Sorry phone is messing up. Anyway. Lights on at the pump for 7 minutes max. It came with a blue top battery. When I went to leave and start my truck nothing at all. All the lights and buzzers come on but it won't start. It won't even try to engage the starter. The next day I recharged old battery and installed it. Still the same, installed another battery that I knew was good and still the same results. I hooked up each battery seperate and with a 1000 jump started. Still the same but I got out moved by jumping the silonoid on the starter. A bolt fell out so it's a bit outta whack but that doesn't explain why it won't even engauge at all. The starter and alternator are new. The starter is. About 2 weeks old. Belts are tight and checked wires coming from starter and they too are tight. How I got her run right was I had to time her using the distributor but that went great and now she runs better than ever when she's running. Can someone tell me how to diagnose the cause of this problem. Just let me know what all I should look at. Thank you.
Having Issues with 85 El camino
- Thread starter Thediggsmang
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I have a 79 malibu that did the same thing. When you turn the key to start the car, the key feels like it doesn't turn all the way to the start position. If I'm not mistaken on all of the g-body caminos, the key and lock move a lever on top of the steering column which engages the electrical ignition switch, located further down the steering column "tube". The high beam dimmer is also mounted right next to it. Sometimes the electrical switch gets loose and gets pushed down the steering column far enough that the switch won't engage and start the engine. Whatever you do, don't take the electrical ignition switch off the column unless you KNOW that it is bad. It is a b*tch to put back on. First see if the electrical switch housing is loose (It will wiggle from side to side, just a little). If so, then make sure the key is in the off position and then try to push the electrical ignition switch housing up toward the steering wheel. If it moves even a 1/4", it may be enough to get the car to start again. If it moves, tighten the two bolts that hold it in place and then try to start the car with the key. From what I was told, the electronic ignition switches rarely fail, so it is likely to be the switch housing got loose and moved down the column a little bit. Anyway, I would look into that before spending any money. BTW, you can google how to change the ignition switch (Not key switch) and you will find a couple of videos that show you exactly what I'm trying to describe. Good luck.
If a bolt fell out of the starter, THAT'S THE GROUND!!!!!!!!!!!! 2 weeks old doesn't mean squat. In this day of offshore rebuilds, DoAs are more common.
Got the starter fixed. On to the next issue. Now this one has been a big one. As I said she. Came with a sbc 305 and a Holley 750 double pumper. We have been having an issue where we can get her to idle fine but drive idle seems low and loppy. All and all park and neutral idle is high and drive idle is low. She has new plugs. Plus when I would start driving at low rpm range she would backfire through the carb and she would jerk. It felt like she was running out of gas. Sometimes was worse then others. Once I reached about 45 mph in second she would drive fantastic just at a high RPM. Once I would switch to 3rd for about 2 seconds there would be the normal steady climb of the RPMs then there seems to be a second RPM drop that is low and loppy and i have a complete loss of get up and go. I can have my foot to thee floor and she doesn't want to move and the backfiring is extremely bad and loud. So yesterday I took off the Holley and put a Rochester 4bbr Quadrajet. She idled smoother. Easer to tune and all. Was excited to take her out for a spin but to my dismay it had changed absolutely nothing. Less CFM more or less the proper carb for this particular vehicle. And the symptoms are exactly the same in every was. Obviously it's not the carb. We have timed it using the distributor and nothing at all. We have gotten her where park and drive. Idles are good but still we changed everything yet changed nothing. We also got to use my new timing light and according to the light she is in time with the harmonic balancer. We are completely stumped on this. Since she is in time and we changed the carb yet the symptoms are still the same then I believe it's safe to say the carb is not the issue so what is. My thoughts are one or more of the plugs is not firing when it should, or maybe the distributor coil is no good or on its way out. I am at a complete loss.
An Edelbrock better than a Holley? Go on.........
What was wrong with the starter?
Sounds like you have a vacuum leak.
What was wrong with the starter?
Sounds like you have a vacuum leak.
The only reason I put the Rochester on it was so people would stop commenting about how big the carb is and all the problems associated with it. Now I can say different carb same issue. Every vacuum test I have run has been good. Guess when I get this check she goes to a shop.
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