1994 Sierra 1500 stalled in road and won't start

[Hipster]

I give him credit, he had enough nads to come back and with a little different attitude after getting razzed which is better then some of these kids. lol

 

[stutaeng]

I was going to suggest get a brand new engine, lol.

I think it IS worth checking that the rotor is in fact spinning. Cost nothing to do. If gear is stripped, a cap and rotor won't do anything. Am I wrong?

I think we did that on my brother's 90 C1500. His was spinning though. My brother was convinced it was the fuel pump because the little injector bowls weren't filling up. I helped him remove the bed with my Dad. Then I asked if he had checked the fuel pump, and he said no. So we checked and fuel pump and it was running.

Then I asked if he had checked for spark, he said no... etc.

 

[Schurkey]

If the distributor wasn't turning, or if the pickup coil had failed, there'd be no sparks at all.

I suppose he could have some intermittent problem with irregular sparking. Not as likely--although I had the same intermittent misfire progressively getting worse until the engine stalled, due to a defective mainshaft/pickup coil system.

In this case, he says he's got sparks to the distributor, but none coming out the plug wire terminals. Therefore, cap and/or rotor failure. If he had sparks at the COIL, but not at the distributor, you could add "failed coil wire" to the cap and rotor as potential causes.

Overheated carbon button inside the cap is a common HEI problem. Leads to damaged rotor contacts where it touches the carbon button. And coil wire failures are common, too. Less common are distributor cap cracks and carbon-tracks, and rotor "punch-through" but that still happens now and then.

Let's see what happens when the spark can get from coil all the way across the plug gaps.

 

[stutaeng]

Yes, I agree. I missed where he said spark at distributor but none coming out. I think I've seen where the rotor spins and then stalls, then catches again and spins, etc.

I think that would cause spark to be erratic and at wrong timing. I believe than can be checked with a timing light and marking near TDC on crank pulley? I've never done it though.

Still don't know OP's diagnostic skill level? So I'm just guessing here...

 

[Erik the Awful]

Simon, your mistake was how you stated this:

I was hoping someone would have a really good idea of what it was without me needing to check for spark and I could just get the part and fix the problem.

To a lot of guys it sounded like you didn't want to diagnose it. A better approach would have been to ask for a step-by-step how-to on checking for spark. Plugging an in-line spark tester in one of your spark plug wires is the preferred method, but beware that the cheaper versions can have you chasing rabbits when they don't spark at all. Also note that this tool works much better in darker environments.
https://www.amazon.com/Lisle-20610-Inline-Spark-Tester/dp/B0002STSC6

For years I have done the screwdriver-in-the-spark-plug-boot method, and it's worked for me. Note that it's not preferred because it washes the cylinder walls with unburned gas.

1) Engine off
2) unplug a spark plug wire from the spark plug
3) stick the tip of a big phillips screwdriver into the boot and snug it up against the terminal - don't try to snap it into the terminal
4) lay the screwdriver so that some point on the shaft is about 2mm away from a metal surface on your engine that can withstand a spark
5) make sure there aren't any fuel leaks or flammables near the spark
6) DON'T TOUCH THE SCREWDRIVER
7) have a buddy crank the engine while you look to see if a spark jumps that 2mm gap.

You should get a nice spark with an audible tap sound.

 

[imkwuzn]

Now that everyone is done getting mad and making fun of the stupid kid I'm back with more info. With as little explaining as possible I tried to checking for spark the other day and didn't get it. Being that I had never checked for spark before I didn't trust myself when I wasn't getting a spark, So I came here to see if I could get more help. It turns out I was expecting too much from the little info I had. If I would have known I wouldn't have asked.

SO here's the deal. I trusted that I was right and I wasn't getting spark and I replaced the ignition coil and ignition control module. The truck still didn't start.

This morning I checked spark in a different location and I found out that I have spark going to the distributor but there is no spark leaving the distributor. (SO spark only gets as far as the distributor) This may be a dumb question but I am guessing this means I need a distributor? (or installing a new distributor would be a good place to start?

