1. Home
  2. Chevrolet Trucks
  3. 1988 Chevy Ignition Problems

1988 Chevy Ignition Problems

88 Chevy 1500 Ext cab Long Bed. 350 CID TBI 205,000 miles

About a week ago I did a tune-up, changed wires, plugs, cap & rotor. It ran great after that. My son was driving it to school and while on the highway it started to slow down and finally stopped on him. On the side of the road he tried to restart but it would crank but would not start. Had it towed to the house and I started to troubleshoot. It seems that its not getting any spark. I tried pulling the #1 plug out and holding it against the block and didn't see spark. (It was in the daytime so it could have been there but I just didn't see it). I had a coil from another vehicle (it currently isn't running but had no ignition problems the last time it did run) and nothing changed. Since the #1 was out, I bumped it to TDC. At TDC the rotor was pointed to #8 on the distributor cap instead of #1. Assuming that the distributor can be either 180° out or right on, I moved the spark plug wires instead of the distributor. I put the #1 wire on the #8, #8 to #4, #4 to #3, and so on, following the firing order. That didn't help so I put the plug wires back in their original places. I had a mechanic tell me that it sounds like the timing chain had jumped. That shouldn't be a major problem to change after getting the accessories out of the way. Before I start on a project like that I want to know if anyone out there has any ideas or suggestions that I can check before I try to tackle the timing chain & gears. If the timing chain and gears are defective, what other indications are there. What else in the ignition system could I have missed? I know it could be something else simple. I double checked all the wires and everything else electrical I think, but I may have missed something. The truck was running fine until this problem.

Reply to
Frank Thompson Jr
Loading thread data ...

I've never seen a small block Chevy "jump" timing. Usually the chain desinegrates, or the cam gear strips, ether case the cam doesn't turn, so the distributor doesn't turn. On vehicles I've seen jump timing, they usually backfire. Now then I've seen the pin that holds the gear on the distributor shaft sheared allowing the gear to move on the shaft. But again you should get fire from the coil wire, The distributor can be as many ways out as there are teeth on the distributor gear, it aint like some Fords where the gear driven by the cam is on the oil pump drive and the distrib just has a tang that fits in a slot. So first order is to pull the coil wire off the cap, and see if it has spark. Also if pointing at number 8 it wasn't 180 out, number 8 cylinder is second in the firing order,

1-8-4-3-6-5-7-2, number one is front cylinder on the on the left bank, 2 is front cylinder on the right bank., distributor turns clockwise. On the cap number 1 is at about 6:30.

Whitelightning

Reply to
Whitelightning

Any chance that it's not getting enough fuel? Is your truck fuel injected, or carbureted?

Reply to
86GMC

180 it would be pointed to #6 1 8 4 3 6 5 7 2 I moved the spark plug wires

Turn the engine over and watch the rotor, it should turn.. The older V8's had nylons coated gears on the CAM and they just disinigrated usually at 75,000 miles

Compression check...

Reply to
tom

Reply to
Frank Thompson Jr

MotorsForum website is not affiliated with any of the manufacturers or service providers discussed here. All logos and trade names are the property of their respective owners.