I had son #2 pull his '88 244GL (with cruise control) into the garage so I could fix a number of problems in relative comfort. I mentioned the problem with the wipers in an earlier post. His high beam/turn signal switch had also failed. I replaced it with a switch (not wired for cruise) from a parts car. It was necessary to drop the felt cover below the driver's side dash to unhook the old switch from the cruise control harness. I verified that the replacement switch worked, but did not attempt to start the car.

Our son could not start the car on Monday. At that time the car had sat in the garage (heated, about 60 F) for two days. After checking fuses (all good) and camshaft rotation (turning at half the crank speed), my next thought was that the switch replacement had caused the problem (I had not disconnected the battery). I reinstalled the old switch and checked for any inadvertent electrical problems my mucking about might have caused. Still no start.

Next, I pulled the plugs (NGK copper, only 3-4 months old). They were wet with fuel. I dried them with compressed air, then cleaned, regapped, and reinstalled them. No start. I removed the plugs again, turned off the lights, and had my son crank the engine while I grounded the plugs on the block. The spark was STRONG, and I could see fuel coming from the plug holes. In fact, I believe I could actually see fuel mist from the injectors coming from the holes.

I'm getting fuel, spark, and valve motion. The flooding seems moderately severe, but I thought clean dry plugs should compensate for a little excess fuel. Right now I have the plugs out to allow any remaining fuel to evaporate.

Here's my short list of possible problems:

- Bad gas
- Bad fuel pressure regulator (I have a replacement I can swap in)
- Just a badly flooded...

This car has never had starting problems before. The AMM looked good (I have a spare I could swap in, but the car wouldn't start with the AMM unplugged, either) and I could find no leaks or blockages in the induction system. The vaccum hose from the the intake manifold to the fuel pressure regulator seemed a little loose on the nipples, but there were no cracks, etc. I disconnected the battery for 30 minutes to reset everything.

What am I missing? I would be truly grateful for suggestions. Thanks. Glen