Ok, I am going insane. My car won't start. I was parked on a fairly steep incline for like 3 hours, and I was fairly low on gas. When I tried to start it, it wouldn't start. It turns over fine. I checked the battery, then I checked all the fuses, although I haven't checked the relays. I guess my first question is if relays just suddenly fail or if they go out over time? Also, is it possible that my car wasn't getting gas because I was on the incline and I was low? If so, once I was on stable ground, how long should I be trying to turn it over to get it to start, and is there any solution to get gas to the engine besides turning it over forever? (I have turned it over for a long time already) I was reading the bentley manual, and it seems that if the main fuel pump went out, that would kill the car, but if only the auxillary one is out, the car would still run but not too good, and I might get vapor lock or something. Is this correct?

To check for fuel delivery issues, take the fuel supply hose loose from the fuel rail and hold the open end of the hose in a jar while an assistant cranks it over. Should be a good solid stream of gas. It takes a couple of open end wrenches or Cresent wrenches to disconnect the fuel hose. If you have good fuel flow, connect a jumper wire from the positive battery post to terminal 15 on the coil and crank it over. This takes the 30 amp fuse and one of the two wires prone to go bad out of the equation. Examine the 30 amp fuse to be sure it is not burned or CRACKED. If you are still running the original biodegradeable wiring harness, check the old postings for info on at least replacing the five wires that come out of the grey plug at the fire wall.jp

Nick,

I just fixed a similar no-start problem in an '88 244GL. I had plenty of fuel in the tank, which simplified my trobleshooting.

The car won't run if it doesn't have fuel AND spark. Buy 2-3 gallons of gas and put it into your tank if you already haven't done so. If you have a plug wrench, pull a plug. Check to see if it is wet. This is a reasonably good check to see if you're getting fuel. If the plug is dry, purchase some starting fluid ($1.50 for Valvoline owned branda at Autozone). Open the air box and spray a 2-3 sec shot of the starting fluid into the intake hose (the fluid is mostly ether, and it won't harm your filter or AMM). Wait a few seconds and crank the engine. If you are getting spark, that ether will cause the cylinders to fire. If you did starve the fuel system, you may need to prime and start a few times before it keeps running. If you just can't get it to keep running, it is time to start troubleshooting the fuel system. You could have a little water in the tank, it could be a bad filter, or one of the pumps could be bad.

If the plug is wet and you have spark, you are probably flooded. Pull the plugs, dry and clean them, and leave the cylinders open for a few 20-30 minutes to let some of the excess fuel vaporize. Reinstall the plugs, prime with starting fluid, and see what happens.

If the plug is wet and you have no spark, troubleshoot the ignition system (check the 30 amp fuse in the engine compartment near the coil, if your '84 has one).

There are others on the 'board who are much better qualified to help you, but these suggestions are a start.

Good luck.



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'88 244GL, '89 244GL, '90 244DL, '91 244, '92 244