so i just bought this car recently, new timing belt water pump etc. just installed new spark plugs n distributor and wires, car starts for a second then dies i re checked the firing order its correct and so is the timing go to start it it starts then dies, i remove any of the four spark plugs it starts up and runs but obvisously only on three cylinders i put the spark plug back in then the same issue it starts then dies again… any ideas to solve this problem is greatly needed i dnt want to keep spending 80 bucks to fill up my truck gas tank.
well from what i readd the only thing i can think of is fuel…when u turn ur key to II position do u hear a click from under your steering wheel and your fuel pump whirl or prime… ARE YOU GETTIN A CEL??
i forgot to mention it is getting fuel, and yes i checked the relay under the dash its working as for the cel light it does its normal thing but doesnt stay on it goes off normally, i went thru and re did the timing belt thinking maybe its wrong but same issue hook it all up starts up then dies, and again i can remove any one of the spark plugs and leave three hooked up and the car will start and run with out the check engine light coming i put which ever spark plug i pulled out back in, try to start it same issue it starts for a second then dies, i even went thru making sure it had the right compression and it does… i have a gsr swap in my garage for it but seeing how i live in cali and have smog id llike to get this motor running and smogged and keep it for a back up b4 i swapped over
Okayy fyi pullin off a wire for the plug wont set a cel…if u unplug a injector it will set a cel but obviously u have fuel… Are u sure ur belt is on correctly… When ur crank pully has 4 notches 3 that are grouped together for ignition timing and then 1 notch that is alone for tdc#1piston make sure thats on the marker from the timing belt cover then make sure ur cam gears are lined up correctly “up” should be pointing upward on both cam gears and then they also have a notch on the tooth at 3’0clock and 9’0clock positions alll of that shud line up wen u put the crank pullley to tdc…
Another test u should do is fuel pressure just incase… Tap into the fuel filter and block the other line coming out of it…also block the line fromm the regulator…
Also if u installed your distributor incorrectly… The key that goes into the cam can be 180 degrees out…pull it out and turn it 180degrees and put it back in and try starting the car… Goood luckkk well take it from there
i had a friend who encountered this problem before. i thought it was really strange. pull one plug, it runs on 3. not on 4 though. exact same symptom as yours.
i’m still not sure how it caused those symptoms, but turned out his throttle cable had too much slack and the idle was out of adjustment as well.
check your throttle cable deflection and readjust your idle. it solved that issue for him
problem solved, i unplugged the map sensor it started and stayed running but ran rough pluged map sensor back in it ran better unplugged the throttle position sensor and the intake air temperature sensor started up ran so so plugged them back in started it back up and runs way better my assumption the sensors must of had to reset them self either way now i dnt need to throw the motor in the recycling bin for this weeks trash pick up.
also another issue that kept it from running was a clogged cat.