Someone PLEASE Solve My No Start Problem
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Someone PLEASE Solve My No Start Problem
Alright guys, this may be long-winded but I'll try to keep things organized. Thank you in advance for reading my thread, I am open to any help large or small.
Backstory: In 2008 (yes, 2008), I did a cam (ms3) and valvetrain swap in my 1998 Z28. I also added LT Pacesetters, a custom exhaust, LS2 timing chain, and Frost m/o tune. I was itching to mod the car and that's what was in the budget at the time.
Long story short I had plans to do heads, intake, etc, but you know how life goes. At the time I was borrowing garage space and needed to keep the car to where I could move it if I needed to. I bought it in 2001. I had finally got a beater DD in '07 and was cool with building the Camaro slowly as long as I could keep it together enough that it was driveable.
After Mods:
It drove and ran fine for having the big cam and m/o tune with no torque converter. I put 400-500 miles on it around town and ran into tranny problems. I believe I lost the 3/4 clutch pack.
Later in 2008 I went away to college and left the Camaro in storage. About once a month for 3 years I or my dad would go start it, drive around the block, add fresh gas, and park it. It fired every single time no problems.
Now:
Finally in 2012 I was back in town and bought a house with my own garage so it was time to bring my baby home. I went to grab it and it cranked but wouldn't start. I checked the fuel pressure and had almost none. A couple sprays of starting fluid and it would fire right up then die. Easy fix, just throw a new pump in, right?
I put a pump in and had 55lbs at the rail and it cranked but wouldn't start. Checked spark and it was good. Thought maybe my budget fuel pump was **** so I hit it with a spray of starting fluid and got nothing. I had a friend put a Snap-On live data scanner on it and he said everything seemed good besides my TPS voltage was low.
Throwing Parts at it:
Well like a good dumbass I just figured it had been sitting so long maybe it just needed freshened up.
I added the following items:
-Battery
-Starter
-Fuel Filter
-TPS
-CPS
-Spark Plugs
Finally:
After all that it still wont even start on starting fluid. It did however, backfire so hard it shot the soft plug (EGR!/AIR!) out of the throttle body. This worries me. I also changed the oil and filter in fear of washing down the cyliners with fuel/fluid. It seems like it now cranks slow. I'm frustrated and clueless. I'm hoping someone can shoot me some ideas, or just shoot me.
Backstory: In 2008 (yes, 2008), I did a cam (ms3) and valvetrain swap in my 1998 Z28. I also added LT Pacesetters, a custom exhaust, LS2 timing chain, and Frost m/o tune. I was itching to mod the car and that's what was in the budget at the time.
Long story short I had plans to do heads, intake, etc, but you know how life goes. At the time I was borrowing garage space and needed to keep the car to where I could move it if I needed to. I bought it in 2001. I had finally got a beater DD in '07 and was cool with building the Camaro slowly as long as I could keep it together enough that it was driveable.
After Mods:
It drove and ran fine for having the big cam and m/o tune with no torque converter. I put 400-500 miles on it around town and ran into tranny problems. I believe I lost the 3/4 clutch pack.
Later in 2008 I went away to college and left the Camaro in storage. About once a month for 3 years I or my dad would go start it, drive around the block, add fresh gas, and park it. It fired every single time no problems.
Now:
Finally in 2012 I was back in town and bought a house with my own garage so it was time to bring my baby home. I went to grab it and it cranked but wouldn't start. I checked the fuel pressure and had almost none. A couple sprays of starting fluid and it would fire right up then die. Easy fix, just throw a new pump in, right?
I put a pump in and had 55lbs at the rail and it cranked but wouldn't start. Checked spark and it was good. Thought maybe my budget fuel pump was **** so I hit it with a spray of starting fluid and got nothing. I had a friend put a Snap-On live data scanner on it and he said everything seemed good besides my TPS voltage was low.
Throwing Parts at it:
Well like a good dumbass I just figured it had been sitting so long maybe it just needed freshened up.
I added the following items:
-Battery
-Starter
-Fuel Filter
-TPS
-CPS
-Spark Plugs
Finally:
After all that it still wont even start on starting fluid. It did however, backfire so hard it shot the soft plug (EGR!/AIR!) out of the throttle body. This worries me. I also changed the oil and filter in fear of washing down the cyliners with fuel/fluid. It seems like it now cranks slow. I'm frustrated and clueless. I'm hoping someone can shoot me some ideas, or just shoot me.
#3
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Sorry all my troubleshooting I did last year is slowly coming back to me. I haven't even taken the car cover off since Spring of '13.
Last edited by 1998Z28LOADED; 05-06-2014 at 04:35 PM.
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So I guess in a nutshell, I have air, fuel, & spark, but no injector pulse.
What in the world could it be?
Would the cam sensor be to blame, even with still having spark?
PCM bad?
VATS issue?
