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Hi,

Just became an h-body owner after many years without one. Bought a 1976 Sunbird. Has the 3.8/5 speed combo. Having a non-run issue. The engine turns over but does not start. I shot some starting fluid down the carb, but still no luck. This means no spark. Not sure where to start. Any suggestions would be greatly appreciated. Thanks and I look forward to being part of this community again.

Dan

Here's a wiring diagram that may help, viewtopic.php?f=44&t=45520

First thing I would replace is the module inside the distributor.

Dick

Thanks Dick. I also forgot to mention a couple of things.

1. if I attempted to start the car, then stopped and tried again, the starter would not engage. But if I waited a minute or 2 and tried again, it would engage.
2. I don't think the fuel pump was activated. I know about the oil pressure bypass trick to check it's function (plan to try that today but would a bad switch also prevent the distributor from functioning properly?).

Think this is all related (maybe a bad ignition switch)?

Thanks again,
Dan.

The oil pressure switch will not affect the starter or distributor. When you say the starter will not engage do you mean it won't turn over or the starter spins but does not engage the flywheel? I would check all of your connections on the starter. Make sure those are all clean and tight. Also check your ground cable from the battery to the engine. You could have a faulty clutch pedal safety switch. So, when it does crank it still doesn't start? Try bypassing the oil pressure switch temporarily to see if the fuel pump runs, if not you could have a bad fuel pump

Thanks Clyde. Sorry for the ambiguity. I meant that the starter will not engage-I turn the key and nothing happens. But then if I wait a minute or 2 and turn the key to the start position, the starter engages and turns the engine. BTW, I saw your car the MCACN show in November at the Rosemont Convention Center-It's really nice! I waited for you for a bit but you must have been walking around. Hopefully we can meet up sometime maybe at a local cruise night.

Ok, so you don't hear a "click" or anything when the key is turned? If not, I would still look at the connections, clutch switch, battery, ground cable on engine, connections on the starter. Take the wires off and clean all of them........fairly easy to do and costs nothing. Once you are sure of all of that them you can dig deeper into diagnosing.
I have been working for MCACN for a number of years, hopefully will be up there again in Nov. Haven't taken the car for a couple years though, hard to work and setup the car etc. I also lost my guy who had a enclosed trailer to get it up there and back if the weather is bad.

I replaced the distributor control module and it now runs when I pour gas down the carb. However, with the oil pressure switch bypassed, the fuel pump still does not activate. Bad Fuel pump/fuel pump ground? Clutch neutral switch? Thanks in advance.

I disconnected the pump from the wiring harness in the trunk. I turned the key to the on position and I had somebody depress the clutch and checked the harness wiring. My test light dimly lit which indicates that there is power there and that it's probably the pump?

I connected my multimeter across the connection and it read at 8 and 1/2 volts.

So I dropped the gas tank and pulled the fuel pump out. I wasn't sure how to test it so I hooked up jumper cables to my battery and touched the other ends to the two prongs that come through the fuel pump cover. Nothing. Does that mean that the pump is bad?

Aren't there 3 connectors on the sender unit? Black should be ground, tan is the 12v positive for the motor, and blue is for the fuel gauge sender. Otherwise just connect 12volts and a ground directly to the motor connections and see if it runs.

Thanks Clyde you were right. I did that and the pump ran. So now I'm totally confused. If I was getting 8 1/2 volts at the wiring harness connection why wouldn't the pump have run. I checked the ground and cleaned it up before I dropped the tank and it did nothing. Thoughts? Thanks Dan.

Ok I'm an idiot. That 8 1/2 volts I saw was between the wrong connections. When I tested the correct connection (dark blue wire and ground) I get nothing. I also noticed that the oil warning light did not come on with the key in the run position.

Bad oil pressure switch?

The blue wire is for the fuel gauge, has nothing to do with the pump
motor. There should be a tan wire and a ground wire (black) for the motor. If you have the oil pressure switch bypassed you should see 12volts when the key is in the on position. With the oil pressure switch hooked up and working you should see 12 volts at the pump while cranking the engine and once the engine starts and you get oil pressure it will continue to receive full voltage 12-14volts.