Olds 307 Engine Tune up gone wrong...

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88SuperSport

Not-quite-so-new-guy
Jun 7, 2009
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I have an 87 Regal Limited original 307 engine, which now will not start. Car was having trouble when I got it, I believe it turned out to be the tps connector harness tab is broke and it works its way out sometimes and the car runs bad, taped it up and all better as well as a new fuel filter in the carb. Anyway during that time I bough all new AC Delco Plugs, wires, cap, rotor, and An Accel Coil. Car was running great all the way til when I shut it off this morning to start a routine maintence job. Talk about if it aint broke dont fix it....

I put all that stuff on today, took my time, labeled all the wires, gapped all plugs to .060, put that clear stuff on the boots, finished up and tried to start and nothing.... It just cranks and cranks but will not turn over. It sometimes sounds like it might but just a tease. This is so frustrating. I double checked to make sure all wires were seated properly and that none were crossed. I put the coil that was on the car originally in place of the Accel and nothing. When my girl gets home soon gonna try the old fashioned spark test to see if I'm getting spark at the plug.

Any of these a possibility?

1) Ignition module
2) Timing went off somehow (I did NOT remove distributor)
3) Re-replace the fuel filter
4) Fuel Pump?

I had the car jacked up all day in the front in the garage I ended up having to do some running around between the time I started and the time I finished. Its acting like its not getting gas. Threw some in but no luck. My first weekend off from school and work since sometime last summer is off to a great start :blam:
 
Heres my thoughts....

The ground strap on the coil has to be there and it is often misplaced and forgotten when the coil is changed out.
The fuel line might be full of air since you had the car lifted up in the front and opened up the line to change the filter. Try putting a hose on the line coming from the tank or pump and turning the key on or cranking the engine to see if youve got good fuel pressure (make sure to have the hose in a bucket or large soda bottle to catch the gas). Also, make sure the filter is in right direction. Many have a check valve and fuel will not flow except one way (should be a "in" and "out" written on it near the openings). What plug are you using? Gap seems a bit large if its a stock plug and that grease you used might just be enough resistance to keep them from firing (AZ or Advance will tell you the correct gap if you call them).

Good luck!....keep us posted
 
Thanks for the quick response. I made sure that ground strap was properly seated, even though it was a Pain in the rear on the Accel Coil. I really didnt like the way the Accel coil sat on the cap, that was why that was the first thing I looked at. But same thing when I put the orig delco coil back on.

I should clarify I did not do the fuel filter today, that was something I changed out a few weeks ago. So there shouldnt be any chance of air in the lines.

Plugs are AC Delco 41-630. Gap on the plugs on Rock Auto website is same as on the engine decal on the shroud, .060. I know it sounds high to me too. They sell platinum plugs that have a .045 gap maybe these copper plugs I bough just suck?
But it didnt have anything special in it befor just the orig AC plugs.

We just tried the spark test, I never actually tried it before. I tried the #1 Plug with the wire connected, I grounded the end of the plug to the bolt on the back of the alternator and it sparked a couple times while she was turning the key, I guess thats normal right? I always thought thered be a continous spark but that maks sense it would only make a spark when that wire/plug is energized by the coil. But I dont really know
 
The spark should be pretty bright white or nearly blue. 50,000 volts! Hold the plug just a bit off of the ground bolt and the fire should jump to the bolt. If its a week spark, yellow, you may have a weak battery or bad wiring to the coil. If you suspect the Ignition Module, take it to advance or AZ and have it tested before you buy a new one. If the old parts will run the car, but the new parts wont, maybe somebody sold u some bad parts?
 
I looked on Advance Autos website and the plugs are not the same for a 307. You might have been sold the wrong set of plugs!
 
@bill: My local Advance didnt even show a 307 as an engine option for for an 87 Regal OR an 87 Cutlass for that matter, only 3.8 V6 and 305 V8. The guy goes "You had that motr installed do you know the original engine?" :roll: Ended up getting them at Oreillys (Former Murrays) They always seem to have to most AC Delco products to choose from. I like to keep my GM cars pure lol.

The spark was a flash of white, the other one was weaker more of an oarnge but I had to actually touch it to that bolt to get it to do it. Definatly not blue. If it is the module is this a condition of a bad module? It was just a guess

@tc1959: If I pull the cap should I really be able to spin the rotor freely? It was pretty tight when I was tightening the screws on the new one.

I gotta work on the lady's car today, before I start Im gonna check to see if fuel is coming out at the carb I was thinking about that last night. Gonna pull the filter and put a small jar there and pump the pedal and see. After that I gotta just push it out of the way and start on hers. Theres a ton of work to do on hers. Ill check back later.
 
88 SuperSport said:
@bill: My local Advance didnt even show a 307 as an engine option for for an 87 Regal OR an 87 Cutlass for that matter, only 3.8 V6 and 305 V8. The guy goes "You had that motor installed do you know the original engine?" :roll: Ended up getting them at O'reilly's (Former Murrays) They always seem to have to most AC Delco products to choose from. I like to keep my GM cars pure lol.

The spark was a flash of white, the other one was weaker more of an orange but I had to actually touch it to that bolt to get it to do it. Definitely not blue. If it is the module is this a condition of a bad module? It was just a guess

@tc1959: If I pull the cap should I really be able to spin the rotor freely? It was pretty tight when I was tightening the screws on the new one.

I gotta work on the lady's car today, before I start Im gonna check to see if fuel is coming out at the carb I was thinking about that last night. Gonna pull the filter and put a small jar there and pump the pedal and see. After that I gotta just push it out of the way and start on hers. There's a ton of work to do on hers. Ill check back later.
See if the rotor spins smoothly while cranking the engine over. It should spin around smoothly and not start spinning and stop.
The plugs should be AC 41-630 gapped at 60 thousandths. For a 307 VIN code Y 5.0 ltr engine.
 
So let's make sure we're on the right track here. The car started and ran fine, then suddenly wouldn't start BEFORE you did anything right?
 
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