I'm lost and can't afford to take it to the dealership and dump money into getting it to start when I'm still needing a tranny rebuild/upgrade. For now I'd just like to be able to pull it in and out of the garage so I can work on other stuff.
What in the world could it be?
Would the cam sensor be to blame, even with still having spark?
PCM bad?
VATS issue?
I'm lost and can't afford to take it to the dealership and dump money into getting it to start when I'm still needing a tranny rebuild/upgrade. For now I'd just like to be able to pull it in and out of the garage so I can work on other stuff.
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#9
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I had this same problem on a different GM vehicle.
It was a wiring issue somewhere from ignition switch on steering column and the pcm. Never found it, just made a jumper wire cause I didn't want to tear apart the dash and she started right up. Had spark, fuel pressure, etc. but noid lights never showed anything from injectors.
ignition switch...look into that. im thinking critters got into your wiring while they made a home in your car somewhere
It was a wiring issue somewhere from ignition switch on steering column and the pcm. Never found it, just made a jumper wire cause I didn't want to tear apart the dash and she started right up. Had spark, fuel pressure, etc. but noid lights never showed anything from injectors.
ignition switch...look into that. im thinking critters got into your wiring while they made a home in your car somewhere
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Mine sits for at least 6 months every winter, I don't start it at all, and it always fires after about 3 cranks on the first start of the year. I do keep Stabil in the gas at all times though (car is rarely used).
I think something like the below post is more probable:
I had this same problem on a different GM vehicle.
It was a wiring issue somewhere from ignition switch on steering column and the pcm. Never found it, just made a jumper wire cause I didn't want to tear apart the dash and she started right up. Had spark, fuel pressure, etc. but noid lights never showed anything from injectors.
ignition switch...look into that. im thinking critters got into your wiring while they made a home in your car somewhere
It was a wiring issue somewhere from ignition switch on steering column and the pcm. Never found it, just made a jumper wire cause I didn't want to tear apart the dash and she started right up. Had spark, fuel pressure, etc. but noid lights never showed anything from injectors.
ignition switch...look into that. im thinking critters got into your wiring while they made a home in your car somewhere
#12
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I had this same problem on a different GM vehicle.
It was a wiring issue somewhere from ignition switch on steering column and the pcm. Never found it, just made a jumper wire cause I didn't want to tear apart the dash and she started right up. Had spark, fuel pressure, etc. but noid lights never showed anything from injectors.
ignition switch...look into that. im thinking critters got into your wiring while they made a home in your car somewhere
It was a wiring issue somewhere from ignition switch on steering column and the pcm. Never found it, just made a jumper wire cause I didn't want to tear apart the dash and she started right up. Had spark, fuel pressure, etc. but noid lights never showed anything from injectors.
ignition switch...look into that. im thinking critters got into your wiring while they made a home in your car somewhere
Yes the tach wiggles a bit while cranking.
Last edited by 1998Z28LOADED; 05-13-2014 at 11:51 AM.
#13
Umm if all eles fails pull your PcM and take it apart on a flat surface and pull the microchip, I was just having no start issues along with my fuel system going on the frits almost everytime I turned my acc on. I put my pcm back together and reinstalled it and that fixed my problems@_@
throwing parts at the car is not always going to solve an issue just grab a beer and start wiggling wires and **** for a couple hours, hey in my case it worked for me!
throwing parts at the car is not always going to solve an issue just grab a beer and start wiggling wires and **** for a couple hours, hey in my case it worked for me!
#15
A few years back my TA started getting harder and harder to start. Long story short it turned out to be a bad ignition relay. Might swap it out with one of the fan relays just to check.
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Well guys, I finally had time to drink a few beers and tinker with the Camaro today. I found a bunch of mice **** and shredded napkins in the glove box. I started looking for chewed wires. Found two headed toward the PCM under the hood. Fixed it and didn't get any results. I found some wire covering on a group of wires along the DS of the block were melted by the headers. Peeled it, taped it up and moved it, no start. Checked all the fuses and relays, no start. Cleaned the grounds on the body and core support, no start. I guess I'm gonna look under the column next. Any other ideas? I'm having a hard time getting eyes and fingers behind the DS head. Got the front end 3' in the air, can't see from top or bottom.
#19
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I would check the wiring to the engine coolant temperature sensor on side of the drivers side head just in front of your headers. I think on the 98,s if that thing is screwed up the car won't fire with your symptoms (someone correct me if I am wrong plz) I could be dead wrong just throwing it out there. Dealt with similar issues recently but a little different on my 2000 ls1 vs the 98.
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I would check the wiring to the engine coolant temperature sensor on side of the drivers side head just in front of your headers. I think on the 98,s if that thing is screwed up the car won't fire with your symptoms (someone correct me if I am wrong plz) I could be dead wrong just throwing it out there. Dealt with similar issues recently but a little different on my 2000 ls1 vs the 98.