Largefarva

Car has been running great with no issues (aside from random trac and low oil lights), went to start the car today and it just cranked over but wouldnt start. Right tailpipe smelled like fuel, left smelled like nothing, werd since they go into one, then to two, lol.
Took off some covers and checked spark on the right bank at the coil wire, had spark there so tried starting the car again, sputtered this time. Held the throttle to the floor (clear flood mode) and cranked again, sputtered more, released throttle and tried a few more times-it started and ran. Was running bad though since the snorkel was off the throttle body. Put everything together and went for a drive and it's fine now.
I've heard of the computer problems but have never had an issue aside from this, and it's working fine now.
Any ideas? Car is a 1993 with 330k

timmy0tool

iTrader: (7)

still a high probability the ECU is to blame if it was never reworked, but i would try and fix the trac and low oil lights first!

you tried the right bank but not the left? any CELs?

Largefarva

I'm thinking it's an ignition issue, only because it was raining all night the day before it happened, and this morning on my way to work in light rain it was sputtering randomly. Dried up before noon and all was good on my way home at 5.

PureDrifter

iTrader: (10)

please confirm if you checked spark on all 8 cylinders...

dicer

If the hi t wires are old as well as the rest of the hi t parts then yeah wet weather will cause hi t leakage and missing. Electricity always takes the easy path to ground.

Largefarva

I checked spark on the passenger side coil, that was it.
As far as the age of the parts I have no idea aside from seeing they are aftermarket parts.

RA40

iTrader: (6)

When symptoms like this happen, a going over of the ignition system and weeding out suspect parts is a common place to begin. On cars with this km/miles, there can be plenty of age related items involved.

Check the ignition wires, caps, rotors, harness to the ignitors...etc. Also easy to tell is pulling the plugs and checking them for fouling. A happy engine the plugs are clean. Same similar going over of the harness to the fuel injection system MAF/AFM....

randal

With the damp, cold weather you are having lately, it most certainly could be the high tension parts mentioned above. You should be replacing the caps and rotors every 100km or so and plug wires every 200km maybe.

Now, if you want to confirm an arc-over culprit, it is pretty easy to do. Get a small spray bottle and fill it with water. Then start your engine and mist the various high tension parts, one section at a time, to see if any will break down and arc. If so, you will immediately notice a stumbling engine and have your culprit. Or, if done a night, you will see a 'light' show. Parts that are in good condition should be able to take a fairly good dowsing without fail.