My car was purring like a kitten. It didn't get much road time but I'd start her up every week and take her around the block...until last week.

Car started idling iradically and "missing" on cylinders and it went down hill from there...fast. Now I can't even get her to start.

I'm no mechanic and have pretty much forgotten all I learned in autoshop in HS 20 years ago. So, where do I start? I pulled a plug, grounded it to the fan housing and saw a spark but not consistently. I know there is a methodical why to troubleshoot this, but where do I start?

Any and all help is much appreciated.

Kev

Will it turn over?

what is the voltage of the battery when off and when running? (at idle and at a higher rpm)

Running erratically before dying, weak/intermittent spark? Check out your distributor cap, rotor, points, plug wires. Check the wires between coil and dizzy. If it's been a long time since a tune up, probably should do that anyway. Might even fix it!

Umm, can't go there now...she's not running. I can say my battery is starting to drop off though from cranking.

Okay, sounds like a good place to start. I did pull the cap and rotor. Rotor looks worn and dirty but I have nothing to compare it to. I did pick up a rotor from Napa and try that this afternoon but that didn't help. I plan on picking up a complete tuneup kit tomorrow.

Thanks

There are 3 basic things needed to get a car running.

Spark
Fuel
Air

You have confirmed an erratic spark, but that might not be the real culprit. Are your plugs wet? If your plugs are dry,, it could be a fuel delivery problem. Since you're working on your ignition, it might be a good idea to check the fuel injector points that are in your distributor while you are there.

Stuff to check in your fuel system simply are the fuel pump and the fuel filter. Try jumping +12v to your fuel pump to see if it works. Make sure the fuel filter is clean.

On a side note,, did you recently fill up your tank before the problems happened? The way your car missed and then died also resemble bad gas,, or water in your gas. There are chemicals that your local auto parts store sells that can help you detect water in your gas, but it's also pretty easy to just drain and purge your fuel lines with fresh known "good" gas. IF this is your problem.


good luck wrenching
-Rob

D-Jet?

Yep, 2.0 D-Jet.

This car went from running fine, to running fine at idle for 30 seconds or so and stumbling on acceleration under no load to not starting within a day's time.

check DWELL.

I have had the problem start with missing under load, didnt have time to fix, to missing with no load, still no time, and then stopped running while on a major expressway.

I don't have the same setup (2.0 6 cylinder, MSD ignition), but over the weekend I had a similar problem. Driving along ripping corners in the country on a nice pre-fall day, and all of a sudden she starts running rough. So, I pointed it toward home and put the pedal down. About a mile out, she gave up and died.

After I got my Father to flat tow me home, I started on the MSD diagnostic procedure. I check everything including replacing the coil, and nothing works. I get to the point where MSD recommends pulling the system out and sending it to them for further analysis....that's when I decided to check the points. A couple of passes with the emory cloth, and she cranked right up.

Next time, I will start there.

Dion