DoctorD415

Was driving down the street from my house when my car just suddenly died. My radio went out then the car just turned off. The lights and stuff worked and jumping it didnt start it, when i tried to restart the car it wouldnt even turn. Just got absolutly nothing. Was dark and i didnt get a chance to look deep into what the problem was but can anyone lead me into the right direction to look for tomorrow morning. Nothing jumped out at me when i looked under the hood, like wires not attached or anything. Any help...

(also I've got msd ignition)

HACKGT350

so its not cranking at all? see what the voltage on the battery is if its under 12.45 charge it and see if the car will start after that

telsonman

ok, ive had this problem i think. when i bought my car i was driving around and it just cut off while i was cruising down the road. replaced the fuel pump and thought it was all fine, then i was on the freeway, and it cut off. i pulled over and it it would turn over, but die. i replaced the ignition control module and it solved the problem. apparently its what keeps it from stalling when cruising, or something.

so you're car just cut off for no reason??? hmm, if you're alternator is bad, then the car was running on straight battery, and it will drain pretty quickly. take the alternator to autozone and get them to test it. your battery may be bad if thats not it. if you turn the key, and all you here is like a clicking or zapping type sound, then its your battery. if you turn the key, and it just goes "click", and nothing else, then you got a bad starter, but a bad starter wouldn't just cause the car to cut off. all of those are easy fixes. replacing the fuel pump is a little more of a PITA especially when you have a full tank.

when you say msd ignition, do you mean box and coils and the whole shebang, or just one specific thing??? make sure everything is grounded. pour hot water on the battery terminals to get rid of all that acid buildup(that chemical crap at the store is a waste of money). hot water is free.

lets us know exactly what you hear when you try to turn the key.

5.0 85 GT

nothin is free....lol..but i agree with u telsonman..he is dead on..trya ll that and u should be ok...

mjr46

so the symptoms are cranks but won't start right??? or won't crank at all??? if it's the former and not the later check for spark and check for fuel...you can spray some ether in the TB... if it fires up it's got spark and it would be a fuel system issue...if it doesn't fire I'd lean towards a no spark issue

telsonman

tell us about your car. how old, any mods, how many miles, any general engine maintenance that been done, etc. if it has some miles on it and the plugs have never been changed, then you could have worn out plugs, but chances are that they wouldn't all quit working. i would rule out most of the little things that you would think of.

check the fuses, and make sure the fuel pump fuse and ignition system fuses aren't blown. when you turn the key to the on position(not start) does the radio come on at all??? if it doesn't then you must have a short somewhere in a wire that is close to an ignition wire. also, when you turn the key to on, sometimes you can hear the fuel pump coming on, its a quiet buzz(hear it mainly in newer cars though.)
if you got a helper, get him(or you)to go under the car and when you try to turn the key, get him to bang on the starter with a wrench, and if it feels like it wants to turn, then there is your problem. however, i still don't see how a starter would cause it to quit while driving. switch out your fuel filter as it may be clogged if it picked up some gunk that was in the bottom of the tank. the fuel pump might also be clogged. injectors aren't bad because if they were, it first off wouldn't cause this problem, and second it would be skipping cylinders.

if i were you, i would take the battery and alternator to autozone and have them check them. its free. if they are good, replace the ignition module(on the front of the dizzy cap). its a metal plate looking thing. like $20 to replace. check your wires on your cap and make sure they aren't fried, and follow them to your cylinders and make sure they aren't worn through. headers get hot and a spark plug wire can meet its maker here.

if none of that works, roll it off of cliff and collect the insurance money

raven_ghostwolf

Do you mean 1) nothing as no fuel pump prime and no click from the solenoid? Or 2) it would crank but not start?

If 1 then I would check the ignition switch relay on the steering column. If it separated then everything that relies on the key being in the on position to operate (eg. cranking the engine, having the engine running, radio working....) would quit working. Your head lights would work because they are wired separate.

If 2 it cranks but don't start I would suspect the TFI on the distibutor, but that would not explain why the radio would die.

From what you gave to work with I suspect the ignition switch relay.

DoctorD415

ya like i turn the key and there is nothing, not a crank or a click from the solenoid. I've dealt with bad starters before and i doubt its that because it quit while driving and also i beleive i would still hear some type of clicking would i not?

The car has got some miles on it, but ive been doing a lot of work since i got it. I've done all the tuneup things (plugs, cap, rotor, wires are good, just got a new ignition coil). I have the 6A msd box and ignitinon coil. I also have an edelbrock performer manfiold, edelbrock carb, and K&N intake.There is also an underdrive pulley system and an electric fan, (which when the key is turned, goes on like normal)

I'll check the voltage of the battery first, but i think thatim leaning towards.....an altenator, or ignition switch relay.

If it was the alternator, the battery would be dead right, because it would have just been running on the battery and it would have drained out? Also would the car at least click, or crank if it was the altenator?

How would i check the ignition switch relay? not sure if you can narrow anything else down with this info, but if you can tahtd be great. Thanks for all the help so far.

raven_ghostwolf

Just pull the steering column cover off it is on the same side as the key. These pictures should help.



Here is what it looks like.



Hope this helps.

92cobra

well i can tell ya its probably not the tfi module although the symptoms do fit, except it not cranking. Usually a problem with the tfi will still crank. Do you have the 3g alternator or the stock one. Its possible that the battery could be dead and or have a dead cell in it. Try swapping batteries and see if it helps.