Hitman's Pontiac Trans Am Forum
Trans Am Information => Trans Am Tech => DriveTrain => Topic started by: minist3r on July 13, 2018, 01:29:02 PM
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Long time browser, first time poster. Hope you guys can help. I have a 1980 301T that wasn't getting spark. After replacing the ignition module that tested bad, the coil that tested bad, the rotor and the cap and finding 2 different ESC modules with no luck we replaced the distributor and made the decision to just run without the ESC on premium gas. Success, I have spark and now the car still wont start. I'm getting solid fuel flow through an add-on inline glass fuel filter. I'm getting spark on all cylinders which I verified with an inline spark tester on every cylinder and I'm out of ideas. The compression is low and there is a lot of blow-by (roughly 25%) but the car ran before the ESC went out. What else can I test or replace to figure this thing out?
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i think you posted this over at 301g & myself & others replied with some suggestions for the original distributor... i still think its the pickup coil thats bad since you replaced all other parts & the fact the new dist has spark. best to keep the original due to the timing curve that a turbo car needs. the replacement wont have that same timing curve & likely uses cheap parts throughout.
as for why the car wont start with the new dist, are you sure you have it installed right? meaning correct rotor position & correct firing order for a pontiac engine. seen many times where guys follow the chevy firing order, pontiac is different. same 18436572, but pontiacs rotate counter clockwise & chevy are clockwise.
also verify initial timing setting & that dist is installed in correct TDC position of compression stroke. besides those things it should start if everything else is in order. should get good advice here, but you're better off at 301g for a 301 than anywhere else. hope you figure it out. ;)
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I found the post you are refering to and that was not me but it sounds like it could be. I used a compression guage to get on compression stroke, used a TDC indicator along with the timing mark on the crank, and then verified with a cylinder leakage tester. I installed the distributor with the rotor facing the first post counterclockwise to the input/tach wiring connectors on the cap and used 18436572 going counterclockwise around the cap. I believe, after doing a little more research, that the distributor is the PN for the 301 non-turbo. As far as the quality is concerned, it is a brand new cardone which I have used in the past without issue. I will try posting on 301 garage and see what y'all think over there.
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ok, sounded like the same issue the guy over at 301g is having.
as long as youre on the comp stroke, the mark on the crank is close enough to get it to fire, then you would set final timing after running. sounds like you did everything right. you can pick any terminal on the cap for #1, looking at the cap from the front of teh car, usually the 1'oclock terminal is #1 based on the spark plug wire lengths to fit best & vac canister is on the right side.
if you have fuel, compression & spark, & its close to initial timing, it should start. what are you setting initial timing to? what is the compression? using #1 spark plug on driver side front piston? vac lines good? PEVR working?
also, its probably ok for testing, but get rid of that glass filter, they are notorious for leaking or breaking & causing fires! get a metal canister type or one of the nicer aluminum inline filters.