Greetings,
My '95 Camaro started to act up when starting last fall. At first, it started only after repeated cranking then it would drive normally with no noticeable driveablity problems. Gradually, it became more difficult to start. On one occasion, I noticed a large plume of white smoke emitting from the tail pipes and a strong smell at start up, not really a gas smell, but an unusual smell that I can't pinpoint.
I was close to calling a tow truck last November at a local mall but finally got it started and drove home where it sat in the driveway during the winter months. On and off, I've tried to start it without success, keeping the battery strong with a trickle charger. Lately, I've been trying to troubleshoot the problem. I can hear the fuel pump and the fuel pump relay working. The cranking is very strong and normal. Using a blast of starting fluid in the TB, I noticed that, although it did not start, it sounded like it was trying to start for a few seconds.
The oil appears normal (no brown whipped cream) and the coolant looks normal too.
Excluding a blown head gasket or cracked head (oil would show signs of this), what's the most likely culprit for this problem? The Opti is original (177k) but I've read that Opti failure will cause stalling and sputtering. To reiterate, once the car started, it ran normally
Bad gas? If it is, wouldn't the car run poorly overall and not just experience a no start problem?
Any help would be much appreciated.

 

plugs and wires were replaced within the last 25k

 

Personally, I would replace the opti even if it isn't bad right now. There are pictures of ones on here with around that many miles and they look BAD. Is the fuel pressure good?

 

Need fuel, spark and compression. By giving it starting fluid it should have lit up like a christmas tree. Since loosing compression is unlikely, you must have a spark issue.

Pull ALL the plugs and check for spark at every cylinder. Only takes 3 out to shut off a SBC.

FYI my Vortec did the same thing to point it would not start. Replaced the cap and rotor and all was fine. Every time it cranks longer than normal, I know I need a cap and rotor.

How old is your cap and rotor??????

 

Not necessarily. If the optical cam position sensor does not produce the low resolution cam position signal, the PCM will shut down the fuel system, preventing it from starting, since it can not time the fuel and ignition without that signal. Scanning it for codes will tell you if this is the problem.

 

very true, it sounds like you need a new opti, plugs, wires, and my guess would be maybe the ignition control module... or coil.

get yourself a spark tester (14.99 at oreillies) and take the coil wire off the opti, and test for spark there. if no spark then check for 5 volts to the white wire while cranking, if no volts then your opti is shot, youll need another one...

if your getting that voltage, then it could be a short in the wires going to your Ignition control module (ICM) thats where my problem was....

so try a few if not all of those.

also check and replace your ign, pcm, and injector fuses, even if they dont look bad, ive had hat happen with me too.....

let us know if you need anymore help

 

Great suggestions guys, thanks. I still don't understand why the car would generate clouds of odd smelling white smoke after it started that one time. White smoke as far as I know means water in the combustion process somewhere.