car may be dead-not starting

[deathegg]

update (with more clues!)

I went out today and took off the distributor cap, since I have read that sometimes oil gets in there and interrupts the electrical signal.
Sure enough, inside the distributor cap there is oil, along with oil on the outside of the dust cover. I removed the dust cover, and there is a fair amount of oily buildup in there.

I replaced the distributor cap last year, and do not recall seeing oil on the inside of the cap, so this seems to be a new development.

I have read on here that you can use either brake cleaner or carb cleaner to spray inside there, to clean all the oil out. Is this safe to do, and will it help?

Thanks again for all the help guys, esp you, Jim.

[FB71]

yes, spray out the inside of the dizzy with brake clean. You can thenn see if it has spark again, using my screwdriver test. If it has spark, then you know the oil in the dizzy is causing you problems, and you'll need a new dizzy. If still no spark, get the test light and do the checks I indicated.

[deathegg]

Thanks, I will do the brake cleaner thing tomorrow and see what happens. I will just have to use another car to jump start mine since my battery is getting low.

However if it is the oil, do I need a new distributor? Or are there just some oil seals that can be replaced as well?

Also, It doesn't seem all that hard in my shop manual to replace the module (if that's what it turns out to be). Does anyone have experience with R&R the Module? Looks like I would need a small puller which I would have to buy/borrow.

[collegeboi]

I know this may sound stupid but did you check your timing becasuse I had the EXACT same problem resulting in replacing cap, rotor, wires everything. Then i just decidedd to take it to my friends shop and it was just the timing. just wondering

[deathegg]

no, I have no equipment with which to check timing, but it was running fine just the other day....I don't see how the timing could be bad.. it seems that all signs are pointing to the distributor, coil, or module.

[collegeboi]

OK. My car usually stumbled a bit for a few months before i changed the timing, I guess your car it happened quickly. Best think to do would be tobuy a disty from a member here or from a jy. im sure the module could cost just as much as the whole distributor used. I have an extra dizzy from a 323 which bolts up to the b3.

[hawkdoc60]

no, I have no equipment with which to check timing, but it was running fine just the other day....I don't see how the timing could be bad.. it seems that all signs are pointing to the distributor, coil, or module.

If your timing belt has lots of miles on it, it could have jumped teeth.

[collegeboi]

If your timing belt has lots of miles on it, it could have jumped teeth.

Thats what i was thinking

[hawkdoc60]

If the timing belt has a lot of miles on it, it could happen all at once with no warning.

[deathegg]

ok, I see what you mean about the timing belt. However mine was replaced aprox 15,000 miles ago, so I can't see that it would be the cause. My old timing belt was 40,000 miles overdue when I replaced it; it had big chunks missing out of it, but still the car ran fine!

Here's the thing: If I go to the jy for a used distributor, how can i be sure I'm not getting another bad module?
That's why I think replacing just the module (if it's necessary to do so) would be the way to go. Any thoughts on that? Also as I said if anyone has experience R&R-ing the module and has any hints, it would be appreciated.

[getnpsi]

junkyards offer warranty...pay a few bucks extra you can come back for another one. the modules arent big, sneak extra

[getnpsi]

If you completely give up on your car ill trade ya a running 1995 aspire. =P I have TWO engines at my house with no homes.

[mechanicaldj]

after you clean the distributor
i would suggest cleaning the PCV valve too, might be the cause of the oil in the distributor in the first place

[deathegg]

update:
Jim, I went out and got a test light, and used it per your instructions.

A little confused on this part:

Have a helper crank the engine, and watch the test light, it should flash rapidly.

When I did this the light just stayed on, no flashing. The battery is getting low on power, could that mess with the results?

However, the rest of the test went as directed: I unplugged the blue wire from the negative terminal, and touched it with the probe, and it did light (indicating a shorted module) (was not cranking the engine during this part).

So, it seems I have a bad module.

Is there any way to get the armature off the shaft without using a puller?

[Pu241]

When I did this the light just stayed on, no flashing. The battery is getting low on power, could that mess with the results?

I think that part is taken care of by Rev, Jim's post below.

If it still does not lite, you have a bad (open) coil. If it lites but does not flash, you have a bad ignition module.

And just confirms a bad module.
Not trying to dissuade you from replacing the module but a faster solution is to get a used distributor (known good) and swap it out and adjust timing, by ear if necessary.
Then you have all the time in the world to disassemble your old one and fix it for a backup!