Wont start

[scrdn]

Hi I have a 1980 FI Spider. I just replaced the spark plugs, spark plug wires, and Ignition Control Module yesterday, due to misfiring. It started fine after I did the work. Now the engine wont fire up, just cranking. On top of that my ignition key broke in half in the key slot thingy . What do you gents think, new coil?

[124JOE]

it needs 3 things compression *done*
fuel ?
spark needs 12v


ohya, the ok from the computer/s

sorry mine has a carb.joe

[forzaphil]

Pull off a spark plug wire and set it near a ground in the engine bay (i use the hood latch right there behind the engine) leave a few mm of gap between the contacts and the metal in the engine bay. Crank it over and see if there is a strong spark that jumps the gap. If so, you don't need a new coil. Make sure that all of the wires you took off of the 2 leads on the Coil are all put back on, one of them (brown with white stripe?? if I'm not mistaken) goes to the computer to tell it the coil is firing and that gives the go ahead for the injectors to fire. If that wire isn't hooked up then you wont get fuel sprayed into the intake. Which like joe said is fairly critical. let us know if you have wires disconnected from the coil and don't know which terminal they go back on.

[aj81spider]

Check the air hose between the meter and the intake manifold. When I changed my plugs I had to remove one end of the hose to get to plug #2. When I put it back together the nipple on the side to the aux air regulator had broken and the car wouldn't start. Found the break, taped it closed (then ordered as new hose!) and it started right up.

It may be that moving the hose when you changed the plugs and wires caused or opened up a crack.

[scrdn]

Thanks for all the sugestions. I'll take a look after work today and report back with either good or bad news.

[majicwrench]

If it ran before you changed those parts, and now doesn't, it is likely something that twas just done. Either part failure or installation error. Coils very seldom fail. Check for spark.

[scrdn]

The odd thing though is that the engine fired up nicely right after I did the job. Now nothing.

[SouthSwedeSpider]

I recently went through all cables, groundings etc in the ignition system. All worked fine when suddenly a few days later when driving in a cobblestreet in the middle of my little town the car just died instantly. Had to push it out of the way . The engine cranked but no tendency to firing. After some logical thinking and fault finding (and help from two other guys), we found out there was no spark from the coil. Turned out that the connector at the ignition control module had simply shaken loose when driving. I put the cable back and the car started right away.

Was probably due to me fiddling around with the connectors, hopefully its a similar easy solution for you. Good luck!

[scrdn]

That's exactly what I plan to look at 1st (when I get a new key to replace the one that broke in half). When the engine fired up there was a lot of vibration that may have loosend something in there.

[narfire]

Turned out that the connector at the ignition control module had simply shaken loose when driving. I put the cable back and the car started right away.

Me too. Now I have a zap-strap holding it on.
Chris

[scrdn]

Yes the wires to the ignotion module were loose. Fired up the engine. Now the engine sounds like an old VW beetle with very little power. Couldnt even get the car up to 30 mph without a struggle. Now what could I be missing?
Thanks
Scott

[124JOE]

check your timing and belt -it may have skiped a tooh =misfires and wont run/also if you think you can reset your dizzy

[scrdn]

Is a damaged Distributor Vacuum Advance hose the only one vacuum hose to worry about with this issue? I just put a new coil in and that didn't change the issue. Looking at cheap fixes before dealing with a timing belt job

[wikkid]

Timing belts are about 17 bucks. There is a super write-up with tons of pic's to DIY.