I just fnished up putting a new dash in my 1990 GT along with carpet and other interior things and after I put the dash and instrument cluster back on and everything the car does not start? I also had my son degrease the engine and he rinsed it down, he said he covered the alternator and everything, but my guess is he got something wet. What do you think the problem is? I get rpms when I turn the key, but the car does not start or make any noises for that matter? Battery is connected and everything looks to be connected? WHAT IS THE PROBLEM PLEASE HELP!

 

is the engine turning over at all man?

 

try giving it a chance to dry. ive heard of some people say that after degresing or pressure washing, they had to wait a while. try pulling out a spark plug and lay it on the engine block. have some one turn it over and see if there is a spark. if not, see if the coil is hooked up right. if you have spark......dont know what to tell you

 

Not turning over, not doing anything. I have let it sit to dry out for a day at least...still not working? Alternator? Starter? Solenoid or coil? I have no idea please help or give me more tests to run. Tomorrow I will pull a plug and check if I have spark.

 

if its not turning over, then that means your distributor isnt spinning so you wont get a spark. if its not turning over the only way to test this would be to hook a spark plug to the coil and test for spark.

if its not turning over...does it make any noise when you try it? if it makes sound, the battery could be low, the starter could be stuck, or the solinoid relay could be bad. just a few things to test. if it makes no sound, that means the starter is getting no electricity

 

The battery is a new optima redtop so I know its not that...distributor maybe? I don't think it got wet, but maybe it did and also i changed the wires recently maybe it doesn't like them or something...someone please help me!

 

try to jump the starter manually by taking a large screwdriver and touching the two terminals together. I know it sounds ghetto but but if your engine starts and runs the you know its something upstream of the starter. Maybe even as simple as a loose wire. That actually happened to once on my old 71 chevy pickup.

 

So you think it may be the starter then? Where is the starter located on the '90 GT?

 

To tell you the truth, I dont know about the 90GT but on my 95 its mounted underneath the vehicle by the transmission. Im sure its in the same spot on your GT. By the way when I said to jump the starter, I really meant the solenoid on the starter.

 

All starters are located on the engine where the tranny bolts to it, some fwd cars have them on top, most v8 cars have them on the side/bottom.

Jumping the solenoid will bypass all the ignition components (solenoid, igntion switch - key & electrical) etc. and send power directly to your starter. Really only a good idea to do it to isolate a problem (like bad starter, solenoid, or ignition switch).

*First thing, when you turn on the headlights with the car off do they get power? If so then your battery is likely good.

*Next, turn your key to the run position- does the radio get power, the fuel pump start priming, etc.? If not, then you may have an ignition switch problem.

*If those items come on and work, then try cranking the car - if it doesn't crank then most likey you have a starter / starter solenoid / ignition switch problem. Take the starter out of the equation by jumping the solenoid to turn over the starter manually. Isolate the ignition switch by testing for 12v on the start terminal (usually marked with an "s" on the soleniod) when the key is turned to the start position. If no power to the solenoid - replace the ignition switch under the dash on the steering column, if power is getting to the solenoid - replace that.

Now that I just typed all this, really your problem is most likely a loose wire. Wet ignition components may not allow the car to run, but your car will at least turn over. Check for an unplugged ignition switch or other connectors.