1hgej1

Well I was driving my car Sunday and in the middle of my commute it bogged and lost power. I gave it more gas and it just kept bogging. Now it won't crank. I turn the key to the on position and the fuel pump primes, and I have accessories but when I go to turn it over it does nothing. I tested the ignition control module and the coil in the distributor and they're both fine. I tested all the fuses in the dash and under the hood and they're all fine. I checked the valve cover, thermostat housing, and battery grounds and they're all good. Starter has been tested and it's fine, battery's been tested and it's fine. I had just replaced the alternator the day it had died on me. But shouldn't the lights dim when I go to start the car if the alternators bad? I also managed to get the car push started and it was misfiring terribly and smoking. Does anyone have any idea what else it could be? The engine is an OBD1 DOHC ZC by the way.

b16EFsedan

try a brand new dizzy and see what hapens.....i got one new and did the same shit and took it back and exchanged it and problem is gone

integrab17

do u have gas??

00civichatch

Why did you replace the alternator? And did replacing it fix your first problem?

NO, the alternator has nothing to do with a car STARTING/RUNNING/DRIVING. It's only function is to RECHARGE the battery while the engine is running. However the battery cable is attached to the alternator and if not properly installed or somehow damaged, it can cause STARTING/CHARGING issues.




Based on the fact that you could push start it and the engine was MISFIRING, the paragraph below is a guess assumption. I'm not sure why it would be smoking. Normally smoke from the exhaust is either blue for burning oil or like grey from too much gasoline ( possibly from fuel build up from trying to start it over and over).

- - This may or may not be your problem - -

But, I have seen in older engines 88-91ish distributor shaft bearings wear and cause the shaft to wobble inside and touch the timing sensors inside. They eventually nick (tear) open a sensor and expose copper coil windings and wrap the copper wires around the shaft. Fucking up everything in the distributor.

First MARK THE CLOCKING OF THE DISTRIBUTOR in relationship to the mounts on the head with a marker or crayon or scratch awl. Unplug and unbolt the distributor. Pull the cap and rotor off. Shine a bright light inside and see if you see any issues with the shaft spinning or tiny thin copper wire inside. Also spin the rotor end of the shaft and see if there is any rough spots as it rotates. Open a manual that has the specifications for testing the sensors and check each sensor ( 2-3 of them) with a Multimeter at the harness plug end.

If you need help with further diagnosis or on how to test/diagnose the distributor feel free to pm me.

1hgej1

Well I switched out alternators because the battery light came on on my way home the night before and my lights started to get dimmer. Everything was fine for about 3 hours and then this happened.

b16EFsedan

check your ground wires...theres from battery to chassis......battery to starter.........alt to chassis.......rad support to valve cover

1hgej1

yeah I checked all those and they're good. I'm thinking maybe it's an ignition switch.

SlowLS

ignition switch will not cause a misfire. Most likely a distributer problem. Find a friend that has a known working dizzy and try it out.

Fabrik8

Yeah, sounds like an engine position sensor problem. Most other sensors will allow the engine to at least start and run (but not very well). If the crank or cam position sensor goes bad, there will be obvious problems with fuel and ignition timing.