Thanks to anyone who can help if this is enough info this time

Props to you for swallowing your pride and coming back for help. I think sometimes people forget what is was like when they were young and just starting to work on cars. Some of us may have been lucky enough to have a Father, Grandfather, older Brother, next door neighbor, shop teacher, even a Mom that taught us how to check spark, adjust a carb, set the timing, file points, etc. Others may not be so lucky. I don’t know how old you are but I give you props for even trying to work on your truck. I know a ton of younger (and older) kids who have no desire to do so and I think it’s our responsibility to help those that do want to learn. Lord knows at nearly 60yo, I’m searching forums all the time for tips and help. YouTube is another awesome resource. There’s almost nothing you can’t find there and a lot of times just watching someone is easier than trying to figure it out based on advice on a forum.

That said, I would absolutely check the cap and rotor for burnt/missing contacts and proper rotation before buying any more parts.

keep us posted and good luck!

 

[618 Syndicate]

Good on you for taking the ribbing in stride and coming back with more info.
The more you give the group, the more we can help you figure it out.

 

[Hipster]

Props to you for swallowing your pride and coming back for help. I think sometimes people forget what is was like when they were young and just starting to work on cars. Some of us may have been lucky enough to have a Father, Grandfather, older Brother, next door neighbor, shop teacher, even a Mom that taught us how to check spark, adjust a carb, set the timing, file points, etc. Others may not be so lucky. I don’t know how old you are but I give you props for even trying to work on your truck. I know a ton of younger (and older) kids who have no desire to do so and I think it’s our responsibility to help those that do want to learn. Lord knows at nearly 60yo, I’m searching forums all the time for tips and help. YouTube is another awesome resource. There’s almost nothing you can’t find there and a lot of times just watching someone is easier than trying to figure it out based on advice on a forum.

That said, I would absolutely check the cap and rotor for burnt/missing contacts and proper rotation before buying any more parts.

keep us posted and good luck!

It's not really a matter of forgetting where we came from. Many times on this site young guys get on here wanting help and it's like pulling teeth to get them to even describe the issue let alone get out there and check something somebody suggests without catching an attitude. Many of these guys have been through that merry go round many times and bent over backwards trying to help someone.

In this case the kid came back after making an attempt with some more info etc. Great, but it's not always the case.

 

[thinger2]

Now that everyone is done getting mad and making fun of the stupid kid I'm back with more info. With as little explaining as possible I tried to checking for spark the other day and didn't get it. Being that I had never checked for spark before I didn't trust myself when I wasn't getting a spark, So I came here to see if I could get more help. It turns out I was expecting too much from the little info I had. If I would have known I wouldn't have asked.

SO here's the deal. I trusted that I was right and I wasn't getting spark and I replaced the ignition coil and ignition control module. The truck still didn't start.

This morning I checked spark in a different location and I found out that I have spark going to the distributor but there is no spark leaving the distributor. (SO spark only gets as far as the distributor) This may be a dumb question but I am guessing this means I need a distributor? (or installing a new distributor would be a good place to start?

Thanks to anyone who can help if this is enough info this time

You took the razz and came back.
That makes you a "car guy"
Which is also awesome
Welcome to the club.
The TBI system is really pretty simple but it is a "transitional" type of computer control so is very much a combination of old school and, for the time, new technology.
The old screw driver in a plug wire test for spark doesnt work very well for HEI
Buy yourself an HEI spark tester.
About 20 bucks and pretty much essential equipment.
You will find a lot of knowledge and help from the people here.
Some guys, like Schurkey are deep tech kinda knowledge.
Some guys like me, are roadside bailing wire duct tape kinda guys.
Either way, we will help you get it done

 

[simonphelps08]

First of all merry Christmas and thank you to everyone that came back to help after I got everyone mad.

Another long story short, I live on kauai and getting the individual parts mentioned above wasn't an option and the only option I had was to get an entire distributor. I watched some YouTube videos and I ended up changing it out. I have a feeling I missed something or didn't understand what I was watching. I was careful to take note of where I took out the old distributor and I placed the new one in the same position.

First of all the truck still didn't start. But I went to check for spark and now there is a spark leaving the distributor. Before there was only a spark going to the distributor and nothing leaving.

I think I must not understand something or something is still wrong with the truck... obviously. My thought is I'm wondering what I am missing. Maybe someone could help point me in the right direction from here, if I gave enough info and they have any thoughts.

I would still need to adjust the belt to the right timing and I don't totally understand that part. But from what I understand the truck should still be able to start. hmmm I dont have a clue now. I imagine I miss-understood some advice and its probably my fault but hopefully there is still some hope.