).
Wires
Opti (I hope not).

The car did seem, late last year, a bit harder to start when it was humid, like it took a few more cranks than normal. But nothing serious at all. I have not replaced the wires since I bought it 50k kilometers ago, though I did replace the plugs. Wires seem to be in good shape but that's just a visual check. I would assume that one bad plug wire would not cause this sort of problem.

Any help? I will wait to drive it to a dealer or service center when the weather dries up a bit


edit: Will check coil wire resistance when I get a chance tongiht.

 

Check it ignition coil and wire just for the hell of it also.

 

My diagnosis is: You probably have an optispark in your car.

Get used to it or get coil packs.

 

Think it is just a combination of older wires and plugs and the opti not being so new any more??

It should be a vented 95 opti.

 

That shouldn't have a prob on starting. Your getting moisture somewhere thats not letting the car crank (sparks not getting where it's suppose to). Most porbably the opti, but i had the same prob and my ignition coil had corriosion on it.

 

personally, i think it sounds a lot like your fuel pump. when mine went out, it would have its very random moments before it died completely. I would go to start it, it wouldnt start. 30 minutes later, it would start fine. would run good for two days. on the third day, couldnt get it started for anything. 4th day, once i got it started, it would stumble all over itself for like 5 or 10 minutes and then ran fine. of course i took the cheaper routes and changed the fuel filter and a couple of other small things first. however, long story made short, it ended up being my fuel pump. i just dont want you to rule that option out completely.
dave

 

I had the exact same problem last year. I even live in southern Ontario too

When I installed my headers I did plugs and wires (just because it was easy to do it then) But that didn't fix the problem.

I replaced my ingnition coil and wire... have never had that problem since. It only ever happend in the rain (or really moist fog etc..)

I was worried that it was my optispark, because they are very sensitive to moisture, but it wasn't.

The only thing that has me worried, is that you say it ran rough (sputtering) Thats sounds like the opti.. because that never happend to me. For me.. it wouldn't crank in moist weather, but when it fired up.. it smoothed out.

So I say, replace your ignition coil first. About $70 CAD and much cheaper than doing an opti. Even cheaper than wires (depending.. I did the OVC)

If coil doesn't fix it... then wires (and maybe plugs) and if that fails.. I think you might be looking at the opti.

Good Luck

 

Thanks, that sounds like the best bet. I will check installation instructions later in my manual, but how difficult is it? Can be done from above, with the elbow off only? I'll start with the easiest things first!

 

I won't, I had one die on me while driving my fiero once too. But once that went that was it...this seems very weather related which is causing me to pause for thought. Thank you!

 

Get a fuel pressure gauge and check the pressure.

 

I had this happen to me too....

It was a VERY moist day, and the car would just crank and crank. It had never given me a problem before... I figured something had moisture in it, so I took some 500 watt halagen flood lights and pointed them at the top of the engine so it would dry everything out. About an hour later, I went back outside to start the car, and it fired right up. NEVER gave me another problem since.

I'm guessing the coil was wet or something.....

Brando- 1994 lt1 t-56

 

Thanks all, I will take it to the GM dealer (my brother is a salesman there).

im getting too old for this crap, and just want to use it as $$ towards an 04 grand prix =\

Will take all the previous answers into account

tested coil wire, resistance is 500 ohms (it's a taylor, apparently)
will have them check coil, ICM, and fuel pump, or scan it to see what codes it has thrown.

Thank you again!

 

what is an OPTISPARK? im a newb trying to learn some

 

The optispark is the distributor on the LT1.

 

Update:

I have taken the car to a pontiac dealership (overnight, will be looked at tommorrow maybe)

A few things I noticed:

The coil wire resistance is fine.
Coil visually appears to be ok.
Fuel pump is very quiet but audible. Sounds kind of "sick". Hard to explain, but I've never really listened before, either.
Car will start and run fine, generally if it's been sitting for a while.

I ran it, then shut it down, ran it, shut it down, several times today. For some reason, I saw on shoebox's site something about resetting the IAC valve. I turned it off, depressed the pedal slightly, started it then immediately removed my foot.

It STALLED IMMEDIATELY.

After that, when I did start it, it idled literally at about 200 RPM, barely sounded alive at all. Had to shut it off, it did manage to start again (no gas pedal pressure at all on it). Any time I depressed the gas slightly while starting, then removed once it started, it stalled. every time.

I waited a while and started it and drove straight to the dealership.

Now, last year, I will say, that a few times, when I would start the car and go to drive away, it would suddenly stall. It was often difficult to start back up again, but usually after 4-5 minutes it was fine. I just remembered this now. It was like the slightest load killed it.

Any further ideas?

PS-The temperature today was cool and dry, and the smell from the generous amounts of WD40 burning off was horrible :P