I guess you did all those little easy checks : no wires that�s unplugged or
cut somewhere around the engine ( plug and coil included ), distributor cap
and rotor status ???
I�m just asking cause the engine in my Volvo didn�t start the other day and
I checked and found the inside of the cap full of dirt :-P
New cap and rotor and the car ran as when new :-)

Calle

----- Original Message -----
From: "Aerowolf" <aerowolf@GMAIL.COM>
To: <vanagon@GERRY.VANAGON.COM>
Sent: Saturday, September 11, 2004 10:09 PM
Subject: Re: 85 1.9L died on highway, won't start

> Hee.  No spark at all on the #1 at the distributor cap, didn't bother
> checking the rest.
>
> So, the question becomes... what things control the spark?  (This is
> me being clueless again.)
>
> 1) Battery -- replaced this morning.
> 2) Ignition coil
> 3) ECU
> 4) Ignition Control Unit
>
> Is there anything else that I'm missing?  (I have the Bentley, but
> it's notoriously bad at explaining how these things actually work.)
>
> And thank you all, again, for your assistance.
>
> -Kyle
>
> On Sat, 11 Sep 2004 14:24:00 -0500, Aerowolf <aerowolf@gmail.com> wrote:
> > I ran the fuel pump (cycled it 4 times), shut off ignition, then went
> > and unscrewed the bung a little bit.  Fuel sprayed out, not merely
> > dribbled.  (I had checked the fuel pressure with a gauge within the
> > past 300 miles, and it was within tolerance.)
> >
> > Spark... I'll try that.  How far does the spark have to be able to
> > jump?  (and if it's a spark issue, I presume that since I changed the
> > wires and plugs less than 500 miles ago, it's likely the coil?  or the
> > hall control unit?  How would I diagnose something like this?)
> >
> > Thanks for your help,
> >
> > -Kyle Hamilton
> >
> >
> >
> >
> > ----- Original Message -----
> > From: Zoran Mladen <zmaninco@yahoo.com>
> > Date: Sat, 11 Sep 2004 10:17:35 -0700 (PDT)
> > Subject: Re: 85 1.9L died on highway, won't start
> > To: Aerowolf <aerowolf@gmail.com>, vanagon@gerry.vanagon.com
> >
> > How do you know the fuel pressure is good?  Did you put a pressure gauge
on it?
> >
> > You either lost fuel or spark.  A bad fuel pump relay will do this -
> > had it happen to me.
> >
> > To check spark, remove one spark plug wire from the dist cap and hodl
> > it so there is a small gap between the cap and the wire.  Have someone
> > crank it.  You will see spark if there is one.
> >
> > Z
> >
> > Aerowolf <aerowolf@GMAIL.COM> wrote:
> >
> > Hey, everyone, my 85 1.9L died on the highway, and I can't get it to
> > restart. I'm rather confused as to what the cause might be. (though
> > I also, just after this occurred, got the replacement AFM that my
> > boyfriend had ordered from Bus Depot, and swapped it out because I was
> > a fool and thought that it was the AFM more than anything else.)
> >
> > The fuel pressure is good. I'm not sure about the timing (and I don't
> > have a timing light available). What's the best way to check the
> > spark?
> >
> > I also just replaced the battery -- the one I had wasn't the right one
> > for the van, and I'd drained it while trying to restart it. I've run
> > a couple of attempted-start cycles on the new one, but I've not worn
> > it down.
> >
> > What kinds of things have caused other folks' vans to die on the
roadway?
> >
> >  ________________________________
> > Do you Yahoo!?
> > Shop for Back-to-School deals on Yahoo! Shopping.
> >