The battlecruiser has broke down AGAIN

[Neo]

Im not sure if its the fuel pump or what. Just would spit and sputter and then it quit....

 

[Professur]

One simple way of checking if it's the fuel pump is to pull off the coil wire and remove the air filter cover. Use a mirror and flashlight to see down the throttle body and have someone crank the engine. If you see gas, the pump's ok.

 

[Neo]

kewl once it stops raining here i'll do it...

 

[Professur]

But don't, under any circumstances look straight down the throttle body. the last guy I saw do that caught a faceful of gas.

 

[Neo]

Thanks for the tip... *mental note: do not do that!!!*

 

[krusty]

doh!...don't use a torch... use a lit match and make sure you're smoking too, my car starts first time like that

 

[Neo]

hey... why do i get the feeling this is gonna hurt if i do that?

 

[Inkara1]

I may seem silly because I don't know what kind of car Neo drives, but I feel I should point out that the air filter isn't always located around the throttle body.

 

[Neo]

Inkara1,
dont feel silly, its a mercury sable wagon.
Well guys i had to hand her over to the professionals. It went beyond my meager capabilities.

 

[Inkara1]

What year's the Sable? My mom used to have a '91 wagon, and the air filter was in a box behind the driver's side headlight.

Did you also check to make sure the fuel filter isn't clogged? Or that something didn't happen to trip the fuel pump cut-off switch?

 

[Neo]

Inkara1,
I have finally finished checking what you asked. No go on those. I have now replaced the sparkplug wires. still nothing. I did however notice the distributer was loose, enought to let it turn approx 1/4" in in either direction. But now i think i am beyond my basic knowledge so it will have to be looked at by someone far smarter than i when it comes to cars.
Oh its a 90 sable wagon.

 

[Professur]

If you could turn the distributer by hand, then your problem is your timing. That turning is how you set the timing advance. If it's loose, your timing could be out by a full cylinder or more. This is one of those cases where it's cheaper to just let a pro at it.

 

[Neo]

Ok, well it is now running. Was delivered to me this morning.
If i dont have the parts names correct feel free to correct me.
They said that the ignition coil was bad. replaced that and it started right up.(cable from middle of distributer to coil?) Adjusted timing and all was ok. We'll see if i dont make it home I'll be soaked cause its raining.

 

[Professur]

The ignition coil takes voltage from the battery and jumps it up high enough to arc. Then it passes that voltage across the coil wire (middle one on the distributer cap) and sends it down to the sparkplugs. If your coil's toast, it's parksville for ya. It can go in a heartbeat, with no warning at all, and the easiest way to find out is to pull a sparkplug and hold it against the head while someone else cranks the engine. That is to say, there's no easy way.


glad yer back on the road.

 

[Inkara1]

My dad has a little tool to tell if you're getting power or not. It's got a spark plug boot, a light bulb and a place to connect your regular plug wire. If you're getting power to the plug then the bulb will light. You'd still need someone else to crank the engine unless you can short the connectors on the starter solenoid with a screwdriver, but I don't remember being able to see it in the '91 my parents had (same car as the '90). The distributor shouldn't be able to turn though, the screw that holds it down might have backed out a bit.

Does your Sable have the 3.0 or 3.8 V6?

 

[jopes]

I usually have a unknowing friend hold on to the spoark plug while I crank the engine over.


They are always wil.ling to lend a hand next time!

 

[Neo]

lol@jopes.....

Inkara1, its the 3.0 v6