Ok...so here's the deal. I've changed hundreds of spark plugs before, and never had a problem....but now i seem to have one. its a 2001 grand am with a 3.4L V6, ran fine, but its up there in miles 105K so i put in plugs and wires, AC Delco direct replacements, it IMMEDIATLY won't start, all the firing order is correct, correct spark plug gap, Correct plugs and wires. It sort of trys to start, but only makes it a half second or so. it eventually floods so i pull the plugs...let it air for hours and clean the plugs....put it all back together and still the same thing......NOTHING is disconnected....any ideas?

 

I would ohm out the plug wires; it's possible you got a bad set. Sorry but I do not know a GM spec, for old Fords it's about 7 Kohms per foot maximum resistance.

 

checked the wires.....and tried the old wires too......still nothin

 

This is where you gotta step back, have lunch, and go to abc's.

Double check the obvious. Are they really the right plugs? I mean, do a character-for-character check of the reference on the plug. Are they really gapped right?

Did you damage something by mistake while in there? Disconnect something? Pull a vaccum line?

Question every assumption like a child.

 

Exact same ac delco plugs....gapped right....can't find ANYTHING disconnected....anyone know what compression on a gm 3.4 should be...

 

Did you double-check the firing order with a second source of information? I had your same problem on one of my vehicles once and found out the Chilton's manual was wrong! Can you believe that?

 

checked them in three places...plus...i pulled a wire off at a time and replaced it....so i'm POSITIVE they're right...

 

Looks like you're going to have to go the old fashioned route then - fuel, spark and compression. Is the engine cranking, just not firing, or is the entire car dead as a door nail?

 

Have fuel, have spark, have compression(120-130psi on all 6) engine cranks...and even sounds as though its about to start.....but doesn't

 

Is the intake connected to the throttle body? Trying to start it without the air going through the MAF will give that exact set of symptoms, so will disconnected MAP sensor, and disconnected TPS. Also try to start in "clear flood" mode by holding the gas to the floor while cranking.

 

the car drove home saturday morning running fine.....i took out 6 plugs and 6 wires...replaced them with new ones..and now no start.....so I know its not anything with the maf or intake.....tried the clear flood mode and also let it sit for 5 hours with no plugs in, cleaned the plugs and still nothing.....I hate gm cars...LOL

 

I had the same problem when I did plugs and wires on my old 460, and all it ended up being was the new plug wires were a pain in the butt to get onto the plug themselves. I fought it for days trying to figure it out, so just run through all your plugs and be sure that they are conecting good.

 

Take out a spark plug, with the wire still connected, rest the plug on a piece of un painted metal, and have a buddy crank it to check for spark

 

I figured it out......retarded gm passlock system apparently thought taking plugs and wires off was stealing the car, and disabled it......the best part of that system is it allows you to sit and crank it over all day long, filling up the cylinders with gas and sparking, but within .5 seconds of it starting it disables it......what moron engineer thought that one up.

Reset the passlock system, changed the oil (now diluted with gas) and it fired right up....

 

Truly amazing! Any idea what triggered the security system? Did you disconnect the batt or something.