When you click on links to various merchants on this site and make a purchase, this can result in this site earning a commission. Affiliate programs and affiliations include, but are not limited to, the eBay Partner Network.
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.
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?
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?
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?
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.
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....