1998 Camaro not starting.

[Cammy98]

I have a 1998 3.8L Camaro. For the past week she's been starting up only when the day is right for some reason.

It was cranking but wasn't turning over. I took the battery to get checked and purchased a new one since a lot of the acid dripped out. So with the new battery the car started up just fine, but the next day didn't start at all. I cleaned the terminals then it started up all day. The next day failed to start again and since last Saturday (3/7) I cant get it to start anymore.

This is everything I checked and is in working order:
-Fuses
-Fuel filter
-Fuel pump (I hear the it "buzz" on when I turn the key)
-Starter
-Ignition Control Module
-All 3 coils
-Air filter
-I have gas

Im sadly running out of options. Can you guys recommend anything else I should check? Thanx for the help and input! :o

[3.4orNothing]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

crank shaft sensor-,battery cables faulty.......................

[Archer]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

its cranking but not firing. plugs and wires.

New battery, more sparking getting to coils and plugs. The hardest thing to figure out is typically the simplest things.

May or may not be the problem, but its something to look at...

Archer

[cam98aro]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

how long have you had the car?

how many miles?

first, next time it has the problem, you need to find out if it is getting spark, if it is getting spark then it is a timing/weak spark problem, if you are not getting spark, then i would look at the CPS, or the TPS

it sounds like you are getting spark though, and plugs/wires might fix it.. but first things first.. check for spark before you try and put any money into it thats not necessary

also, since you have a 98, when trying to start it, floor the gas pedal and see if anything changes

[chevy3504me]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

Where do you live? Im guessing you have an auto? go over all your wires. something may be loose or burned up. Clean your key and blow out the key hole. The chip can be messed up.

[Rob Bell]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

Does it crank fast and just doesn't fire up? Or does it act like the battery is dead? If it acts like the battery is dead, then your cables probably have a lot of corrosion inside that you cannot see. What leads me to believe this is when you talked about how after you cleaned the terminals it worked fine for a day. On my car, the stock battery leaked out of the positive terminal. The cable had a ton of corrosion in it. I got it cleaned up and it's been OK ever since. I later found out that this was a common problem with stock batteries.

If it cranks OK, then you need to check for spark, and then check the fuel pressure. One of those is probably weak or missing.

[cam98aro]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

Does it crank fast and just doesn't fire up? Or does it act like the battery is dead? If it acts like the battery is dead, then your cables probably have a lot of corrosion inside that you cannot see. What leads me to believe this is when you talked about how after you cleaned the terminals it worked fine for a day. On my car, the stock battery leaked out of the positive terminal. The cable had a ton of corrosion in it. I got it cleaned up and it's been OK ever since. I later found out that this was a common problem with stock batteries.

If it cranks OK, then you need to check for spark, and then check the fuel pressure. One of those is probably weak or missing.

yup, thats what im thinking.. i kinda ignored the fuel stuff since he said he messed with the pump/filter, so i figured he was getting fuel pressure

im thinking something is wrong with the connection, and he is getting a weak spark from the battery trying to turn the starter, the alt wouldnt be going fast enough to provide a good enough spark to get it started

[Rob Bell]

Re: 1998 Camaro not starting.

Cammy98, you can get a spark tester for something like $6. What I do with mine is adjust it so it's like 4x the distance of a normal plug gap. If the spark bridges that it's got to be a good spark. Heck, I even tested it up to probably 10x the normal gap on the wife's van and still got a good spark.